Weight management means reaching and maintaining a healthy body weight. Popular topics and questions frequently asked by college students regarding weight management have been answered below to help clarify fact from fiction and empower you to make healthy decisions.

Why do College Students Gain Weight?

Understanding common causes of weight gain can help you to identify your specific reasons for weight gain and/or to prevent it in the future.

• Reduced activity
  Many students who played high school sports no longer participate once in college.
• A challenging environment
  All-you-can-eat buffets, late-night studying, limited kitchens, tight budgets, and easy access to convenience and fast foods are just a few things that make eating healthfully difficult.
• Little knowledge of nutrition
  Many students do not have a basic understanding of good nutrition and meal planning, or they are confused by the many mixed messages that circulate within the media and among peers.
• Lack of awareness
  Do you know the difference between appetite and hunger? Do you understand your reasons for eating? Do you know how many sodas you drink in a week? For many people, there is a large disconnect between what and why they're eating. Distractions such as TV, reading, socializing, and emotions enable undereating or overeating if not addressed. Many students gain weight by not paying attention to their body's needs.
• Needed self-care
  Most college students have a long list of things to do. Things that don't have deadlines, such as sleep, exercise, grocery shopping, and socializing, are often sacrificed for those that do, such as homework. While the consequences may seem small at the time, several weeks of self-neglect can lead people to look for a break or an escape. Eating is often used as a short-term solution, and consistently overeating or choosing high calorie foods can cause weight gain.
• Self-fulfilling prophecy
  Students who diet to avoid weight gain are more likely to develop compulsive overeating or binge eating behaviors than students who don't diet. These behaviors often lead to weight gain.
• They are still growing.
  Some students are still growing during the first year of college.
• Certain medical conditions or medications.
  Certain conditions such as diabetes or thyroid disease, or medications such as some antidepressants, can make weight maintenance difficult.

What is a Healthy Body Weight?

Health conditions associated with being overweight include:

• High blood pressure
• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• Sleep apnea
• Certain cancers

Health conditions associated with being underweight include:

• Irregular cardiac function
• Osteoporosis
• Amenorrhea (lack of menstruation in women)
• Malnutrition
• Depression

There are a number of factors to consider when evaluating your body weight:

• Body Mass Index (BMI)
BMI is a number determined by height and weight that is used to predict risk for weight-related health conditions.
To calculate your BMI:

Step 1: Use one of these formulas to determine your BMI:
[weight in pounds / (height in inches x height in inches)] x 703
or [weight in kilograms / (height in meters x height in meters)]

Step 2: Find your BMI on the table to learn your risk for weight-related diseases:

• Body composition
While some body fat is necessary, excessive body fat can increase your risk for certain health conditions. For example, although an athlete and a non-athlete may both have a BMI of 28, the non-athlete is likely to be at a greater risk for weight-related health conditions due to a greater proportion of fat mass in comparison to the athlete. Because muscle weighs more than fat, people who are physically active may be at less of a risk than their BMI predicts. Consider your body composition when determining your health risk. Those who are physically active (30 minutes of exercise 3-5 days per week), particularly those who participate in weight or resistance training activities, will likely be healthier than their BMI predicts.

To determine your body fat percentage:
There are several ways to determine body fat percentage, which include underwater weighing, air displacement with the use of specialized chambers, skinfold measurements, and bioelectrical impedance analysis (the use of electrical current to measure fat and muscle mass). No method is 100% accurate. Estimations between methods commonly vary +/-3%. Furthermore, genetic differences can add another 3% variation. Rather than compare yourself to estimated standards, it is more useful to track trends in your own body fat measurements over time. Keep in mind that body fat analysis is only supplemental to BMI and waist circumference measurements. It is therefore not necessary for determining weight-related health condition risk.


• Waist circumference
A waist circumference of greater than 35 inches for women or 40 inches for men can increase your risk for health conditions associated with being overweight.

To measure your waist circumference:
Place a measuring tape around your abdomen at the top of your hip bone. The tape should be secure, but not too tight. Take the reading after exhaling.

Co-existing health conditions and lifestyle
Certain health conditions and behaviors can increase your risk for the health conditions associated with being overweight. These include:

• High LDL cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol)
• Low HDL cholesterol ("good" cholesterol)
• High triglycerides
• High blood sugar
• High blood pressure
• Family history of premature heart disease (<55 years of age for men and <65 years for women)
• Cigarette smoking
• Physical inactivity


• Dieting behaviors
Unhealthy diet behaviors, such as restrictive eating or vomiting after meals, jeopardize your health regardless of your weight. Using unhealthy measures to attain a certain body weight puts you at risk for several health conditions, depending upon your specific dieting behaviors. See our eating disorder page for more information. A link is provided at the bottom of this page.

