Nutrition Articles

Simplifying Weight Loss

By Aileen M. Waldschmidt, MS, RD, LDN

There's something about the New Year that motivates our resolve to be healthier. Whether that means practicing better eating habits, increasing our workouts, managing our time and simplifying or organizing our lives, the resolution is usually in the form of self-improvement. One of the most popular New Year's resolution is: "To lose weight." Although commendable, the reality is, that many are unable to sustain weight loss because of the complexity of obesity and it's treatment.

Despite two decades of increased national health awareness, the rate of obesity and its implications on the health of our country has steadily increased. According to the Surgeon General's Press Release Report (December 13, 2001), obesity is second to cigarette smoking as the nation's no. 1 cause of preventable deaths. The prevalence of obesity and it's rise in the last 15 years, has led to disastrous consequences to our public's health. Consequently, the cost of obesity on our nation's health is a "clear and present danger". This condition unfortunately continues to worsen, as it plagues our children. This said, obesity management remains a "ginormous" challenge, not only for the nation, but more importantly, for individuals.

Obesity is a multifactorial disease with genetic links. It is a chronic disease that requires intensive, comprehensive therapy. Psychological, emotional, social, physical, and spiritual issues need attending. If left untreated, obesity usually leads to more serious health consequences, including shortened lives.

"What then can we do?" " Where then should we start?" "What is the best approach to managing our weight?"

The best approach to weight loss is .... to take that first step. Consider weight management, a series of steps, a process that needs to be broken down and made simpler. It is quite overwhelming to think of all the lifestyle changes that should take place in order for permanent weight loss to occur. The psychosocial changes, the habits, the built-in cues, and the cultural norms (to name a few), that promoted weight gain in the first place, need to be altered. But as we take those small simple steps, the process becomes less arduous and more manageable.

For some, the first step may be consulting a registered dietitian. For another, it may mean ridding the shelves of problematic foods. And another, it may mean finding an alternate route to work, so as to avoid frequented fast food places.

Whatever that step may be, only you, will have to decide.

The next step is .... to make meals as simple as possible. The traditional weight loss regimen almost always recommends a meal plan, wherein portions are measured and controlled. This is of course a good way to control food intake, but for some, the thought of measuring and weighing food evokes stress. In that case, the next best method for controlling portion sizes is .... to take advantage of meal replacements.

According to the American Dietetic Association (ADA), meal replacements are liquids, bars and prepared foods. Prepared foods are those that are already pre-portioned. They are a great way to keep meals simple and a means to achieve weight loss.

There are several reasons meal replacements are helpful tools in weight management:

It takes the guess work out of counting calories, and figuring out the nutritional composition of the food. Having to approximate caloric and nutritional content in foods is not an exact science. At best, it is an estimate.
It takes the guess work out of measuring and weighing. Again, a great discipline, but often times tedious, and many would rather not do it.
It takes the stress out of having to plan meals. The decision to lose weight, and the activities that support weight loss is quite an undertaking. When meal planning becomes problematic, the commitment to weight loss wanes.
It decreases the time one is exposed to food. Since food can be a "trigger", the less exposure one has with food, the less likely food will be consumed. This approach to weight management is called "stimuli narrowing."
It offers convenience. Often times, people eat the wrong foods for the sake of convenience. Healthy meal replacements are a better alternative to high fat, fast foods.
It is more economical compared to foods typically purchased from a restaurant.
Several research studies confirm the effectiveness of meal replacements as a tool to achieve weight loss.

According to Andrea Platzman, MS,RD, CDN, a private nutrition consultant in New York, meal replacements are useful in providing simplicity and nutrient adequacy for individuals needing to maintain weight loss for the long-term, as well as, reduce cardiovascular risk.

Meal replacements are valuable weight management tools useful for successful weight loss and weight maintenance. Substituting one or two meals a day with a healthier meal replacement provides a simpler and acceptable approach to weight management.