The Truth About Weight Control

The truth about weight control is that, in many cases, what you think you know is simply not true. Both by accident and by design, myth after myth surrounds the concept of weight control. The problem is that while some of these myths are ineffective but harmless, others have the potential to cause serious health repercussions. Knowing the truth about weight control can help you manage not only your weight but also your health.

The Truth about Calories

The truth is that whether your goal is to lose, gain or maintain your current weight, weight control equals calorie control. To lose weight, you must burn more calories than you consume. To gain weight you must consume more calories than you burn. To maintain your current weight, you must create a balance between the calories you consume and the calories you burn. This means that as long as you stay within calorie limitations, you can enjoy the occasional high-calorie food without it affecting your weight and you can have a late-night snack.

The Truth about Diets

The truth is that fad and quick-weight-loss diets do not work for long-term weight control. The Weight-Control Information Network, a division of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases states that not only are diets of this type boring and sometimes difficult to follow, but they can also be unhealthy. Your chance of sustaining long-term weight control is greater when you commit to weight control as a lifestyle choice. This means, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, losing weight at a rate of no more than 1 to 2 lbs. per week and incorporating 60 to 90 minutes of exercise into your schedule each week.

The Truth about Nutrition

The truth is that there is no such thing as a wonder food. You need a balanced diet that includes three or more meals each day and contains foods from all the food groups, including fats, to maintain a healthy body. The President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition recommends a diet that includes no fewer than 1,200 calories each day, plenty of complex carbohydrates and moderate amounts of protein and fat.

The Truth about Exercise

The President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition lists exercise as an important aspect of weight control. In addition to the health benefits regular exercise provides, it also burns excess fat, firms and tones your body and helps build lean muscle tissue that burns calories at a faster rate than fat. For exercise to have the greatest effect, the truth is that you need to incorporate aerobics, strength and flexibility exercises in your program. Aerobics burn calories, strength-training builds muscle and flexibility exercises help prevent muscle injuries. The American Heart Association recommends steering clear of any diet plan that does not promote regular exercise.