NeuroTalk Support Groups - Monday check in~

Good morning~ I hope your all ready to start on the "D" this week. We are rain soaked around here, but that is better than some with the ice everywhere. I'm putting on the diet tips today.
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BC:)
Fitness & Nutrition
Weight Loss 101, Part 1: Getting Started

• Weight Loss 101, Part 2: Eating for Health
• Weight Loss 101, Part 3: Get Moving
• Weight Loss 101, Part 4: Everyday Strategies
• Weight Loss 101, Part 5: Sticking With It

By the Consumer Health Interactive Editorial Team

Below:
• How much do you need to lose?
• Get ready
• Step 1: Make a commitment
• Step 2: Set realistic goals
• Step 3: Plan how to reach your goal
• Step 4: Put it all together in a weight-loss plan
• To-do's for this week
• Weight loss toolbox

Part 1: Getting Started

How much do you need to lose?

Many people have a hard time determining what their healthy weight should be. Use our calculator to help you find your ideal weight range. These ranges are based on BMI (body mass index) values that have been set by the National Institutes of Health. Keep in mind, a BMI measurement isn't an accurate prediction of overweight or health problems for the following groups:

•children and teenagers
•women who are pregnant or nursing
•seniors (over 65)
•competitive athletes or bodybuilders

If you're in one of the groups listed above, your ideal weight may be higher than what we calculate. Go with what seems reasonable to you. If you're currently pregnant, you shouldn't try to lose weight.

Using the BMI tool and a dose of common sense, you can decide on your ideal weight range. From that, you can determine how much weight you would like to lose.

Get ready

Now that you know how much weight you need to lose, you might be thinking, "Well, I've tried to lose weight before and it hasn't worked," or "It's not too hard to lose a few pounds, but then I gain it right back."

Is it really possible to lose weight and keep it off? Absolutely. Almost everyone who is a bit overweight can safely maintain a 10- to 20- pound weight loss. If you're seriously overweight (most people don't think of themselves as "obese" even if they are), you can start off slowly and lose weight over time. In fact, in a study of successful "losers" -- people who lost an average of 66 pounds and kept the weight off for at least five years -- researchers found that even people with the most stubborn weight problems were able to slim down

What can you do to get off on the right foot?

•Prepare yourself mentally. Decide on a goal and a timeframe, and make a plan to reach your goal. This program will help you do that.
•Plan for success. Make it easier to succeed by getting rid of unhealthy snacks and having lots of healthy food in the house. If your family insists on having chips or cookies around, try to get them to buy kinds that you don't like so you're less likely to be tempted. Or even better, ask them to keep snacks out of the house altogether until you get well into your weight loss program.
•Remind yourself daily why you want to lose weight. For some of us, losing a few extra pounds would help us look better in a cocktail dress or power suit. But more importantly, for many people being overweight is a serious health problem. Weight is a factor in conditions like heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers, infertility, and arthritis.

Ready to get started? This course is designed to help you prepare a plan that is right for you.

Step 1: Make a commitment

Making a firm commitment is a critical first step toward successful weight loss, says Miriam Nelson, PhD, associate chief of the human physiology laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Research Center on Aging at Tufts University and author of the best-selling book Strong Women Stay Slim. Take advantage of the interest you have in losing weight today, she says. Don't say, "I'll start after the holidays," or "One of these days I'll be ready."

•Put your plans in writing. (We'll show you how.)
•Do something today to get started -- buy new exercise shoes or a low-fat cookbook, take a walk, or rid your pantry of fatty foods. Every step counts.
•Involve your partner, family, or a good friend in your weight-loss plans. When your goals are known, you'll get more support and encouragement -- and fewer complaints about ricotta ravioli or tofu stir-fry at dinnertime.

Step 2: Set realistic goals

Simply put, the difference between your current weight and your ideal weight range should be your ultimate weight-loss goal. Since your ideal weight is a range, you might aim anywhere from the top end of the range to the middle. Anywhere in the range is fine; getting into the range is the most important thing.

Once you know how much you want to lose, you can set your goals. Losing one pound a week -- and keeping it off -- with sensible eating and exercise is probably a realistic goal. Dropping three dress or suit sizes in two weeks isn't. Fad diets and diet pills will promise you incredible effects in a short time, but the results rarely last, and the process of losing weight quickly could even be hazardous to your health. Weight cycling -- losing a lot of weight over a short time and gaining it back -- is even worse for you than being overweight. The key to losing weight safely and permanently is deciding on a few simple lifestyle changes and sticking with them.

