Everything You want to Know to get FIT

Weight Loss for Life

There are many ways to lose weight, but it is not always easy to keep the weight off. The key to successful weight loss is making changes in your eating and physical activity habits that you can keep up for the rest of your life. The information presented here may help put you on the road to healthy habits.

Can I benefit from weight loss?

Some Weight-related Health Problems

• diabetes
• heart disease or stroke
• high blood pressure
• high cholesterol
• gallbladder disease
• some types of cancer
• osteoarthritis (wearing away of the joints)
• sleep apnea (interrupted
  breathing during sleep)

• You are considered obese based on your body mass index (BMI) (see BMI chart below).
• You are considered overweight based on your BMI and have weight-related health problems or a family history of such problems.
• You have a waist that measures more than 40 inches if you are a man or more than 35 inches if you are a woman.

Source: Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults, National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, September 1998.

* Without Shoes
**Without Clothes

How can I
lose weight?

Your Plan for Healthy Eating

The Nutrition Facts label from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is found on most packaged foods. It tells you how many calories and how much fat, protein, carbohydrate, and other nutrients are in one serving of the food. For more information on the Nutrition Facts, see “Other Resources” at the end of this brochure.

It may be hard to stick to a weight-loss “diet” that limits your portions to very small sizes or excludes certain foods. You may have difficulty making that work over the long term. Instead, a healthy eating plan takes into account your likes and dislikes, and includes a variety of foods that give you enough calories and nutrients for good health.

Make sure your healthy eating plan is one that:

• Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products.
• Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, bean, eggs, and nuts.
• Is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars.

For more specific information about food groups and nutrition values, visit: http://www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines.

Your Plan for Regular Physical Activity

• walking (15 minutes per mile or 4 miles per hour)
• biking
• tennis
• aerobic exercise classes (step aerobics, kick boxing, dancing)
• energetic house or yard work (gardening, raking, mopping, vacuuming)

What types of weight-loss programs are available?

There are two different types of weight-loss programs—clinical and nonclinical. Knowing what a good program will offer and what to look for may help you choose a weight-loss program that will work for you.

Nonclinical Program

What it is: A nonclinical program may be commercially operated, such as a privately owned weight-loss chain. You can follow a nonclinical program on your own by using a counselor, book, website, or weight-loss product. You can also join others in a support group, worksite program, or community-based program. Nonclinical weight-loss programs may require you to use the program’s foods or supplements.

A safe and effective program will offer:

• Books, pamphlets, and websites that are written or reviewed by a licensed health professional such as a medical doctor (M.D.) or registered dietitian (R.D.).
• Balanced information about following a healthy eating plan and getting regular physical activity.
• Leaders or counselors who show you their training credentials. (Program leaders or counselors may not be licensed health professionals.)

Program cautions:

• If a program requires you to buy prepackaged meals, find out how much the meals will cost—they may be expensive. Also, eating prepackaged meals does not let you learn the food selection and cooking skills you will need to maintain weight loss over the long term.
• Avoid any diet that suggests you eat a certain formula, food, or combination of foods for easy weight loss. Some of these diets may work in the short term because they are low in calories. But they may not give you all the nutrients your body needs and they do not teach healthy eating habits.
• Avoid programs that do not include a physical activity plan.
• Talk to your health care provider before using any weight-loss product, such as a supplement, herb, or over-the-counter medication.

Clinical Program

What it is: A clinical program provides services in a health care setting, such as a hospital. One or more licensed health professionals, such as medical doctors, nurses, registered dietitians, and psychologists, provide care. A clinical program may or may not be commercially owned.

Clinical programs may offer services such as nutrition education, physical activity, and behavior change therapy. Some programs offer prescription weight-loss drugs or gastrointestinal surgery.

Prescription Weight-loss Drugs. If your BMI is 30 or more, or your BMI is 27 or more and you have weight-related health problems, you may consider using prescription weight-loss drugs. Drugs should be used as part of an overall program that includes long-term changes in eating and physical activity habits. Only a licensed health care provider can prescribe these drugs. See “Additional Reading” for more information about prescription medications for the treatment of obesity.

Bariatric Surgery. If your BMI is 40 or more, or your BMI is 35 or more and you have weight-related health problems such as diabetes or heart disease, you may consider bariatric surgery (also called gastrointestinal surgery). Most patients lose weight quickly. To keep the weight off, most will need to eat healthy and get regular physical activity over the long term. Surgery may also reduce the amount of vitamins and minerals that are absorbed by your body. The rapid weight loss as a result of bariatric surgery may also cause gallstones. See the “Additional Reading” section for more information about bariatric surgery.

What a safe and effective program will offer:

• A team of licensed health professionals.
• A plan to help you keep weight off after you have lost it.

Program cautions:

Additional Reading

Other Resources

Weight-control Information Network