With an estimated one in four Americans currently trying to lose weight, it can be difficult to separate fact from fiction, according to a new study in the journal Obesity.
“It is hard for consumers and doctors to tell what is effective and reliable, especially when relying on information found only on the Internet,” Dr. Kimberly Gudzune, who worked on the study and is a weight loss specialist at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, told webmd.com. “Few community weight loss programs offer services that meet at least some of the key components of widely accepted weight loss guidelines.”
Gudzune and her colleagues reviewed websites for nearly 200 weight loss programs, including Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig, independent operators, and those supervised by doctors or offered by weight-loss surgery centers. The researchers checked to see if the programs followed medical weight loss guidelines from the American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, and The Obesity Society.
The study revealed that only 9 percent of the programs met the requirements of five key areas: level of support, the diet plan, behavior strategies, exercise, and whether it recommended supplements that weren’t FDA-approved for weight loss.
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“I think it speaks to the decades of lack of regulation in this industry,” Gudzune said. “[Weight loss] companies are just doing whatever they feel like. This is the reason it’s so hard to find a reliable program.”
So what are your options if you want to lose weight, but do not want to rely on an ineffective weight-loss program?
For starters, you should begin an exercise program that follows the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommend guidelines 150 minutes of moderate activity each week. In addition to nutrition, exercise is a key component of a proper weight loss program. Health and fitness professionals who provide weight loss programs are increasingly incorporating regular exercise and caloric restriction for better weight control in their clients.
Another key component is to learn your resting metabolic rate, which helps to determine the maximum amount of calories your body needs to still be able to lose weight.
Finally, keeping a food log is a great way to help you with your weight-loss plan. Recording your daily food intake helps you stay focused on the number of calories you are consuming (and burning), and can help you
stay fueled for your next visit to the gym.
In addition, a log can help you:
Remember, while there are some universal truths about weight loss, everyone needs their own plan for success. To learn more about how AMP Fitness can help you create a plan to achieve your fitness goals, give us a call at 216-831-3674 or email us at
info@ampfitness.com.
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