Balanced diet, support aids weight loss success

Dr. Brenda Wells, who has a preventive health care practice focused on weight loss, treats being overweight like any other medical condition. When a patient carries excessive weight, she said, she looks at it as a symptom.

“We try to work with someone’s chemistry so they aren’t as hungry. Then it’s easier to put some of those New Year’s resolutions into practice,” Wells said.

One question Wells asks of her patients is when they noticed their weight gain. For example, was it after the birth of a child, or was it more subtle? Wells said that when patients understand what was happening in their lives when the weight increased, it can help them return to their previous weight.

“Our program is developed to make people more and more independent,” Wells said. “We like to give people a variety of tools, whether it’s recipes or how to eat out.”

Wells’ program worked for Republic real estate broker Sharon Lakey. After a friend successfully used Dr. Wells’ program to slim down, Lakey was motivated to try it.

“I love the program. After the first week you know what foods you can eat and what to stay away from,” Lakey said. “I stuck with it and lost about 25 pounds.” Her goal is to lose 12 more.

Lakey said that she feels better, has more energy and is also off some medications she had been taking prior to the weight loss.

How much is safe?

The amount a person can reasonably and safely lose in six months or a year depends entirely upon that individual, their age and other parameters, Wells said.

“We encourage people to pick a size and not a weight. Weight may be a distraction and may not reflect a true goal,” she said.

Striking a balance

Donna Skelly, assistant director of food and nutrition services at CoxHealth, said the easiest way to make a weight loss plan is to start by looking at the food pyramid.

“If you eat the minimum on the pyramid, you would get 1,200-1,300 calories and that would be a good place to start. That number of calories is low; you can’t get all the nutrients you need if you’re consuming less than 1,200 calories a day,” Skelly said. Part of the planning is making grocery lists and deciding what to do for meals if there is a busy night ahead, and opting for a healthy lunch rather than fast foods.

The bottom line for weight control is to keep a food diary, eat five fruits and vegetables a day, and control portions, Skelly said. She also suggested checking in with friends and keeping each other accountable. “Initially people are pretty motivated right at the start of a diet, but it’s also a good time to plan in three or four weeks how you’re going to stay motivated and on track,” Skelly said.

As for losing weight in winter, Skelly said, “The only reason it’s harder to lose weight in winter is we tend to be less active. If we plan a high level of activity, it shouldn’t be any harder.”

The exercise factor

While changing diet is important for achievement of weight loss and overall health, burning the calories that are taken in also is important. Adding more exercise or physical activity to a daily regimen doesn’t necessarily have to be complicated.

Skelly advised wearing a pedometer and setting a goal of walking 10,000 steps a day, because people who walk that much have a lower body fat percentage.

“Wearing the pedometer doesn’t make you walk those steps, but (it) gives incentives to take the stairs (or) park at the back of the lot. It encourages you to take those extra steps to burn those extra calories,” Skelly said.

Becky Fisher, nurse manager at CoxHealth, is on a weight reduction/exercise program.

“I started on July 11, 2004. There was nothing special about that day except I hit the wall. I felt so bad and I felt so old that I got up that Sunday morning and said, ‘Lord, you’re going to have to help me work this one out,’” Fisher said.

She does Weight Watchers online and works with a personal trainer at Meyer Center to help her know how to exercise correctly. Fisher’s advice for others is to involve the whole family.

She said her family has been supportive.

“I’ve lost about 70 pounds; my whole family has lost 200 pounds,” Fisher said. “It’s a lifestyle change. It’s not that I’m doing a diet for six weeks. You just have to change your life one day at a time. Pretty soon all those days add up.”