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Question: Help! How can I lose weight?
I'm a 23-year-old female, 5'5, and I weigh 300 pounds. I've started walking on my treadmill, but is there anyway I can lose 150 pounds in a year or so? I get frustrated easily if I can't see some of the weight start dropping in the first month. Do you have any suggestions? Lisa Tartamella responds:
I know how frustrating it can be to try to lose weight. With so many “diets” out there to choose from, it gets very confusing. My best advice to you is to follow a balanced, structured and calorie-controlled eating program that you can permanently live with. In other words, don’t try to “diet” to lose weight, instead, work on changing your overall relationship with food. It is sometimes easier to start this sort of lifestyle change with support, so you might consider joining a realistic program like Weight Watchers. Weighing in weekly helps to keep you accountable and meeting people who are struggling with similar issues may be encouraging. Of course another important step is to incorporate exercise into your life, and I’m glad to hear that you’ve started to use the treadmill. Most of all, be patient and do not give up. Losing 1-2 pounds a week is the general rule of thumb. But rather than measure your success by just the number on the scale, take pride in other accomplishments that go along with permanently changing your eating habits, like having more energy, fitting comfortably in clothes and feeling better about yourself overall. Good luck, Lisa Tartamella -- Lisa Tartamella, M.S., R.D., CD-N, manages ambulatory nutrition services at Yale-New Haven Hospital's Centers of Nutrition, where she provides nutrition and wellness counseling to both adult and pediatric patients.
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First published March 8, 2005
Last updated January 23, 2008
Copyright © 2005 Consumer Health Interactive
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