Weight loss - Weighing in.

Weighing in on Weight Loss.

There is much talk currently about regulating the diet/weight loss industry. I will leave that up to the reader to opine on the dangers, merits, and extent that Big Brother ought to protect the public from itself. However, as with many things in life, BUYER BEWARE.

Keeping one's weight under control is important to promote a longer and healthier life. The number one indicator of adult onset disease is excess body weight. I refer you to http://drwaynecoghlan.blogspot.com/2008/10/losing-weight.html.

Weight loss, however, is a very challenging thing for most people to manage and sustain. Many people are desperate to find a better answer and .... in a free society there are those entrepreneurs who will take advantage of persons vulnerable, if not desperate. BUYER BEWARE.

I recall a review of weight loss centres and their long term effectiveness. The research supported that for people who did adhere to their program, they were successful in temporarily losing weight. The problem came when the people stopped the program....over 90% regained and even exceeded their former weight. This was largely due to people not assuming personal responsibility for their weight management, and not successfully resolving* their cultural, lifestyle and/or psychological needs that promoted weight gain. Remember, one hundred extra calories a day, that's one chocolate chip cookie, adds up to one pound a month!

People who, over the long term, do succeed in managing their weight, are those who generally decide that they no longer wish to lose weight, they want to lose weight, and they will do what it takes to make it happen. I respect very much that this is easier to say than do. If such * issues were simple, weight management would be less significant problem.

I have over 24 years of professional experience in addition to eight plus years of post secondary education in health sciences. I have explored many and offered a few weight loss programs. Utlimately, there are two methods that are proven successful in losing weight. The first is to eat less and be more active. The second is to be more active and eat less. ANY weight loss program is a variation of those two themes. For some, surgical solutions may be the only truly effective solution, and yet they are still successful only because they force the person to cut calories.

Any weight loss program that offers a quick fix for a lifelong problem, or is not based upon the simple mathematic of calories in (diet) vs. calories out (activity), is misleading you. A goal of losing one pound a week is considered reasonable....anything faster is dangerous and likely not sustainable. BUYER BEWARE.


This link explores the French Paradox - how the French culture can consume high fat foods, yet stay slim.
http://drwaynecoghlan.blogspot.com/search/label/French%20Paradox

And for the weight loss perplexed.. please review the good sense in the following article.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/new-year/jump-start-your-weight-loss/article1420434/

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