Separating a good diet from a fad diet

Part of  being on a path to wellness is watching what you eat. But with so much information out there, how do you decide what is best for you?

The best place to start is to figure out if the diet you are contemplating is a fad rather than something that you can use long term. The Journal of Healthy Living examined several diets back in 2011 and listed 5 diets that they determined were fads - The Detox Plan, The Snack Pack Diet, The Twinkie Diet, The HCG Diet, and The Atkins Diet. While several of these diets may help you lose weight initially, they can wreak havoc on your metabolism which means you will only be able to keep weight off if you continue to follow their strict rules indefinitely, or that you will only lose weight for a small amount of time before your body regulates itself and you find yourself at a plateau.

Other popular fad diets that have occurred during the 2000's include: The Slim Fast Diet, The Cookie Diet, The Grapefruit Diet, The Chicken Soup Diet, The South Beach Diet, The Six Week Body Makeover, The Lemonade Diet, The Hollywood Diet, and The Three Day Diet.

To determine if the diet plan you are considering is a fad, check out these guidelines from Fit by WebMD:
"What a Healthy Weight Loss Plan Looks Like
If the diet or food plan you're considering is healthy, it should include most - if not all - of these elements:
- Has both a balanced nutrition plan with a variety of foods and includes ongoing exercise
- Has a goal of slow and steady weight loss of about 1/2 to 2 pounds (maximum) per week
- Encourages your doctor's involvement, especially if you've never exercised before or if you are hoping to lose a substantial amount of weight
- Is based on common sense - limits fat, sugar, and the overall amount of food you eat, and encourages you to exercise more

What a Fad Diet Looks Like
The diet or food plan is probably unhealthy if it includes any of the following:
- Bans specific foods or entire food groups ("no carbs")
- Requires you to only eat certain foods (like the grapefruit diet, or the cabbage soup diet)
- Requires special foods, pills, or supplements for weight loss to occur. Remember, just because products are sold in stores doesn't mean they are always safe for you to use
- Offers quick weight loss but no long-term plan to keep the weight off after you've lost it
- Tries to sell you on the diet based primarily on "before" and "after" photos or celebrity endorsements
- Sounds too good to be true"

Your best approach to weight loss is a balanced, healthy approach that includes both dietary changes and exercise. WebMD wrote a great article worth checking out on creating a balanced diet that you can read by clicking here. Basically, you want to eat a variety of foods, practice portion control, and mix in exercise.

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Want to know more about Square One? Check us out at www.square1club.com or give us a call at 402-333-0706. You can also find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/square1club .

Meet our Member: Heather

When Heather came to us at Square One, she shared an inspiring story of how she had already lost over 300lbs ON HER OWN! Heather is an amazing gal, and now that she's a member we asked if she would participate in a monthly blog post to follow her journey with us. She has happily agreed, and below you will find her first post. Please extend a warm welcome to Heather!
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My blogging is going to be about my journey. I feel this is the best way for you all to get to know the "real me".

My journey began 8 years ago when I was in a very bad place in my life. My marriage had ended and I was now a single mom weighing in at over 600lbs. My dad was battling cancer at the time, and my world completely flipped upside down. 

The day my life changed everything hit home. I went to stay with my sick dad so my mom could have a break. We were sitting there in the gloomy, dark hospital room, and my dad looks at me with tears in his eyes and I asked him what was wrong. He turned to me and said "Heather, getting cancer was a HUGE wake up call for me. I look at my children and am so scared that they may pass away before I do.... Heather I'm petrified that you won't be here to raise your son, you need to change your lifestyle. I love you, you're an amazing mom and daughter. I don't want Seth to grow up without you."

That conversation changed my life. The next day I walked into the Y and asked if they had financial services to help me get a membership. I was determined to be a healthier, better mom for my son. I met with a personal trainer and he put me on a diet and exercise program. I did very well for a few months, but then I was laid off from my job. 

Once again I found myself being an "emotional eater" and I turned to fried, sweet, fatty foods to comfort me. I went to the gym every day asking if there was any type of volunteer or possibly paid position I could come into. I landed a position there shortly afterward and that is where I met Marty & Amy Wolff. I did their Shape Up program and in my first week I lost 26 lbs. I was motivated and excited for this journey - finally something caught my attention and was keeping me focused on chasing my dreams to be healthy and fit!

During this program I got injured and had to leave the program. I was devastated, thinking "how am I going to lose this weight on my own? How I going to reach my goals?" 

After my injury was healed I was determined to make my dad proud. I made a bet with him if he did chemotherapy for one year & fought this battle I promised to lose 100lbs. I was motivated and so was he; I lost 163lbs and my dad beat colon cancer in that year. 

I was still on my journey; I wanted to lose another 163lbs. A year later our family got the news my dad had stage 4 liver cancer and I knew I had a purpose to make a difference for myself and my family. I continued my journey and I am still on it today. 

