2004 Year in Review

Morr Diets

This is the second in the series of diet and exercise options. - If weight loss is part of your New Years Resolution, there are plenty of options. Basically calorie reduction and increased activity is the key to long-term weight loss, but that’s easier said than done.

In 2000, 20 states had obesity prevalence rates of 15-19 percent, 29 states had rates of 20-24 percent, and one state reported over 25 percent. The CDC found a 70 percent increase in diagnosed diabetes between 1990-1998 among 30-39 year olds. The obesity rate in children is soaring. 15 percent of children in U.S. in 1999-2000 were obese. That’s almost triple from 25 years ago. And children that are obese are likely to become obese adults.

One place to start, if you want to lose weight, is the National Institute of Health (NIH). Calculate your BMI (body mass index) BMI. Your BMI tells you whether you are in the correct weight range category, overweight, or obese. The risk of health problems rises as your BMI rises. A BMI of 19-24 is considered normal, 25-29 is overweight, and above 30 is obese. There are also some good tips for controlling your weight on that Web site.

Most programs say it’s important to keep a food diary and write down everything you eat. The NIH Web site has a Daily Food and Activity Diary you can download and print. Another good hint is to not do it alone, have a buddy or support system.

A healthy and local place to start is the Weight Watchers meetings. Sensible low fat meals, weekly weigh-ins, meetings, and counting calories by the point system is their plan. Meetings are at St. Peters Lutheran Church in Morrison at 5:30 pm on Monday nights. A weekly fee is paid before weigh-in. They also have an online weight-loss guide for those that don’t want to go to the meetings.

In the latest issue of Nutrition Action, a nonprofit health letter put out by The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), they rate all the diet books out there. Weight Watchers has a book out and they say it is “a healthy diet” because it stresses healthy foods. There are no foods that can’t be eaten on this diet but it encourages fruits, veggies, low-fat dairy, poultry, seafood, lean meats, and grains. The drawbacks are the cost of meetings and keeping track of foods.

The two newest diet crazes are the Atkins and South Beach Diets. Many people like these because they do not have to count their food intake and they say they never feel hungry.

Atkins Diet is a low carbohydrates (carbs) diet but you can eat all the protein and fat. Fruits, vegetables, and grains are limited. Their Web site gives you all the information you need to start. Remember that there are health risks in fad diets. If you are thinking of going on the Atkins diet visit Atkins Diet Alert

The CSPI also rated the Atkins’ diet and found it has “too much red meat that may raise the risk of colon or prostate cancer. A lack of fiber, vegetables, and fruits may raise the risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, diverticulosis, and constipation.”

The South Beach Diet is similar by keeping the proteins but emphasizes low-fat proteins. It encourages a better balanced diet of good carbs including fruit, vegetables, and whole grains. The diet starts out with two weeks of no carbs then slowly adds complex carbs back into the diet. They have made some changes recently to allow low-fat milk and yogurt, tomatoes, onions, and (after the first two weeks) carrots. For a fully interactive program on the Web the cost is $5.00 per week. A Florida doctor, Arthur Agatston, M.D., created the weight-loss program. Former President Bill Clinton has lost weight on the South Beach Diet according to the AP News Service. You can buy the books for both low carb programs but book based diets are harder because there is no support system.

The CSPI rates this diet as “mostly healthy foods, but restricts, bananas, pineapple, and watermelon.”

For a list of low carb foods visit Low Carb Friends, this site also has recipes, or go to Carbohydrate Counter

There are lots of diets out there, some you may have never heard of. For information on Diet reviews, Diet Plans, Diet Advice, and Diet Aids check out the Web site Diet Information or Diet Reviews and Information

Fast Food Calorie Counter
Hardee's Nutrition

There is one thing for sure; there isn’t a shortage of plans, books, or diet fads out there. The key is to find one that works, is healthy, and that you can stick to.

by Barb Benson, theCity1.com
February 3, 2004