Reaching and Keeping Your Best Weight

You've tried all the diets, and none works--you've lost weight and regained it too many times to count. You're certain you will never reach and maintain a comfortable weight. Take heart! You can control your weight when and if you decide you want to. The key is in deciding not to diet, but to adopt a more healthy lifestyle. To take weight off and keep it off you have to change the way you live, the way you eat and think about food, the way you exercise and think about exercise, and probably the way you think about yourself.

This brochure does not present a diet but a philosophy--a basic approach to weight management which will help you make the kinds of decisions that can result in reaching and keeping your best weight. First, you've got to decide to make the change. The decision to control your weight has to be yours and has to be for your own reasons. If you decide to do it to please someone else, you may lose some pounds, but you likely will not keep them off. So before you go any further, decide if you really want to do this, and why. If you can't identify your reasons, maybe you're not really ready and you might want to wait.

SETTING GOALS

Once you've decided to take control of your weight, you need to set your goal--that "comfortable weight" you want to reach and maintain. Talk with your doctor before you begin your weight loss program to be sure that both the eating plan and exercise program you are planning is good for you. S/he can help you determine an acceptable weight range of about 20 pounds. You can decide where in that range you want to set your goal. If you need to lose a lot, you might want to set a goal somewhere near the top of the range, so it will seem more reachable and less discouraging. You might even want to set an intermediate goal above your ideal range and start by getting there.

Whatever your goal, be sure you are comfortable with it, because you will have to reach and maintain it. Also think about how long it will take you to reach your goal. One of the biggest mistakes is wanting too much too soon. In the beginning you probably can lose faster, because your body is making rapid adjustments to your changes in eating and exercise. This is real loss, but it is also the easy part. Don't be discouraged when you slow down. Any plan which results in an average loss of more than 1 to 3 pounds a week is not healthy. Note that men may be able to lose a little more quickly than women can.

You will probably hit "plateaus," when you go for several weeks without losing. If you have an adequate plan and are following it, don't worry about this kind of leveling-off. If a plateau lasts more than 4-5 weeks, review your plan and your actions to make adjustments. The closer you get to your ideal weight, the slower your weight loss will probably be. Don't lose heart. Just keep on doing what you know is right to do.

HEALTHY EATING

This approach is not about dieting, but about changing eating patterns. What's the difference? Is this just a diet by another name? Think of the difference in terms of duration and design.

Duration: A diet is usually something you "go on" for a specified length of time. Your eating pattern is more permanent. You will probably need to eat less to lose than to maintain your weight, but the difference is in the amount of food, not in the way you choose it.

Design: A diet is usually designed by someone else. Your eating pattern is your own design, with or without help from other people. Some people can develop and carry out their program entirely on their own or with informal support of family and friends. Others need a more structured approach and the accountability and support of an organized weight-loss program. Many successful weight-loss programs utilize ideas found in this brochure. You may want to find an organization which specializes in weight-loss to help you design your program. Consult your doctor about the soundness of specific organizations in your area.

Nutritional Balance

Basically, there are only three kinds of foods--protein, carbohydrates, and fats.

• Proteins, which build, replace, and repair body tissue, include meats, dairy products, and legumes or dried beans.
• Carbohydrates--the energy foods, include all grains, fruits, and vegetables.
• Fats provide essential fatty acids and carry fat-soluble vitamins, but mostly fats are put in storage, wasted--or waisted?! Sources include animal fat (meat fat, egg yolks, cream, butter) and vegetable fat (nuts, oils, margarine).

Without memorizing calorie charts, you can keep a tab on calorie consumption by learning the basic count for each type of food. Carbohydrates and protein each contain about 4 calories per gram, fats about 9. A fourth source of calories, alcohol, contains about 7 calories per gram, and is stored by the body as fat.

How many calories do you need to reach and maintain a comfortable weight? You may be surprised to know that less is not necessarily better. There is a point below which your body goes into "starvation mode" and hoards what you eat, storing it as fat rather than burning it off. So if you eat too little you could gain, or at least fail to lose. Most weight-loss programs suggest 1000-1400 calories per day for women and 1400-1800 for men. Experiment to find the level which will help you to lose comfortably.

One of the most essential nutrients of all is water. Most people need 8-10 cups of liquid a day. Add a squeeze of lemon, or try mineral water, spring water, or sparkling water. Decaffeinated coffee or tea can be substituted for some of the water you need, but caffeinated coffee, tea, and soft drinks are not adequate substitutes. You can't get too much water--your body will quickly eliminate what it doesn't need.

Healthy Eating Habits

But changing your eating lifestyle means more than just a healthy nutritional balance, as important as that is. It requires adjustments in the way you think about eating, the approach you take to food. Start developing some of these healthy eating habits:

Create a "Clean" House. Get rid of all "dangerous" foods--the ones that tempt you to sabotage your eating program. If they aren't there, you can't indulge in them. In their place stock healthy foods that you like.

Shop Smart. Plan your menus for a week, then make a list--perhaps on a form list on which you can check the groceries you need. Arrange your list the way the store is arranged so you won't wander up and down aisles and be tempted with all of the "dangerous" foods. Shop when you are not hungry, and purchase what is on your list.