You may want to break your weight loss goal down into smaller, more achievable goals. If your ultimate goal is fifty pounds, it may be more practical and less discouraging to focus on losing ten pounds at first. Once you've reached that goal, set another ten pound goal.

Step 3: Plan how to reach your goal

The reason most people gain weight is quite simple -- they eat more calories than they burn. So to lose weight, you need to reduce the number of calories you eat, and increase the number you burn. That way, you'll use up energy stored in your fatty tissue to make up the difference.

There are two ways to find out how many calories you should eat to lose weight:

•Find out what you're eating now by keeping a food diary for a week or two -- or fill it in for the past several days if you can remember what you ate. You can use the Nutrition Toolbox to find the calories in each of your food entries. Then, figure out how you could reduce your daily calories by 500. (If you're on a reduced calorie regimen already and have reached a plateau in your weight loss, it may be unwise to reduce your calorie intake further. Try increasing your exercise level instead.)
•Calculate the number of calories you should be eating if you're trying to lose weight. Our Calorie Needs Calculator is an easy way to do this.

Next, you'll need to figure out how to reduce your daily calories to the number you're targeting. For this, you'll need a meal plan, so you can train yourself to know what 1,500 calories per day looks like (instead of 2,000 or more). Think about the kinds of food you like to eat over the course of a day, and use our Nutrition Toolbox to find out how many calories are in each serving. Then add them up with this handy tool, and you'll have a list of foods and drinks with the total calories. You might need to add or subtract a little until you reach your daily calorie goal. When you have something usable, print it out. Now, try different combinations of foods for different days of the week. That's it, you've learned how to make a meal plan!

Once you've calculated how many calories you need to take in and what kinds of foods will add up to the right number, you can work on the other part of the formula: the number of extra calories you should burn. Exercising for as little 30 minutes at a time, three to six times a week, can make a big difference -- you'll feel stronger and have more energy. In addition, exercise is proven to help prevent heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers, and many other illnesses.

Choose your favorite activity -- walking briskly for 45 minutes a day is good for weight loss -- and use our Calorie Burn Calculator to find out how many calories you'd burn in a session. Use our Fitness Diary to help you keep track of your exercise sessions. Writing down what you do and when will help you stay motivated. The important thing at this point is to get into the habit of exercising regularly. Don't push yourself so hard that you give up entirely.

Step 4: Put it all together in a weight-loss plan

Now that you know where you're headed and how to get there, write yourself a road map -- a weight-loss plan. This will also serve as a "contract" with yourself so you remember what you promised yourself.

Click here to fill out your weight-loss plan.

(If this link doesn't work, you may need to download and install the Adobe Acrobat Reader. Click on the button to download the free software from Adobe Systems.)

To-do's for this week

Now you just need to take what we've covered in this class and get started! Here are things to do before next week's class:

•Decide on your goal weight range.
•Prepare yourself mentally. Visualize the stronger, healthier body you will have when you reach your goal. Doing this every day can help you stick to your plan.
•Enlist the support of family and friends.
•Get rid of unhealthy foods and load your fridge and pantry with healthy alternatives.
•Determine how many calories you'll need to eat to lose about one pound a week, using the Food Diary or the Calorie Needs Calculator.
•Make a meal plan.
•Find an exercise or two that you'll enjoy.
•Fill out your weight-loss plan.

That's it -- you're on your way to a slimmer, healthier you! You can find more articles, tips, and tools to help you reach your goal in our Weight Control Center.

Future classes:

•Weight Loss 101, Part 2: Eating for Health
•Weight Loss 101, Part 3: Get Moving
•Weight Loss 101, Part 4: Everyday Strategies
•Weight Loss 101, Part 5: Sticking With It

Weight loss toolbox

Every class will contain links to all the tools used in the classes, so you can access them at any time. Some of these are in PDF format.

•BMI Calculator
•Calorie Burn Calculator
•Calorie Needs Calculator
•Fitness Contract
•Fitness Diary
•Fitness Finder
•Food Diary
•Healthy Eating Guide
•Healthy Shopping Guide
•Nutrition Toolbox
•Target Heart Rate Calculator
•Weight Loss Plan

-- Deepi Brar, Dana Sullivan, and Nancy Montgomery contributed to this report.