Weighing Your Options for Weight Loss

According to the Partnership for Healthy Weight Management (PHWM), more than half of all Americans are overweight or obese. If you are in this group, what you weigh is the result of several factors:

• How much and what kinds of food you eat
• Whether your lifestyle includes regular physical activity
• Whether you use food to respond to stress and other situations in your life
• Your physiologic and genetic makeup
• Your age and health status.

Successful weight loss and weight management should address all of these factors. And that’s the reason to ignore products and programs that promise quick and easy results or that promise permanent results without permanent changes in your lifestyle.

The PHWM has developed voluntary guidelines for providers of weight loss products or services. Participating programs will answer important questions about how their product or service works, how much it costs, how well it works and any risks involved in the program. To obtain a copy of the guidelines or to reprint a form you can use when evaluating weight loss programs, visit the PHWM’s Web site at www.consumer.gov/weightloss/setgoals.htm or call toll-free 888/878-3256 for a copy of the brochure.

Compare weight loss programs and products by asking the following questions from PHWM:

1. What’s involved in following the program? Get details about the number of calories and types of foods you will eat. For diets under 1,500 calories, be sure to check with your healthcare provider. Find out about exercise requirements.
2. What are the staff qualifications? What kind of support will you receive and how often?
3. What are the risks or side-effects? If prescription or over-the-counter medications are involved, check with your physician first. Report any side-effects immediately.
4. What are all the costs? Get an itemized list of prices for membership, visits, food, testing or supplements.
5. How can you improve your chances for keeping the weight off?
6. How successful are other people who follow this program? Ask about percentage of completion, average weight loss, and how long they have kept the weight off.

Information Resources

American Dietetic Association
800/877-1600
www.eatright.org/Public/index.cfm
Nutrition fact sheets

American Obesity Association
800/98-OBESE
www.obesity.org
Fact sheets and statistics

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
www.niddk.nih.gov
Fact sheets, including easy-to-read materials

Shape Up America!
www.shapeup.org
Educational and fitness information, online support

Tufts University Nutrition Navigator
www.navigator.tufts.edu
Online review of nutrition information; site for seniors

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