Common Sense Ideas For Good Health & Nutrition
Being obese can have serious health consequences. These include an increased risk
of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, gallstones, and some forms
of cancer. Losing weight can help reduce these risks. Here are some general points
to keep in mind:
- Any claims that you can lose weight effortlessly are false. The only proven way to
lose weight is either to reduce the number of calories you eat or to increase the
number of calories you burn off through exercise. Most experts recommend a combination
of both.
- Very low-calorie diets are not without risk and should be pursued only under medical
supervision. Unsupervised very low-calorie diets can deprive you of important nutrients
and are potentially dangerous.
- Fad diets rarely have any permanent effect. Sudden and radical changes in your eating
patterns are difficult to sustain over time. In addition, so-called "crash" diets
often send dieters into a cycle of quick weight loss, followed by a "rebound" weight
gain once normal eating resumes, and even more difficulty reducing when the next
diet is attempted.
- To lose weight safely and keep it off requires long-term changes in daily eating
and exercise habits.
Source: Excerpted from FDA/FTC/NAAG Brochure 1992: The Facts about Weight Loss Products
and Programs

What are the facts about weight loss?