How to lose those pounds safely

Lots of people have died trying to lose weight. So if you are intent on losing weight, make sure you do it safely. Try a few simple, safe approaches before you hit the pills.

The most effective way to lose weight is to reduce the number of times your wrist goes from the table to your mouth. The initial goal should be a 10% weight loss. If this is successful, further weight loss can be evaluated. Give yourself plenty of time, take 6 months... don't try to do it in a weekend. Try dropping your daily food intake by 300 to 500 kcal a day. If you do this, you can lose 1 or 2 pounds a week. Eat as much fruits and vegetables as possible, as they will provide you with lots of vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants with relatively few calories. Drink more fluid and add more fiber to your diet. This combination of additional fluid and fiber will make you feel full, while you are actually taking in fewer calories. This will not only help you lose weight but also decrease your risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer. After 6 months, when you goal is reached or achieved, your body will have reset its needs, and, at this reduced intake of food, you will probably maintain your weight.

While you are lowering your intake of food, it is critical that you also increase your physical activity. This will not only benefit your waistline, but will help your heart and lungs work better, improve your mood, give you a better night's sleep and decrease your risk of several diseases.

Watch out for quackery!

Americans spend $billions on bogus diet products. These include numerous pills and diet plans that have absolutely no scientific basis. While government agencies such as the FDA and FCC have tried to limit the damage, they are woefully understaffed and can only stop a few of these fraudulent scams. So, if you are seriously considering a product for weight loss, you need to see your physician and dietician and get their advice before you open your wallet or handbag.

The trick is not losing weight, but keeping it off

Let's look at the movie: You just started a diet plan, you're going to the gym every day, your two best friends are dieting with you, you're losing weight, your wife complements you on your new svelte figure. Fast forward 6 months: You're so busy, you don't make it to the gym very much, your two best friends are back to their old weight, your wife takes the lost weight for granted and that Ben and Jerry's banana split looks so good. Are you going to keep that weight off?

The same strategy that worked to take the pounds off must be continued, and that's the hard part - to keep up the motivation, keep up the decreased food intake, and keep up the increased physical activity. It pays to have a little help with this daunting task, so treat yourself to an exercise therapist, a dietician or a counselor; he or she will be your cheerleader and help you through the weight loss and, more importantly, through the maintenance of that weight loss.

Magic diets

Each year there is a new diet pill with another revolutionary way to lose weight. There are also new diet books each year - Dr. Atkin's Diet, Eat Yourself Slim, The Zone, Sugar Busters. Is next year going to be the low protein, low carbohydrate or low fat year? Some of the advice offered by these books borders on the bizarre. For example, one book suggests that chocolate mousse is ok, but carrots are harmful! If chocolate mousse is a successful way to diet, I would have a tiny waistline. But most of these books are full of the worst kinds of pseudo-science, and there is little evidence that their recommendations work any better than limiting the number of times your wrist goes back and forth from your mouth! Many of these authors, pleased by the sales of their diet books, have become instant experts on aging and have written books on this subject, too.

If you are serious about dieting, start by lowing your fat intake. If you consume the same amount of calories, there is no evidence that replacing fat with protein or carbohydrate will result in weight loss. However, lowering your fat intake will at least help prevent heart disease. As for the low protein or low carbohydrate argument, there is little evidence for either approach being better at removing pounds or improving health.

Extreme diets can be dangerous for older persons. Drastic reductions in food intake can result in vitamin and nutrient deficiencies. Diet pills should be the very last resort. Studies indicate that as few as 4% of those who took diet pills were able to keep off the pounds they lost with the pills. Furthermore, these pills can be very dangerous. Diet pills containing the herb Ephedra have been lethal.

So, in summary, if your extra few pounds don't bother you, think twice about dieting. These extra pounds may protect you later in life!

Information provided in this article is for informational purposes and is not meant to substitute for the advice furnished by your own physician or other medical professional. This content should not be utilized for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication. Before taking any health product, you should read carefully all product packaging. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, promptly contact your health care provider. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.