Do I Need to Lose Weight?

How does your weight affect your physical health? Are there nutrition and exercise changes that you can make to improve your health? Focus on these changes with your physical health as your motivation. If weight loss is needed, it will occur as a result of your lifestyle changes.

A healthy body weight isn't determined by how you look. Contrary to popular belief, the "ideal body" as displayed in popular culture isn't always healthy or even attainable. Our natural and most healthy body weight is defined by genetics, good nutrition, and a balanced lifestyle. It cannot be manipulated to meet cultural or unrealistic standards without extreme and often dangerous methods. Efforts to attain an "ideal" image often lead to disordered eating behaviors.

How Can I Lose Weight?

Healthy weight loss goals:

• Reduce calories gradually. Be sure to get at least 1200 each day. However, to keep your metabolism active and limit feelings of intense hunger and deprivation, keep daily calorie reductions to less than 500. Reducing your calories by just 200-300 on most days can provide for healthy weight loss.
• Be sure to get a balanced intake of carbohydrates, protein, and fat. To do this, choose foods from each food group. Meal planning is discussed further down the page.
• Increase physical activity. Aim for 30-60 minutes three to five days per week. However, any increase in physical activity (even if just 5 minutes a day) counts. Be careful not to over-exercise. This can sometimes make weight loss more difficult.

What is the Best Diet for Weight Loss?

Consequences of strict diet plans can include:

• Depression, anger, or irritability
• Preoccupation with food, dieting, and weight
• Social isolation
• Irritability and difficulty concentrating
• Fatigue
• Reduced metabolism
• Intense cravings
• Insatiable appetite, emotional eating
• Feelings of guilt and anxiety regarding the intake of "bad" foods
• Compulsive overeating and binge eating behaviors
• Weight ups and downs

Lifestyle changes take time to make and therefore weight loss may be slower than that achieved with fad diets. Because of this, choosing to make lifestyle changes can be challenging, especially in an environment full of sensational weight loss headlines and manipulative infomercials. Fad diets can be tempting if you're frustrated with your current diet habits or past weight loss attempts, or if you're feeling pressured to lose weight. If this is true for you, try to find a way other than dieting to work through your frustrations and anxieties, such as talking to a friend or counselor. Quick (although temporary) weight loss may not be worth the consequences of strict diet plans.

How to Make Lifestyle Changes

1. Learn about your specific causes of weight gain.
2. Set specific and realistic goals that address your causes of weight gain. Be sure to use accurate nutrition information.
3. Begin to pursue your goals with expectations of progress, not perfection.
4. Periodically evaluate your progress to recognize your accomplishments and identify what else you need to meet your goals.
5. Adjust your goals to reflect your progress.

Tips for successful change:

• Keep reasonable weight loss goals. Don't expect more than one-two pounds of weight loss per week.
• Avoid weighing yourself too frequently. Find other ways to see progress, such as by how you physically feel or how you can move your body.
• Keep self-care as your motivation. Focus on the health benefits of weight loss instead of the suspected emotional benefits. Weight loss does not guarantee success, happiness, or respect. Try to avoid fantasizing about what it would be like to lose weight.
• Do not put things off until you have lost weight. Try those things today.
• Don't ignore your feelings.
• Be honest with yourself about your reasons for eating.
• Avoid negative judgments about your diet habits. Accept unhealthy habits as opportunities, and view mistakes as necessary for change.
• Find new hobbies that don't involve cooking or exercising.
• Avoid comparing yourself to others. It doesn't accomplish anything.
• Surround yourself with positive support. Find support for who you are, not how you look.
• Don't start over tomorrow. Instead learn from what happened today.

Meal Planning for Weight Loss

Below is a list of nutrition and meal planning tips important for reaching and maintaining a healthy body weight. It is not necessary that you follow every guideline or pursue multiple changes at one time. Try to find a few meal planning changes you can focus on. To lose weight, you need to make progress, not be perfect.

• Eat breakfast every day
  Eat breakfast to give your metabolism a boost and wake up your brain. It can also help to reduce cravings experienced later in the day. Breakfast should be eaten within one hour of waking up. A good breakfast should include protein, fiber, and little sugar.
  Try one of these grab-and-go breakfast ideas.
  