Don't skip meals! In fact, you probably need to eat more often than you might think--at least every four hours. Plan for three meals and two or three snacks, and eat then even if you're not hungry. If you wait until you are really hungry, you are likely to eat more, and that's when binging comes in and wrecks your plan.

Avoid "binging" and "nibbling." Most people who don't eat healthily fall into either the "binger" or "nibbler" category. "Bingers" may go for long periods of the day without eating anything, then they start eating and can't stop. "Nibblers" never eat a lot at one time, but they "nibble" throughout the day. Designate planned eating times; eat then and only then.

Watch eating "triggers." What prompts you to eat? Suppose you have rented a movie and you decide to have some chips and dip while you watch it. This eating is "triggered" and unhealthy. But suppose it is your planned dinnertime and you decide to take your tray into the den so you can watch the news while you eat. This eating is planned and O.K. Avoid eating based on external triggers.

Eat only in selected eating places. For a week, list every place where you eat anything. You may be surprised at the number of places included. You can learn to control your eating by selecting only a few eating places, and restricting your eating to those places. Select only places where eating will be the focus: a kitchen or dining table, one chair in the den, a place at work--preferably away from your desk or primary work area, restaurants, and picnic areas--not the car, the bed, your work area, etc. You don't want to associate all of these places with eating. Selecting only logical eating places allows you to control your eating rather than allowing it to control you. Note, this rule does not apply to drinking water--drink water anywhere and anytime!

Learn to eat slowly. It takes approximately 20 minutes for your brain to receive the "satisfied" signal. By slowing down, you will enjoy your food more, and you will know you are satisfied. Try putting your fork or spoon down between each bite. If you are eating alone, try reading while you eat. If you are eating with other people, concentrate on them and the conversation, not on getting through the meal.

Reward yourself with things other than food. When you reach specific goals in your weight loss program--following your plan for a week, starting an exercise program, reaching your intermediate goals--a reward is appropriate. But don't use food! Rather, take yourself to a play or movie, buy clothes you couldn't wear before, or do something else special for yourself. If you decide to indulge in a banana split, let it be just that, an indulgence which is a departure from your program--not a reward.

Accept lapses as learning experiences. Recognize that you will slip--you will occasionally eat foods which are not on your program; you may occasionally go on an eating "binge." Don't punish yourself; rather, learn from the experience. Were you craving ice cream so much that you finally bought a gallon and ate it all? Maybe the better plan is not to deny yourself ice cream totally, but to limit your consumption to one serving per week and make that the low-fat variety. Your craving will be satisfied without the devastating effect of the binge. When you do slip, forgive yourself, look for the cause, design a strategy to cope with this kind of situation, and get back on your program.

SENSIBLE EXERCISE

You will reach and maintain a healthy weight only with regular, sensible exercise. Not only does proper exercise burn calories, it also increases your metabolism so your body can make better use of the calories it receives.

Warm-up exercise is essential in any exercise plan. Going right into more vigorous exercise without first "warming up" the muscles that will be used can result in injury. Plan for about 5 minutes of "warm-up" and about 5 minutes of "cool-down" with each session.

Strength training such as sit-ups, push-ups, and weight-lifting builds muscle tissue. Women do not need to fear becoming excessively muscular from this type exercise--it will firm and tone your muscles, not create larger muscles.

Aerobic activity such as walking, running, cycling, and swimming should form the heart of your exercise program. These exercises are the primary calorie-burners and provide essential stimulation to your cardiovascular system.

Natural activity occurs as you begin to develop a more active lifestyle. As you work in your garden, walk the dog, or even clean house you are giving yourself exercise and are beginning to think of yourself as an active person. Taking the stairs rather than the elevator, walking around the mall before shopping, or parking a little further away (with due caution for security) will pay off. Plan at least one fun thing each week: bowling, dancing, bike-riding, a walk in the park, whatever physical activity you enjoy.

Toss out the old saying, "No pain, no gain!" Recent research indicates that major pain (not simply tiredness) means you are probably doing too much, not doing it correctly, or doing an exercise which is not good for you. You need an exercise session of 30 minutes to an hour at least 3 to 5 days a week, with at least one day a week of rest (though you can be "naturally-active" every day). Any exercise, as long as it is regular, is better than none. Begin slowly and work toward gradually increasing both the time and the intensity of your exercise.

In aerobic exercise, the goal is to increase your heart rate to its optimum level and maintain that level for at least 15-20 minutes. Longer duration at lower intensity is usually better than shorter duration at higher intensity. Your doctor can help you determine your optimum heart rate and teach you how to measure it.

HEALTHY LIVING

Changing your lifestyle regarding eating and exercise are two major aspects of weight control, but they are only part of a much larger concept of healthy living. This larger concept includes some negatives: don't smoke, don't use alcoholic beverages, don't eat excessive amounts of fats, etc. It also includes some positives: appropriate exercise, a nutritionally balanced diet, adequate rest, a positive outlook on life.

One of the most important aspects of healthy living is to love and value yourself. If we do not accept and value ourselves, we turn to things outside ourselves--like food--to fill the emptiness within. The basis for true self-valuing comes only from a personal relationship with God through Christ. This relationship allows you to form one central focal point around which your entire life is integrated. As you develop a healthy lifestyle with your focus in Christ, you can find strength to reach your goals and to fulfill the potential of being all you can be.