Go slow with weight loss, nutrition experts
advise
December 30, 2004
By Richard Powelson
Holiday-heavy Americans, regardless of how much weight they gained,
should set a reasonable goal of losing no more than one-half to
two pounds a week, federal health experts say.
People are more likely to succeed at weight loss if they commit
to make small, gradual changes in diet and activity level, according
to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
For example, those who consume 150 fewer calories a day than usual
-- or burn off that calorie level during exercise -- can lose about
10 pounds a year, the department said. That is the daily equivalent
of a 12-ounce soda or 30 minutes of brisk walking.
The Bush administration is working to address what it calls an
epidemic of overweight children. Surgeon General Richard Carmona,
the nation's top educator on health issues, plans a series of town
hall meetings across the country in 2005 to better coordinate public-private
programs that are effective in preventing and reducing the number
of overweight children.
Also, a national organization, The Partnership to Promote Healthy
Eating and Active Living, is encouraging at least slight changes
in diet and exercise to halt weight gains in adults and children.
Its national campaign is called America On The Move.
Dr. Michael Zemel, a professor doing obesity research at the University
of Tennessee, is heading his state's effort for America On The Move.
"We don't want to scare people away" with big challenges,
Zemel said. "For those who aren't active, we look at ways to
make their everyday activities a little bit more active and promote
slow weight loss."
The campaign asks people to consume 100 fewer calories a day and
to aim gradually to walk an extra 2,000 steps a day (about one mile).
Cutting 100 calories several times daily is easy if consumers think
more about the calories and fat and reasonable portion sizes in
what they are eating and drinking, health experts say.
Some examples: use low-fat cheese or no cheese in sandwiches and
salads and on side dishes; try low-fat salad dressing, eat a broth-based
soup rather than cream-based, use lemon juice for seasoning various
dishes, and satisfy chocolate cravings with just one or two snack-size
bars.
For exercise, start small and gradually do more. Park farther from
a store to allow more walking. Use stairs in commercial buildings.
Sneak in more walking at indoor malls or at home after dinner.
Limit TV watching to less than two hours a day to allow more active
time with family or a buddy.
WAYS TO STEADILY TRIM THE FAT
Set a reasonable goal to stop weight gain, and then perhaps to
shed from one-half to 2 pounds a week.
- Multiply your weight times 13 to see roughly how many daily
calories will sustain your current weight. Then cut 100 to 500
calories a day to stop weight gain and start losing.
- Buy an inexpensive step counter (about $20) and measure your
usual daily activity level. Americans, most of whom are overweight,
average about 4,000 to 5,000 steps a day. Work toward adding 2,000
steps or more a day to your routine (30 minutes or less of walking).
- Eat smaller portions of high-fat foods. Choose diet soft drinks,
water or watered-down fruit juice over high-sugar sodas and fruit
juice.
- Add low-fat or no-fat dairy products to your diet -- such as
three or four 8-ounce servings daily of milk or yogurt -- to nearly
double your weight loss progress. Calcium intake suppresses hormones,
which tell fat cells to make more fat.
Source:http://seattlepi.nwsource.com
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