1
Introduction to Weight Control
If this is not your first attempt to lose weight, you are not
alone. Losing weight has become a national obsession in the United
States with millions of Americans spending billions of dollars on diets
and weight loss programs. Over 60 percent of adults are obese or
overweight. You might look at that percentage and not really feel the
impact of the amount of people with this problem. About one in every
three Americans is considered obese. That’s a lot of people trying to
fit into spandex shorts. Of these millions of obese Americans, many
are suffering from high blood pressure, diabetes, high serum
cholesterol, coronary heart disease, gallbladder disease, and the list
goes on. It is approaching tobacco use as the main reason that we are
dying.
On the surface it seems so simple.
People are overweight
because they take in more energy (calories) than they use..... and
essentially that statement is true.
However, many other factors
contribute to the problem of obesity. It's clear that genetics plays a
role, but so do family eating patterns, cultural and social influences,
psychological problems, hormones, metabolism, and even the number
and size of fat cells. Ultimately, being overweight is a combination of
factors; however, energy intake versus energy output are the two
factors you can control. That means you’re eating foods that give you
more energy than the actual amount of energy your body is using. The
2
first thing you need to do is Stop it! And that is the point of this
book, to help do that, to help eat better and exercise more and to
control the eating related behaviors that are contributing to the
weight problem.
Overweight individuals experience difficulties with more than
just body function and health. Even more noticeable in day-to-day life
are the social/psychological consequences of being overweight. In our
society a thin body is highly valued and over emphasized..... while an
overweight person is often perceived as less attractive, capable, or
successful. The constant prejudices that most overweight individuals
experience can lead to a poor self-image, less confidence, a sense of
isolation, anxiety, and depression.
Although this does not happen all
the time, it happens frequently enough to pressure most overweight
people to try lose the extra weight. Ideally, society should change its
attitude toward overweight individuals, however, that's probably not
going to happen any time soon.
Obesity is not only a problem with adults but it is also a big
problem with children and adolescents.
Of course the
contributors are high fat foods and sedentary lifestyles.
big
Kids are
watching about five hours of television each day and spending more
time playing sedentary games instead of getting physical activity
during the day. About half of the overweight or obese children grow
up to be overweight/obese adults.
3
Many different ways to actually lose this extra weight have been
identified.
Treatment
for
weight
loss
has
included
surgical
intervention, drugs, gimmicks, fasting, low calorie drinks, and of course
thousands of diets and programs. The sheer numbers and diversity of
the methods indicate our willingness to try almost anything to be
thinner. And of course there are a lot of people that have tried lots
of the different methods/diets and are still struggling with their
weight.
A major flaw in most of these techniques is maintaining the
weight loss. Only programs that encourage permanent changes in
eating and physical active that allow for weight maintenance have a
chance for long-term success.
This is such a simple concept, if it
were just that easy.
Adults, teenagers, and even children can follow recommendations
for an appropriate weight loss program. All that is being asked is that
you eat better and get more physical activity.
1.
Learning to Eat Well
This means having meals that give you energy, give your body the
nutrients it needs, and leaves you feeling satisfied.
It also means
eating foods you like, fitting them into your lifestyle, and getting the
results of losing weight and keeping it off that you want.
4
2.
Increasing Physical Activity
You need to do aerobic exercise to burn body fat. In addition, you
need to do strength training to increase muscle density and
metabolism to keep the fat from coming back.
3.
Identify and Change Eating Habits that Are a Problem
Habits are just learned behavior.
And learned behavior can be
unlearned or replaced with new better behaviors.
Realize that you
probably don't really want to change your current habits, but if you
keep eating and exercising the same way, your weight will also stay the
same.