change, that’s motivating.” It spurs you to keep up the good work.
FALSE: Slow and steady weight loss is best.
While it’s true that many crash
diets can be harmful to your health — especially if they include too few calories or don’t include a variety of foods and nutrients — new research in The New England Journal of Medicine suggests there can be a benefi t to dropping pounds fast. It can lead to greater sustained weight loss over the long haul. “Many people do best when they do something aggressive and see results fairly quickly because that’s inherently motivating,” Cheskin tells Newsmax.
TRUE: Curb your expectations. Unfortunately, many of the
respondents to the Consumer Reports survey set a goal weight that was hard for them to achieve, which left them feeling disappointed with their actual results. This was true even when they lost 10 percent of their starting weight. When it comes to losing weight, “our expectations are formed by social expectations, rather than what we need or want,” Cheskin explains. “Even losing 5 percent of your weight brings health benefi ts, including improvements to blood pressure, diabetes, back pain, mood, energy, and self-esteem.” To set weight-loss goals that are
realistic and attainable, Cheskin recommends setting goals in a stepwise fashion: Aim for a 5 percent drop in weight. Then, if you still want to lose more, you can take the next step (with another 5 percent target) or take a break and maintain the new weight for a while before forging ahead.
FALSE: You need to be truly “ready” before embarking on a weight-loss plan.
For years, the science of
behavior change has told us that if we want to succeed, we need to go through predictable stages of change — pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. But that’s not necessarily true when it comes to losing weight, according to The New England Journal of Medicine research. Even if you don’t feel ready to take
the plunge, “you can dip a toe in the water and start trying to lose weight before you feel 100 percent ready,” Cheskin says. “If you start to see results, that enhances motivation and readiness.” In other words, seeing a diff erence can lead to believing you can do it.
TRUE: You should fi nd an eating style that works for you. Some of the plans in the Consumer
Reports survey (such as Jenny Craig, Medifast, and Nutrisystem) included prepackaged, portion-controlled meals. Others, such as the Atkins Diet, the Paleo Diet, low carb diets, and the fi rst stages of the South Beach Diet, are structured around eliminating or severely restricting entire categories of foods. Still others (like Weight Watchers and the Mediterranean diet) incorporate a variety of foods. Your best bet is to become aware of
what dietary pattern is likely to work for you, Cheskin advises.
SMARTPHONE PAL FOR DIETING
S
urprise! In the Consumer Reports survey, a free smartphone app
called MyFitnessPal had a higher reader satisfaction score (83 percent) than any of the commercial weight loss programs. MyFitnessPal allows you to keep a diary of your weight, your eating habits, and how much you exercise — and automatically syncs the info with the website, which includes a food database of more than 2.4 million foods and their calorie content. There’s also a vast community of fellow dieters from whom you can draw support, encouragement, and advice. Check it out at
www.myfitnesspal.com.
Whatever that is, one of the most
eff ective strategies, Cheskin says, is to spread your calories throughout the day for energy. This will “keep your hunger in check and help you get by with fewer total calories.”
FALSE: Small changes add up to big results. It’s an appealing concept but
unlikely to work, according to The New England Journal of Medicine research, and here’s why: Your body tends to adapt to small changes, whether it’s walking an extra 10 minutes a day or giving up one of your usual snacks. Also, you might make up
for the healthful change in another way — by spending more time watching TV or eating more for lunch since you know you’ll be going snack-free. “Small changes are better than not making changes,” Cheskin points out, but he says bigger changes will have more of an impact on your weight.
MAY 2013 | NEWSMAX MAXLIFE 85
COUPLE/CHASSENET/BSIP/SUPERSTOCK
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