  
• Eat a meal or snack every 3-5 hours
  Eat smaller portions more frequently to provide stable energy, better concentration, and an active metabolism. Eating frequently can also reduce overeating due to extreme hunger. This will likely require three meals and two to three snacks each day, depending on your hunger.



• Eat 3/4 of your daily intake before dinner
  Evenly distribute your food intake throughout the day to maintain energy levels and discourage overeating at night. If you don't get enough to eat during the day, you risk overeating at night, a time when many people are most vulnerable to overeating. It is easy to overeat when we are tired, need a break, and have more access to food- let alone when we are extremely hungry.



• Choose foods from each food group
  Choose foods from each food group to get balanced nutrition. This supports an active metabolism, preserves lean body mass (such as muscle), and reduces cravings. To balance your meals, try to include a food from each main food group: grains and starches, meat and meat substitutes (including eggs, beans, tofu, nuts, and seeds), dairy and other sources of calcium (such as soy milk, tofu, and almonds), vegetables, and fruits.



• Be prepared with snacks
  Have snacks on hand to help avoid tempting vending machines or the latest 99¢ fast food special. Snacks provide for steady energy levels and can prevent you from overeating later. Be careful of your snack choices and reasons for snacking. Calories between meals can add up if you're not paying attention.

When to snack?
When you are starting to get hungry and will not be able to eat a meal within one to two hours

When not to snack?
When you are not hungry or hungry enough to eat a full meal

Why snack?
To maintain energy levels and avoid extreme hunger and possible overeating

How much food should you snack on?
Enough food to keep you comfortable until your next meal, or for about one to two hours

What to snack on?
Choose snacks that have carbohydrates, protein, and that are low in sugar.
Click here for a list of snack ideas.
What about snacking before bed?
Having a snack an hour before bed can be part of a healthy diet when you are hungry (vs. tired or stressed). Snacks should be small so that they don't interfere with the quality of your sleep.


• Reduce dietary fat
  Dietary fat is necessary for good health, especially unsaturated fat. However, because fats are also high in calories, eating too much fat can contribute to weight gain. Try to reduce the fat in your diet by choosing lowfat or fat free alternatives or by choosing smaller portions of high-fat foods. In addition, choose unsaturated fats instead of saturated and trans fats as often as possible.
  Click here for a list of ways to reduce fat.
  Sources of fat:
  • Saturated fat comes from animal-based foods (other than fish) and tropical plants. Sources include butter, bacon, full fat dairy products (including cream, cheese, sour cream, ice cream, and milk), highly marbled cuts of red meat and pork, skin from poultry, lard, coconut and coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and cocoa butter.
  • Trans fat comes from fats that have been partially hydrogenated (a food processing technique). Sources include some baked goods, pastries, stick margarine, shortening, and fried foods.
  • Unsaturated fats come from plant-based foods (other than tropical plants) and fatty fish. Sources include canola oil, sesame seed oil, olive oil, nuts and nut butters, seeds, avocado, salmon, mackerel, lake trout, and herring.
  
  
• Reduce sugar
  Eating too much sugar can make you feel tired and sluggish. Foods high in sugar are also high in calories and can lead to weight gain if eaten too frequently.
  
  To reduce the amount of sugar you eat:
  • Add less sugar, honey, and syrup to your foods.
  • Choose sugar-free beverages.
  • Read the ingredient list on food labels. Choose foods that don't have sugar listed as one of the first few ingredients. Words to look for include sucrose, glucose, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, maple syrup, and fructose.
  • Eat fresh or baked fruit for dessert or when you are craving something sweet. Fresh and baked fruit contains less sugar than other foods.
  
  
• Choose whole grains
  Whole grains provide more nutrition and lasting energy than refined grains. Whole grain foods are those that are made with the entire grain rather than just a part of it. Look for the word "whole" on the ingredient list when choosing foods such as bread, cereal, crackers, and pasta.
  
  
• Eat more vegetables
  Vegetables are a good source of vitamins and minerals. They are also low in calories. Choose fresh or frozen vegetables instead of canned vegetables.
  
