Slow Down Your Fork and Cut the Pork in Central New York

Central New York has a weight problem. Close to two-thirds of people in Central New York are obese or overweight (63%), according to a study released this fall by Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield. The study found that more than one-third of the region's population (36%) is overweight, and 27 percent are obese. These percentages mirror what the report described as the national average for both obesity prevalence and overweight prevalence. However, the study also found that the percentage of people in CNY who are obese exceeds the national average by more than one percent.

The report also discusses how being overweight and/or obese greatly increases a person's risks for health problems. A person who is overweight is 142 percent more likely to get Diabetes (Type 2) compared to a person with a healthy weight. These health problems are costing Upstate New York an extra $1.1 billion in health care costs, according to the report. It also says Central New York is spending $233 million more in health care because of its overweight/obese population.

The Excellus report shows that health problems caused by being overweight and/or obese are a problem nationwide, and Upstate New York is no exception. Therefore, I have created this blog entry to help the 6 out of every 10 people in the region who are overweight and/or obese lose weight.

ARE YOU READY TO LOSE WEIGHT?
Before committing yourself to a weight loss plan, make sure you are 100 percent ready to lose weight. If you’re not ready to make a lifestyle change to lose weight, you won’t be able to maintain your weight loss. The MayoClinic provides a number of questions to ask yourself to judge how ready you are to lose weight.

FDA BROCHURE:
The U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA) provides a helpful brochure on its website about how to safely lose weight. It recommends that men and women eat 300 to 500 fewer calories every day to lose between 1 and 2 pounds a week. To achieve this weight loss, the FDA suggests fast walking or any other form of exercising for at least 30 minutes several days a week. When losing weight your metabolism may slow-down, and the FDA says physical activity may lessen that effect. It also advocates cutting down the number of fried and sugary foods one eats, and increasing the amount of high fiber foods you eat. Bright colored vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk and lean meats with high protein content are recommended. In addition, the FDA suggests eating a variety of foods and avoiding fad diets. These fad diets, including the cabbage soup diet, the low-carbohydrate diet and high protein diet, contradict federal nutrition dietary guidelines that suggest eating a variety of foods rather than one type of food. The FDA does not recommend use of diet pills without a prescription, because it says these pills will not make a difference in how much weight you lose or how long you keep the weight off.

BMI:
The FDA suggests people who are ready to lose weight set a realistic goal for themselves by using a Body Mass Index (BMI) chart and talking to a physician. The BMI is used by health professionals to determine if a person is healthy, overweight or obese. The measurement compares a person’s body weight with their height; find out yours by using this interactive BMI calculator. And refer to the FDA’s BMI chart to determine if your weight is healthy or not. The FDA states that a BMI between 18.5 and 25 indicates a healthy weight, a BMI between 25 and 30 means that you are overweight, and you are obese if you have a BMI of 30 or higher.

LOVE EATING OUT?
The FDA provides the following tips for how to maintain your weight loss program while still enjoying meals out:
1) Avoid fried foods; instead opt for broiled, baked, roasted, poached or stir-fried items
2) Share main dishes and desserts with your dining partner.
3) Ask for dressings/sauces on the side, and don’t use very much.
4) Take half of your meal home with you.

DIET ADVICE WEBSITES:
In addition to FDA weight loss recommendations, there are a plethora of weight loss websites to help you pick and choose a diet plan that is right for you. To get your search started, check out Every Diet. This website includes a large list of the various weight loss diets with brief but informative descriptions of each.

Diet blog should be your next destination. This blog is written by health and fitness experts who filter through the latest weight loss news and advice, and provide their opinion on it to readers. It is built on the premise that weight loss is individualistic, and different plans work for different people. Make sure to click on the tab titled "Diet Reviews." This section provides detailed reviews of more than 35 diet books and programs, including several you might not have heard of, like the California Wine Country Diet.

WeKnowDiets.com is a good place to get information about a number of weight loss products, like diet pills, diet videos and diet books. It provides a brief synopsis of each product along with reviews.

Another website to find weight loss information is Lose Weight Group. This site is relatively new and still under construction, but it describes itself as the "complete online resource designed to teach people how to lose weight and keep it off for the long term." It has a Beginners Guide to Losing Weight, links to various weight loss articles, suggestions for healthy meal plans and recipes, and reviews of various diets. And, in addition to providing information about weight loss, Lose Weight Group provides a discussion form where participants can talk about the trials and tribulations of weight loss.

Yahoo! Health encourages individuals to be careful when deciding on a weight loss plan, describing a lot of diet advice as misleading and possibly dangerous. It provides a list of diet strategies that can potentially be dangerous, including diet pills, fasting and diuretics.

WEBSITES ABOUT SPECIFIC DIETS:
One of the most popular and controversial diets in the 21st century is the Atkins Diet. The diet allows individuals to eat lots of fatty meats and dairy products, but severely restricts a person's intake of carbohydrates, found in white potatoes or pasta. WebMD.com provides an excellent description of what the Atkins diet is, what you can eat while on it, how it works, and what experts have to say about the diet. If you're looking for an alternate opinion about the Atkins diet, check out atskinsexposed.org. This website was created by Dr. Michael Greger to teach the public that the Atkins diet is "unhealthy and can be dangerous." Dr. Greger supports his argument with various expert opinions and facts about the diet.

Another weight loss plan that has gained popularity in the past decade involves the fast food chain Subway. After Jared Fogel lost 245 pounds eating a Subway sandwich for lunch and dinner everyday for one year, people coined his weight loss plan "The Subway Diet." WeKnowDiets.com discusses how this diet plan works and its problems, including boredom and high costs. The Diet Channel website provides similar information.

Living Light provides a diet plan that involves the use of hypnosis to achieve your weight loss goals. The diet's creators state that hypnosis can help people remain motivated while losing weight by altering their belief system.

For a detailed overview of the popular South Beach Diet, check out this page on Yahoo! Health. You might avoid having to buy the book about this diet if you read this description of how to use this diet.

Make sure to sift through all of these websites carefully before making a decision about what diet plan is right for you. Remember, in order to lose weight and keep it off successfully, you must be ready to change your lifestyle. And you'll want to design a weight loss plan that you can stick with.

Photos Provided by Associated Press