Weight Loss Guide

No single weight-loss program can be recommended for everyone. Much of your success depends on you deciding what steps are likely to work for you. The following seven components, however, appear to be common ingredients in all successful programs.

1. Self-monitoring. Before you implement any specific steps, keep a daily diary for two weeks describing the quantity of food you eat and your eating environments.

2. Treatment goals. Once you determine your ideal weight goal, perhaps in consultation with a fitness leader, set weekly goals (from one-half to two pounds per week). If you are extremely obese (greater than 40 percent fat if female, greater than 30 percent fat if male), seek medical supervision.

3. Diet selection. Select a dietary plan that specifies food type, portions, and calorie amounts.

4. Stimulus control. Certain situations or cues are often strongly related to eating patterns (e.g., watching a movie or television). Decide to eat only in certain places (e.g., the dining room table, the cafeteria at work) and only at certain times (e.g., breakfast, lunch, supper, and one snack time).

5. Self-reward. Some people are helped by giving themselves small rewards for progress toward their goals (e.g., a new audiotape for each three-pound loss) and a larger reward (e.g., tickets to a Broadway show) when they reach the final goal. The rewards should be consistent with healthy behaviors, something you enjoy, and things for which there are no acceptable alternatives.

6. Exercise. Although everyone who begins an exercise program does not necessarily need to begin a weight-loss program, most people who need to lose fat should begin diet and exercise programs simultaneously. People who are physically active are more likely to maintain a desired weight once they have achieved it.

7. Support. The support of a spouse or other important person can greatly assist you in staying with the program. The involvement of friends or family members early in the program enhances the probability of its success.