To date I've lost 353lbs. I lost my dad to his battle April 28, 2008, but I continue to honor his memory by moving forward with my weight loss journey.  My goal is to help others on their journey to be healthier, happier, and more powerful individuals. 

Thank you for allowing me to share my story. I look forward to sharing more of my journey with you all. God bless.

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Want to know more about Square One? Check us out at www.square1club.com . Stay tuned next month for another great blog post by Heather! 

Weight Discrimination

As our society has evolved, there has been more and more awareness about discrimination. The internet and social media has allowed for protests and movements to go global, and opinions to become both louder and stronger.

But one area that isn't often explored or talked about is the area of weight discrimination. In fact, there are plenty of people who may find certain jokes about race or sex distasteful, but will laugh heartily at jokes about weight!

Recently, weight discrimination hit the news (and social media) with the revelation from the founder of Abercrombie & Fitch revealed that he specifically does not carry "plus sizes" because it "attracts uncool people," thus labeling all people larger than a size 10 as being "uncool." This came back into focus at the same time that Gov. Chris Christie underwent weight loss surgery and mentioned in an interview how weight discrimination was still considered an "acceptable" form of discrimination. "Weightism" has now made it into our vocabulary, and even has it's own Wikipedia page. A man even recently tried to sue an employer who actually told him that he was "too fat" to work there - despite the fact that "weight" does not make it into a protected class under federal work discrimination laws.

This perpetual stigma led to a recent study that showed that weight discrimination actually INCREASED individuals' risk to become obese! It discussed that there are often deep-rooted emotional and psychological issues involved with gaining weight, and by being discriminated against people often gain more weight rather than lose weight from these societal pressures. This just adds to a list of recent studies that have uncovered the various effects that weight plays when looking at likelihood of employment, health risks, and even whether or not a student is accepted to graduate school.

What do we do about this growing area of discrimination? The Council on Size & Weight Discrimination offers the following advice to fight discrimination:

"Freeing yourself from weight obsession is the most important first step.

2. Decide not to judge anyone based on their weight, size, or shape.

Recognize that you may have prejudices, and make an effort to rid yourself of them.

3. Tell your friends and family that you have decided to be happy just as you are.

Going public about accepting your body can make a big difference in your world.

4. Don't laugh at fat jokes. Tell the person you don't think it's funny.

We know ethnic jokes are wrong; we have to stop accepting fat jokes as well.

5. Pay attention to media images. Notice when people are put down because of their size.

If you want to really make changes, write to the media and say you don't like it.

6. Notice when an ad or program tries to make you feel bad about your size.

Becoming thin won't make us happy, but those ads keep trying to convince us it will.

7. Decide not to buy products from companies that disrespect people because of their weight.

Let the companies know how you feel about their ad campaigns.

8. Speak out against weight discrimination.

Talk to friends, family, schoolmates, as well as the media and businesses.

9. Remember that strong, healthy, beautiful people come in all shapes and sizes.

Every person deserves respect based on who they are, not on how they look."

Fitness: Myths & Facts

Fitness is an ever-evolving industry, where one day's fact can become the next day's myth. That is why it is important to work whenever possible with certified trainers who keep up to date on the latest industry news.

Here are some common fitness myths and the truth about them:

- Myth #1: You can "target" areas of your body for weight loss.
- Fact: Actually, when you are talking about workouts, you are NOT able to target areas. Yes, you can tone muscle groups, but over those groups there is a layer of fat that you will have to burn and that is not something that is able to be targeted. Our bodies decide where they want to burn fat from, and often those areas we'd like to get rid of the most (belly, rear) are the last to have fat burned off.

- Myth #2: Running on a treadmill is easier on your knees than pavement.
- Fact: Nope, it's actually your weight that has the most impact on your knees. Gravity forces your weight down on your knees when you run, so it doesn't matter if you are on a treadmill or pavement because your weight remains the same on both.

- Myth #3: If you want the best way to lose weight, you need to drastically reduce your calories. 
- Fact: Calories do impact the amount of weight that we gain or lose, but our bodies are smarter than we give them credit for and will begin to slow their metabolism and store fat if you drop your calories too low. Your best bet is to never dip below 1200 calories/day for a woman and 1800 calories/day for a man, and to eat well-balanced meals.

- Myth #4: Only fat people need to exercise.
- Fact: Exercise has health benefits that far exceed weight loss, and the Mayo Clinic estimates that over half of "normal sized" adults have more than 20 percent (for women) or 30 percent (for men) body fat. While they may "look" healthy, they still run the same risks that any other adult faces when their body fat is that high, including diabetes. Thus, people of every size should engage in regular exercise.

- Myth #5: Drinking tons of water will help you lose weight.
- Fact: You might burn a few extra calories running between the bathroom and the kitchen, but drinking water won't stop you from being hungry or help you to flush out fat. Scientists have determined that there is actually no real benefit to drinking excess water (except, of course, if you are sick), and that you should only drink when you are thirsty. 6-8 glasses of water per day is average.

What other myths have YOU run into?

