Hello Everybody,
It is remarkable how many of us are looking for weight loss help. In America 50 million people want to lose weight or are actively trying to do so. That is about the population of England. Out of all those people, who understand the problems of obesity and want to do something about it, only 3-4 per cent succeed in losing weight and maintaining their weight loss over a significant period of time.
America spends 33 billion dollars a year on weight loss products and services. We are close to being able to say that none of it works. Why is nothing working? Well maybe it is. What is really needed is a reality check. People who want to lose weight expect fast dramatic results. But what they expect and what they can achieve are two different things.
Dr Thomas A Wadden of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine asked people averaging 220 pounds what they would consider an acceptable level of weight loss. For them a 38 percent loss would be ideal, a 32 percent loss would make them happy, a 25 percent loss was acceptable, a 17 percent loss disappointing and a 10-15 percent weight loss very disappointing.
This is probably what most people would say when asked what they would expect to achieve. But this perception is based on claims from weight loss product suppliers. A scientifically supported diet can produce a weight loss of 9-13 percent of total body weight over 52-72 weeks. Programs supported by pharmacotherapy can, at most, result in 10-15 percent weight loss long term. Many would be disappointed by this, but it would result in a significant improvement in health.
Of course it is possible to lose a lot of weight in a short time and if that is what you want there are plenty of crash diets to help you. Just be aware that quick weight loss can be dangerous. Gall bladder disease, particularly the development of gall stones, is 15-25 times higher in people experiencing rapid weight loss than in the rest of the obese population. Gall stones can be a particularly painful affliction, try to avoid crash dieting.
The reason for people staying fat is expectation. They hope they can lose a lot of weight fast. They are unhappy because only losing 10-15 percent of their body weight after a year’s weight loss program makes them think they have failed. What they should be doing is celebrating their success and moving on to losing another 10-15 pounds in the next year. This is a sustainable weight loss program and not a series of crash diets which will achieve very little.
Another problem is one of planning. In February we may not know where we are going on holiday but we do know it will be in August. We have six months to lose weight in order to look good on the beach - any beach. Or maybe to compete with the Italians in Rome, whatever we plan to do we have time to get fit to do it. So start early and there will be no problems reaching your goal, as long as it is a realistic goal.
See you soon,
Peter Stockwell
9 June 2010
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