An Honest Guide to Weight Loss
There has been much talk lately about the obesity epidemic which is sweeping the world, and the ensuing panic has resulted in an avalanche of books and articles packed with ideas about why we are growing larger and what we can do about it.
As a physician struggling with making sense of all this over the past few decades, I have come up with a few suggestions concerning how best to view the constant stream of data about diet, weight loss and lifestyle
- Take any claim which promotes a specific diet, device, or pill with a grain of salt. Selling people diet books, food supplements, and "lose weight fast" gimmicks is a multi-billion dollar industry with almost no regulation.
- Be aware that there is much valid research going on, but that none of it can address all of the variables that might affect you as an individual. We are in a very early stage of understanding even the basics concerning weight maintenance and nutrition. The research generally falls into three conceptual categories: biological, psychological, and interpersonal (or social). Unfortunately, research rarely addresses the complex interplay of all three categories, thus making it very difficult to apply the findings in real life.
- There is no quick and easy substitute for following a sensible diet, controlling serving size (we all suffer from "portion distortion" so that we underestimate how much we actually eat), and increasing daily activity levels through both "spontaneous" activity and planned exercise. Calories do count, both entering the body and leaving it (through activity). Realistic weight loss should be a slow process - no more than 1 or 2 pounds per month; otherwise, your body "thinks" it is starving, and powerful biological systems take over to prevent further weight loss.
- Many factors influence how we respond to the calorie flow, such as genetics, hormones, our age, and our health. Life isn't always fair when it comes to weight management. Nevertheless, some things are under our control, and we can replace many of our unhealthy habits with healthier ones.
- Yo-yo dieting does more harm than good. Diets generally don't work for long term weight maintenance because they are time-limited, boring, difficult, and involve self-deprivation. The best way to maintain a reasonable weight is to change our eating habits for good, by first changing our thinking about food (and activity) so that we do not think in terms of deprivation. We can train our brain to delight in eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean meats, and sometimes we can even develop an active distaste for high fat and high sugar "junk" foods (including soft drinks and other high calorie drinks).
- We must be realistic about our weight loss and maintenance goal. For example, if my natural weight range (some call it "set point") is between 170 and 200 pounds, my ability to maintain a desired weight may be practically limited to keeping it between 175 and 180 pounds. Shooting for 160 pounds would set me up for disappointment. Not gaining or re-gaining weight is even more important than losing it, and more difficult. The good news is that the more we practice healthy habits of eating, moving, and thinking, the easier and more natural the new behaviors become. And efforts toward maintaining a desired weight range, even if still overweight according to standard weight tables, do pay off in terms of better health outcomes (for example, preventing type 2 diabetes and lowering blood pressure).
- Alcohol and drug use (including prescribed and non-prescribed) can have a huge influence on weight and health, and cannot be ignored as we change our lifestyle in a healthy direction. Consultation with a health care professional may be needed before these changes can be made.
- Family relationships, friendship patterns, and support networks also affect our health and weight, and must be taken into consideration. Stress levels and the ways we cope with stress and change in our lives are extremely important. Automatic and emotional eating can be a large part of the problem, and we should learn to practice mindful eating (being aware of every bite, and taking the time to enjoy the process of eating).
Considering these principles has helped me cope with information overload. If you follow these simple guidelines, I predict you will feel less overwhelmed - and may become healthier and happier!
More like this in Tips and Tools · Jun 23, 2008
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One to two pounds per MONTH? I thought that a pound a week was all right!
ReplyMe too! Though I'm totally of the opinion that the slower you take weight off and the more/better you eat when you're dieting, the easier it is to maintain. But I've only been maintaining for a month or two so what do I know?
Reply1-2 lb a week is all right, or more accurately -- 1% of your body weight a week...
Replybut slower can mean you keep it off longer because there's less likely to be drastic change someone reverts on the slower you lose it.
I think when you start to lose over a couple pounds a month, you start burning muscle instead of fat.
ReplyYou don't burn muscle and you can't lose muscle. It is like fat cells. You have so much muscle and so many fat cells. You can shrink the fat cells and build up the muscle but you don't lose muscle. You can keep from developing it to it's maximum and it can atrophy but it is never gone.
Reply1-2 pounds a month is really slow for weight loss...I lost at a rate of around 1-2 lbs a week except at the beginning when I was losing around 3 lbs a week. It depends a lot on how much water weight you have to start with and how big you are. If you are very overweight, it's entirely possible to lose something like 4-5 lbs a week without losing muscle mass.
ReplyAll fantastic points! I wish people would be drawn to this type of information rather than the more faddish, lose-weight-quick schemes.
Perhaps 1-2 lbs a month is a good target for "maintenance loss". I agree that 1-2 lbs a week is feasible, I suppose it depends on how much you want to lose and what kind of lifestyle factors are at play.
Still, when added up over the course of 1-2 years, this rate of loss (1-2 #'s a month) is still pretty substantial. I just reckon it would be way to slow to entice most people.
ReplyWe're all drawn to the fad diets for the same reason that many of us overeat - instant gratification. We eat more because we want it right then... if only it were that easy to lose the weight!
Very down-to-earth tips.