Talking "Health" Rather Than "Weight"

Obesity has been making news this year - first when one of symptoms (binge eating) made it into the DSM-V, and most recently when obesity was recognized by the American Medical Association as a disease. With the increased awareness, some parents may feel that it is time to talk to their overweight or obese children about their weight.

First, it is important to mention that in a survey conducted in 2011, parents ranked talking to their child about their weight as more difficult than talking to their child about drugs, alcohol, and even sex! So don't think it is unusual to be a bit nervous about the topic - most parents are. Also know that you are not alone if you have an overweight or obese child - it is estimated that there are over 25 million children in the United States that currently fall into that category.

A recent study showed that if you want to work on your teen or child's weight loss, it is better to avoid talking about it as weight loss at all and actually better to focus on health instead. That can include talking about fitness, better eating choices, and overall healthy habits rather than just talking about weight-related topics (weight goals, clothing sizes). It also involves setting fun goals and motivating the healthy habits - if you try to focus too much on the negatives ("you need to lose weight" or "the doctor says you should be closer to this ideal") it can cause backlash, including unhealthy diet habits or even laxative use as a form of weight loss.

Here are some helpful tips for tackling the weight talk with your child:
1. The easiest way to approach it, especially if your child is younger, is simply to skip the talk and do something instead! Start modeling good behaviors for health, and look for ways to improve overall family health in a way that is fun  to the child.

2. If you have to talk, be a friend to your child and not an enemy. Don't play the blame game or focus on the negatives, but instead let them know that you'd like to start being healthier and you'd like them to join in.

3. Don't make critical remarks about your child's weight, or what they are eating. This can cause unnecessary stress which can impede weight loss.

4. Focus on the bigger picture of health, rather than specific weight milestones. Celebrate the small victories and make sure you let your child know when they are doing something right.

5. Don't force your child to completely eliminate certain foods. If you eliminate an entire set of foods, but they are offered those foods at a friend's house or at school, they won't know how to control the portion. Instead, allow for small treats and demonstrate what a good portion is and how it can be added to a meal routine.

6. Make exercise fun and spontaneous rather than a chore. If you schedule a walk for the same time every day, chances are the child will get bored (and you probably will too). While certain sports do have scheduled times, everything else can be a little less structured - going to play in the park instead of hitting the gym, or going to the pool in the summer.

7. Sleep is good. Make sure your child is getting the right amount, and not missing sleep or sleeping too much, both of which can hinder weight loss.

Do you have any suggestions on how you tackle weight loss and introducing a healthy lifestyle to your child(ren)?

Obesity is now an official disease - what this means for YOU

It was breaking news yesterday that was bittersweet - the American Medical Association officially declared obesity as a "disease" rather than just a health problem.

As we touched on in our last blog post, there are many side effects to obesity, and it can seem like an overwhelming proposition to move toward better health when you are coping not just with extra weight but also with the side effects that come with it.

With this new declaration, there is finally hope that the medical insurance community will finally see the benefit to both preventative programs and to weight loss programs and will provide funding for clients looking to take advantage of either in order to become more healthy. It also helps to encourage medical professionals to recognize that obesity is a complex disorder with multiple factors to consider rather that just a patient "being lazy" or "unwilling to try to become smaller and healthier."

While we are saddened that obesity has become such an epidemic, we are applauding AMA's decision to recognize obesity for what it really is - a disease with no fast and easy approach to treatment.

Obesity: More than "being fat"

We all know that obesity is rising in the United States - in fact, currently over 1/3 of American adults are obese. Children aren't immune - currently about 1/4 of children in the US are obese as well. It is predicted that if we continue on the same trajectory that by 2030 more than half of American adults will be obese. 

Our jobs don't help - several popular occupations show a higher rate of obesity. These include manufacturing jobs and transportation jobs (truck and bus drivers). Our society as a whole has become more sedentary, and that also contributes to our expanding waistlines.

Despite those statistics, obesity is still commonly thought of as just "being fat" without as much thought as to what other side effects there can be. Our society has responded to obesity by creating bigger chairs, larger toilet stalls, plus sizes reaching far into the double digits and/or x's, stronger vehicles, and even larger portions to help curb bigger appetites. 

What are the side effects to obesity? Some of them are well-known, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and inflamed joints. Others you might be aware of, like difficulty sleeping, gallstones, and depression. But there are others that might surprise you: increased cancer risk, fertility issues,  being bullied in the doctor's office, and even getting paid less. Sadly, these side effects impact both children and adults, with obese children being more likely to become obese adults. 

One final statistic that impacts people across the globe is a frightening organ donation shortage. Obese individuals often do not have healthy enough organs to qualify for organ donation. 

What can we do about this? At Square One, we believe the first step is working toward better overall health. This includes eating healthier options and finding ways to add in more physical activity. Every step in the right direction counts, and we personally know how hard it is to achieve permanent weight loss when you start at a large weight. As we quoted today on our Facebook page, "It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop."