Posted Jan 5, 2010
Losing weight and getting fit will probably be the top resolution for Americans in 2011, as it has been for just about every year.
But after six months or less, the fervor for a new body — more frequently than not — gets bowled over by a busy schedule, a burger, french fries and a milkshake.
Experts say that to be sustainable, diet and workout regimes must be fun, taste good and have grace periods.
Mara Hollander, a Redlands-based preventative health care specialist and physical therapist, said that she recommends a 80-20 rule, in which the diet is in force 80 percent of the time, but there’s permission to stray for the remaining 20 percent.
“A gentler, kinder approach is bound to be more successful,” she said.
Many programs that fail have a punishment mindset to them, she said.
Dr. Warren Peters, director of the Center for Health Promotion at Loma Linda University, said “obesity is like a fever. There are lots of different reasons for its cause. … Treating everyone the same is a big mistake.”
Peters said there are three categories of overweight people:
Oopsers: These are people who got a little careless last year. They gained maybe 10 pounds and just need to pay attention to their eating habits this year. Portion control is key. People in this group will most likely be successful with their weight- reduction goals in 2011.
Skippers: These are people who are exceptionally busy. They skip breakfast and work right through lunch. When dinner comes, they eat a lot. And because the body moves to a shut-down mode, much of their dinner moves into fat.
Skippers need to play on their organizational strengths and schedule time for breakfast and lunch.
Cravers: These are people who have a serious relationship with food. They live for the dopamine rush eating provides and may need pharmaceutical assistance to help them break their addictive habit.
Dr. Harvey Cohen, an internal medicine and geriatric specialist in Rancho Cucamonga, said that three to four pounds per week should be the maximum weight loss.
“It should be slow and gradual,” he said. Rapid weight loss can result in many medical problems, including irregular heartbeats.
And he doesn’t like the word “diet.”
“That implies that there is an ending point. It should be a lifestyle change,” he said.
Also, Cohen said, stay away from pills which are said to boost the metabolism and diets that focus on just a few food groups.
Hollander said that exercise programs should be fun.
Find something that you like to do, whether it’s at a gym, in the house or a walk around the neighborhood, she said.
New federal guidelines recommend 250 minutes of exercise per week to help with weight loss.
Make sure weight training is incorporated into the exercise to build lean body mass, she said.
Hallander likes a Mediterranean diet for weight loss, with fruit, nuts, fish, low-fat beef or chicken white meat.
Stay away from saturated fats, refined carbohydrates and foods sweetened with fructose, she said. Also, use vegetables and fruits as items to create a feeling of fullness.
jim.steinberg@inlandnewspapers.com
Date: Jan 1, 2010
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