Modern humans have fallen victim to their own success. Our big brains have worked to create an abundant food supply while at the same time we’ve engineered exercise out of our lives. Unlike our ancestors we enjoy a calorie-dense diet that can be obtained with a minimum of effort. And the trend is accelerating. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture we eat 500 extra calories per capita each day than we did in 1984. Small wonder that 61 percent of Americans are overweight, including 27 percent who are obese.

Part of the blame for this epidemic of obesity lies not with our weak wills but with our strong genes. Human history stretches back for eons, yet it’s only during the past 100 years that much of the planet has enjoyed an abundant food supply. Our ancestors spent much of their energy on the pursuit of food–stalking and killing animals, gathering fruits, nuts and seeds, and later growing and harvesting crops. When the food supply failed, people died. It’s no small irony that today we’re dying from an overabundance of food.

For women, obesity doubles the risk of heart failure. Men who are 22 pounds over their ideal weight face a 75 percent increase in the risk of a heart attack compared with men who are not overweight. Stroke, diabetes, arthritis, gall bladder disease, sleep apnea and an increased risk for a number of cancers are all associated with being overweight. Yet despite the known health risks, we keep on eating.

The problem for us today is that there is no interruption to the food supply. We don’t even have to take the time to shop for and prepare food. It’s as simple as dialing for a pizza or driving through the window of a fast food store to get a hit of high-fat, high-sugar nutrition.

It’s possible that in the distant future our genes might catch up with this new reality. For the present, however, we’re stuck with lean, mean fighting machines that when given too much fuel store it in ever-expanding fat cells.

Most Diets Work...Initially
Our response to the fat on our thighs and stomachs is to diet. There are literally hundreds of diet books and weight-loss plans, and most of them work, at least initially.

Most people who set about dieting with resolve are very successful. We cut out fat, and the pounds melt away. We eat fat and cut out carbs, and the pounds disappear. We shun sugar, and we slim down. What almost any former dieter can tell you is that it’s not losing weight that’s so difficult, it’s maintaining the weight loss over any significant period.

Although the picture may look grim, it’s not hopeless. The alluring before and after photos advertising the latest diet may hold a grain of truth, but the real truth lies in the National Weight Registry, a database of dieters who have lost 30 pounds or more and have successfully maintained that loss for at least a year. The Registry, which has more than 3000 participants, has now been maintained for five years.

It’s interesting to see that just about any method of weight loss is represented, from Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers to the CHIP diet and low-fat or low-carbohydrate diets that people have created for themselves. Researchers have noted, however, that the popular Atkins diet is not a common weight loss method for this group of dieters.

Weight Registry participants maintain their weight loss using a number of common strategies:

• Most follow a low-fat, high carbohydrate food plan.
• They are very active, averaging 60 to 90 minutes of exercise per day. Women who participate report walking an average of 28 miles per week.
• They monitor the food they eat and their weight regularly.
• About 90 percent eat breakfast regularly; only 4 percent say they never eat breakfast.

Although not everyone has the determination or for that matter the 30 pounds to lose that would put them in the National Weight Registry, it’s possible to glean a few tips and a little encouragement from these successful dieters.

As the Institute of Medicine reminds us and Registry participants demonstrate, it’s ultimately about energy balance or the old equation: calories in, energy out. If you eat more calories than your body burns, the excess is stored as fat. And if you’re serious about weight control, you can’t ignore exercise.

The solution is not to diet, which for most of us will ultimately fail, but to combine healthy eating with a more active lifestyle. Begin slowly by making changes you can incorporate into your lifestyle without feeling deprived. Make use of strategies that are based on sound nutritional principles that will help you develop a delicious but healthier eating style.

• One proven strategy is to substitute healthy monounsaturated fats such as olive, canola and safflower oils for less healthy choices such as butter and saturated fats.
• Emphasize complex carbohydrates from fruits, vegetables, legumes and foods made from whole grains. They are high in fiber and take longer to digest so you stay satisfied longer. And they are rich in vitamins and phytochemicals that protect against many ills, including cancer.
• Cut back on simple carbohydrates such as white bread, cakes, doughnuts, cookies and chips.
• If you eat fast food for lunch at work, take a sandwich and some fruit instead.
• If your family often eats fast food for dinner, experiment with some new recipes to find healthy dishes your family likes that can be prepared quickly. Stir fry pork and vegetables and serve with rice; cook up a batch of beef chili with beans over the weekend and use leftover chili as a filling for tacos or quesadillas on a weeknight; make a chicken stew that can be served with rice one night and with cornbread and salad another night; serve broiled fish fillets with oven-baked potato wedges and vegetables. Of course you’ll still have nights when a hectic schedule means you want prepared food, but make it a treat rather than a routine.
• Avoid fried foods; instead grill, broil, steam, poach or bake.
• Use smaller portions of meat per person and increase the proportion and variety of vegetables.
• Encourage your children to eat more fruit. Fruit salads, fruit smoothies and fruit-based desserts are usually popular with kids.
• Don’t shun dairy. Many people mistakenly think dairy products are fattening. Studies show that people who include low-fat dairy products in their diets are less likely to gain weight than those who forego dairy.
• Work more exercise into your life. Do sit ups or lift hand weights during the ads on TV; do repeats on your stairs, gradually increasing the number of flights you can handle; jump rope; walk outdoors; or buy a treadmill and walk while you watch your favorite TV show.

Too much food and too little exercise have combined to create a weight crisis for Americans. The solution needs to be a lifestyle change that incorporates healthy, pleasurable eating with a commitment to staying more active.

REFERENCES:
Jeff Bauer, “Hormone May Help Explain Why Dieters Have Difficulty Maintaining Weight Loss,” RN, July 2002.
“Breakfast: The Meal of Weight Loss Champions,” Tufts University Diet and Nutrition Letter, October 2002.
Linda Bren, “Losing Weight: More than Counting Calories,” FDA Consumer, January-February 2002.
“Dieter’s Notebook – Secrets of Successful Dieters,” Harvard Women’s Health Watch, May 2002.
“Gender Differences in Weight Loss,” Science News, July 20, 2002.
Dean Ornish, “The Case for Low Fat,” Time, September 2, 2002.
“Overweight, Obesity Threaten U.S. Health Gains,” FDA Consumer, March-April 2002.
Shauna Roberts, “Losing Weight: What Really Works,” Diabetes Forecast, April 2002.
Amanda Spake and Mary Marcus, “A Fat Nation,” U.S. News and World Report, August 19, 2002.
“Winning at Losing: A Guide to Healthy Weight Loss,” Diabetes Forecast, April 2002.