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Permanent Weight ControlP h y s i c i a n s c o m m i t t e e f o r r e s P o n s i b l e m e d i c i n e

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Many people believe that to lose weight they have to

go on a low-calorie diet. Tat oen means starving

onesel until the diet is no longer tolerable. Other

people believe that the answer to weight loss lies in any number

o ad diets, such as low-carbohydrate diets. However, many o

these diets also contain numerous health risks.

Any o these extreme weight loss strategies make it unlikely

that anyone will be able to adhere to the diet or very long.

Ten the weight goes right back onand then some. Happily,

there is a much better and easier way that oers many other

health benets, too.

No More Diets

he rst thing to realize is that changing eating habits mustbe more than a short-term means to an end. Changingeating habits is the cornerstone o permanent weight control.

Tere is no way to lose 20 pounds in two short weeks and

make it last. Very-low-calorie diets cause two major problems:

Tey lower ones metabolic rate, making it harder to slim

down, and they lead to bingeing.

Fat Versus Complex Carbohydrates

It is a myth that pasta, bread, potatoes, and rice are attening.In act, carbohydrate-rich oods are perect or permanentweight control. Carbohydrates contain less than hal the calo-

ries o at, which means that replacing atty oods with com-

plex carbohydrates automatically cuts calories. But calories are

only part o the story. A recent study in China ound that, on

the average, Chinese people eat 20 percent more calories than

Americans, but they are also slimmer.1 Part o this is due to

the sedentary American liestyle, but there is more to it than

exercise alone. Earlier studies have shown that obese people do

not consume more calories than non-obese peoplein many

cases, they consume less.2,3

Te body treats carbohydrates dierently than at calories.

Te dierence comes with how the body stores the energy o

dierent ood types. It is very inefcient or the body to store

the energy o carbohydrates as body atit burns 23 percent

o the calories o the carbohydratebut at is converted easily

into body at. Only 3 percent o the calories in at are burned

in the process o conversion and storage.4 It is the type o ood,

not so much the quantity, that aects body at the most. 5

Protein

Although protein and carbohydrates have almost thesame number o calories per gram, oods that are highin proteinparticularly animal productsare also usually

high in at. Even lean cuts o meat have much more at than

a healthy body needs. And animal products always lack ber.

Fiber helps make oods more satisying without adding many

calories, and it is only ound in oods rom plants.

Exercise

Exercise is essential. Aerobic exercise speeds up the break-down o at in the body and makes sure that muscle is notlost. oning exercises and weight-liing help rm muscles and

increase muscle mass. A combination o exercises will help one

achieve a slimmer, rmer, healthier body in a shorter period

o time. Te trick is to nd enjoyable activities that t ones

liestyle. Walking is popular because it requires no special

equipment and can be done anywhere at anytime.

Conclusion

Te best and least complicated choice or a healthier, longer,

happier lie is a weight-control program based on a low-at,

vegetarian diet high in complex carbohydrates, complemented

by regular exercise.

References1. China: a living lab or epidemiology. Science. 1990;248:553-5.

2. Garrow JS. Energy Balance and Obesity in Man. New York: Elsevier, 1974.

3. Braitman LS, Adlin E, Stanton JL. Obesity and caloric intake: the National Health and

Nutrition Examination Survey o 1971-75 (HANES 1).J Chronic Dis. 1985;38:727-32.

4. Flatt JP. Energetics o intermediary metabolism. In: Gatrow JS, Halliday D, eds. Substrateand Energy Metabolism in Man. London: John Libbey and Co., 1985;58-69.

5. Dreon DM, Frey-Hewitt B, Ellsworth N, Williams P, erry RB, Wood PD. Dietary

at: carbohydrate ratio and obesity in middle-aged men.Am J Clin Nutr. 1988;47:995-1000.