With so many weight loss messages being sent out to the public today, it’s hard to tell what to believe and what really works. The above FACTS are going to be addressed in this brochure and the information in here is what the authorities in nutrition, health, and fitness recommend including: the American Dietetic Association, the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the American Council on Exercise, and the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America just to mention a few.

There are no short cuts or quick and easy ways out or fad diets that work for good. What is required is a realistic and permanent lifestyle change that modifies behavior and food selections without deprivation, for a lifetime of eating well, staying active, and feeling great!

It has been said: You are what you eat. Well, there is some truth to that. If you eat a lot of fatty foods, which are higher in calories (a gram of fat has 9 calories vs. a gram of protein or carbohydrate has 4 calories), there is a good chance of you becoming fat. Even if the fat isn’t on the outside, it can collect on the inside on your artery walls causing heart attacks or stroke. Reducing fat intake can be as easy as switching to low fat or non fat foods and reading food labels. If a food item has more than 2.5 grams of fat per 100 calories it is 25% fat. Make food selections with less than 25% of the calories coming from fat.
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ACTIVITY

Plain and simple, you’ve got to move it to lose it! A sedentary lifestyle is a heart disease risk factor, just as is smoking, high blood pressure, etc. Your body is built to move. Walk for 20 or 30 minutes a day, go up and down the stairs in your house for 5 minutes at a time, 3 or 4 times a day. Find an activity that you like and get moving. You don’t have to join a health club, but they do offer a variety of fun ways to use your body and use up those excess calories! Not to mention that you will feel better, sleep better, and have more stamina and zest for life! Physical activity is a must!

CALORIES

Calories do count (even the ones that nobody sees you eating)! A rule of thumb for weight loss is that a person needs at least 10 calories per pound of current body weight each day to lose fat efficiently without breaking down lean tissue. So a 150 pound man needs 1500 calories a day. As weight loss occurs, the number of calories would also decrease. Keep in mind that lower fat foods often have less calories and the same, if not more nutritional value. Low fat is most often the much better food selection.
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TEMPTATION

Giving in to some of your favorite food temptations once is awhile is fine. It is better to have that Fettuccini Alfredo or that Snickers bar than to eat everything else in sight to replace what you really want. Making better food selections doesn’t mean that you can’t have your favorite (fatty) foods on occasion. But bingeing on fatty foods, or chips and junk all the time is not healthy nor will doing that help you cut calories, lose weight or improve your health.

SKIPPING MEALS

Skipping meals in order to lose weight quite often leads to a feeding frenzy later in the day. Often those calories you cut out at lunch time show up in a double dose at dinner and then some. It is better to eat small meals throughout the day to keep that edge off and also to keep yourself from feeling starved and deprived.

The key to a healthy weight is to make permanent changes in your behaviors toward food selections and activity. Select low fat foods that are high in vitamins, minerals, and nutrients not fat and calories (like fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains). Make physical activity a part of nearly everyday in some way for at least 20 minutes whether in 5 minute intervals or all at once. Start today for a healthy tomorrow!
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