The day that you begin your highly anticipated weight-loss program is generally the easiest day. You usually start the day with the right breakfast and take the time to make your own nutritious lunch before you head out of the door. Then, after work, you walk into the gym with a smile on your face, work out like no tomorrow and return home for a quick, healthy dinner. However, by the second day you might already have a little less pep in your step on the treadmill, and by the end of the week you might ride right past the gym on the way home and shamelessly order a large pizza for dinner. This is where weight-control counseling can save you if you let it. Plan for success by having a professional mentor just an office visit or phone call away. Weight control counseling can help you overcome the temptation to quit before you ever even get started achieving your weight-loss goals.
Features
Although weight-control counseling programs vary widely, they are designed to help you overcome the specific, individual emotional issues that keep you from maintaining your ideal weight, says Sara D. Peach, a licensed clinical social worker and weight-management coach who practices in Durham, North Carolina. Your weight-loss counselor assists you in your weight-loss efforts by helping you develop reasonable short and long-term goals, providing coping strategies for incorporating diet and exercise into your daily routine, and helping you stay motivated and focused on your goal, says Peach.
Practitioner Types
Professional weight-control counselors can hold various degrees and use different approaches to help you shed your unwanted pounds. Some types of weight-loss practitioners include registered dietitians, board-certified physicians and nurse practitioners, psychologists, psychiatrists and certified hypnotherapists. Other types of weight-loss counseling programs include online companies that employ professional weight-management coaches available to you through email, phone or instant messaging services.
Clinical Data
The Division of Cardiology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts under head researcher F.K. Welty conducted a study to discover the effect of registered dietitian counseling on sustainable weight loss. Eighty obese or overweight patients with an average age of 55 ate a high-fiber, low-fat dairy product, fruit and vegetable-rich diet that included a mix of monounsaturated fats such as olive oil and polyunsaturated fats such as fish for 1.75 years. The participants regularly visited a registered dietitian during the clinical trial. At the end of the 1.75 years, Welty's team found that the participants lost an average of 5.6 percent of their pre-trial body weights. Additionally, 81 percent of the volunteers maintained a significant weight-loss after 2.6 years, as published in the July 2007 edition of the "The American Journal of Cardiology."
Warning
Speak with your doctor about the various types of weight-control counseling programs available in your area or over the Internet. Your doctor might suggest a specific program based on your individual medical history and weight-loss goals.
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