ReplyI came up with the 1 - 2 pounds per month recommendation because it seems that many people who try to lose weight set short-term goals of "losing 20 pounds" or "losing 2 pounds a week" which is possible to do. But almost everyone reverts to the same old pre-diet behavior and regains the lost weight. Lowering expectations initially, therefore, may have a paradoxical effect of much better results in the long run. As you point out, losing one pound per month for a year is 12 pounds, and for 10 years would be 120 pounds. So, really, one pound per month is a very ambitious goal, and might have to be replaced after a year or two with NOT GAINING any weight per month. People are easily enticed into starting diets, but almost always fail. So, maybe people shouldn't be enticed at all!
ReplyGreat post. The one thing that always drove me crazy as a trainer was people wanting a "magic" quick weight loss diet. There is no such thing and in fact that mentality is hurting people. You can lose weight with any diet book...as it still mostly comes down to less calories and insulin control. Also people don't know how much stress can effect and even shut down weight loss efforts. I've seen people once they stopped stressing out, they started losing weight again. Mostly because of their adrenals/thyroid was compromised with chronic elevated levels of cortisol. There are so many factors when it comes to health and weight loss but the best thing anyone can do is to learn what those factors are and how to control them. I'd say start with reversing insulin resistance (which IMO is at the heart of most all obesity and degenerative diseases) by eating less carbs and exercising with resistance. From there control stress and just enjoy life and the natural foods it has to offer.
ReplyI lost 1 or 2 lbs per week for a total of 40 lbs. I just want to remind everyone that to lose 2 lbs per week you have to burn 1000 calories a day more than you consume. While it can be done, I did it, it is hard to sustain that level of activity each and every week. I set my daily goal as burning 500 calories more than I consumed. Then I would try to extend that to 1000 calories. Just don't set yourself up for failure and expect to be able to lose 2 lbs every week.
ReplyGreat points I reckon. I would reiterate that support is essential.
ReplySetting reasonable goals is something I find very important. I think people tend to start out a little too ambitious and end up being disappointed when they don't meet their expectations. That's not to suggest that people shouldn't strive for great improvement, I just think the goals must be reachable. I think the best way is to set small goals and continue to increase them when one is reached.
ReplyAlthough I mostly agree with the set point thing, I think a lot of people abuse the theory. My mother in law is a good 260-270 lbs and she claims that her body has a natural "set point" of 250 lbs and she just "can't" get below that (never mind that she has never actually TRIED to get below that). I know most of us will never be supermodels, but finding your IDEAL set point can be tricky, especially if you've always been overweight.
When I first started losing weight, I had no idea what a reasonable end goal was for me because I hadn't ever been thin at my adult height. I figured I'd try to get down to what my sister weighed because she looked pretty thin in my opinion. Turned out that when I DID reach that weight, I was still a little above my body's ideal. When I started running, I lost quite a bit of fat and settled into a lower weight than my sister. You just have to listen to your body and be realistic with your expectations.
ReplyYeah - I was thinking the same thing when the term "set point" came up. I think we have predispositions for certain body types (which to an extent correlates with body weight and also accounts for propensities to lose or gain weight at different rates).
I agree though, Spectra that it is quite silly to believe that someone's setpoint is in excess of 260 lbs if they aren't 6'8". It would mean that our setpoints magically decided to creep up by 20+ lbs over the past 50 years, and that the "setpoint" is also magically higher in westernized nations.
I think the key is aiming to achieve your greatest potential within your genetic capabilities. In this way, a "set point" is simply being at peace with your body shape - or acceptance that you won't be able to completely remodel your body type.
I think if someone has the attitude that they don't care what they weigh, but will work hard to get healthy anyway - fantastic! But as you mention, it does become a scapegoat for averting change.
ReplyThe set point idea bothers me, too, even though I mentioned it in the original post. First, it is not a "point" but a range (which spans about 30 pounds). Second, there is very little good research showing how the range gets set and how it can creep up (or down?) over time. There is evidence that as we gain weight, it becomes much harder to lose it and keep it off, so NOT GAINING weight is a worthwhile goal. Despite these reservations, I think the idea of "set point (range)" is helpful because so many people get discouraged when they cannot reach an unrealistic goal, so they give up on trying to maintain weight and practicing healthy behavior.
ReplyVery nice article. People need to realize that soo many weight loss books, pills, etc. are just complete garbage used for making money.
And also, people need to realize that diets are bad too! This is because the word diet in itself indicates something temporary. And these temporary diets are what lead to the "yoyo" effect. People need to learn how to make sustainable lifestyle changes in order to lose the weight, and actually keep it off.
ReplyGreat post! I really liked some of the points that were written. The mentality that weight loss is long term is critical for successful weight loss. People often try to lose weight fast by using quick fix diets and then they put the weight straight back on. I think that the key is a shift in behavior and increased awareness that is implemented.
ReplyOne of my girl friends lost 20 pounds and took a year to do so. The weight is staying off. She said all she really did differently was to journal her foot intake. She's always been physically active.
So I'm using her method except that I haven't always exercised consistently. So far in four months I've lost 6 pounds. Doesn't sound like a lot but it's been relatively easy.
To put this in perspective, I'm 5'2" and went from 140 to 132.
Reply