  
• Moderate alcohol intake
  Alcohol has calories too. If you choose to drink alcohol, then do so in moderation. Moderate alcohol consumption can be defined as one drink or less per day for women and two drinks or less per day for men, but can vary with each individual. (One drink equals 12 ounce beer, four ounces of wine, or one and a half ounces of 80-proof liquor.) In addition, many college students consume extra calories from the late-night eating that often follows late-night drinking. Try to be conscious of your hunger levels. If you are truly hungry, have a snack or small meal rather than something larger.
  Click here to learn more about the calorie content of popular alcohol containing drinks.

Do I Need to Count My Calories?

Weight loss requires reducing your calorie intake. However, counting calories isn't necessary. This is time-consuming and can become obsessive. In addition, calorie requirements can change from day to day making your goals for calorie intake incorrect. Instead of counting calories, reduce your calorie intake by eating a little less than you usually do.

Tips for Reducing Calories

You don't need to avoid your favorite foods or go hungry to reduce your calories. Instead, choose foods lower in calories more often and reduce your portion sizes. Ways to choose lower calorie foods are discussed in the meal planning section of this page.
To reduce portion sizes try to:

• Be more aware of why you're eating
• Eat less often for reasons other than hunger
• Eat just until you're comfortably full

Use this list of tips to help you reduce your portion sizes:

• Watch serving sizes. Competition amongst food companies and restaurants has created an environment of "bigger, better, more," resulting in ever-increasing portion sizes. You can fight back by setting your portion size expectations based on hunger instead of restaurant serving sizes. Several organizations, including the American Dietetic Association and the American Diabetes Association, have defined standard serving sizes as guidelines for weight control and disease management. Such standards can help you to be aware of the amount of food you eat, but unless you're following a specific diet for disease management, like diabetes, you should not use standard serving sizes to dictate your intake.

How many servings does it take you to get full? Try eating in increments of standard serving sizes to learn more about your individual portion size needs. For example, if you are planning a meal of spaghetti with meatballs and broccoli:
1. First serve yourself 1/2 cup pasta, 3oz meat (the size of a deck of cards), and 1/2 cup broccoli (standard servings).
2. When you are finished, decide whether you are full.
3. If you want more, serve yourself standard servings of each food (i.e. another 1/2 cup of pasta, 3oz meat, and 1/2 cup broccoli).
4. When you are finished, decide whether you are full.
5. Continue to serve yourself in increments of standard servings until you feel full.
Click here for a list of standard serving sizes.
• Use the hunger scale to help you recognize when to start and stop eating. To help reduce your portion sizes, try to start eating before you get very hungry and stop eating when you become comfortably full. While it sounds like common sense, it is easy to ignore when we are busy or preoccupied. When we are not paying attention or if we get too hungry, we often overeat.
  
  The Hunger Scale:
  10 Absolutely stuffed
  9 So full it hurts
  8 Full and bloated
  7 Start to feel uncomfortable
  6 80% full, no longer hungry, comfortably full
  5 Approaching comfortable
  4 First signals that your body needs food
  3 Strong signals to eat
  2 Very hungry, irritable
  1 Extreme hunger, dizziness

  How to use the hunger scale:

  1. Start eating between a 3 and a 4, before you get too hungry.
  2. Stop eating between a 6 and a 7, before you get too full.
  3. Understand and address your reasons for getting too hungry.
  4. Understand and address your reasons for getting too full.
  
  
• Eat slowly. Sit down. Use a place setting instead of eating out of the package. Chew and taste each bite. Put your fork down between bites. Give yourself the time to eat slowly. Eating slowly will help you to recognize when you are full and allow you to enjoy your food and the experience of eating.


• Limit stimuli. Don't study, watch TV, talk on the phone, or read while eating. Focus on the food and what it does for you. When eating with friends, try not to lose focus of when you are full.


• Get enough sleep. It can be easy to mistake fatigue for hunger. Get seven to nine hours of sleep every night. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day.


• Drink enough water. Thirst can sometimes be mistaken for hunger. Be sure to drink enough water (8 cups per day plus any water lost as sweat).


• Exercise regularly. Activity increases your ability to tune in to hunger and satiety cues. Exercise doesn't necessarily mean going to the gym. Start with everyday activities like walking, taking the stairs, or cleaning the house. Be careful of exercising too much. Excessive exercise can make listening to body cues more difficult. Signs of excessive exercise include fatigue, injury, and sacrificing other activities and responsibilities.


• Put aside sources of stress, anxiety and other emotions before eating. Emotions need to be addressed, and a lot of the time, food can seem to be the answer. Addressing these emotions before you eat, or putting them aside while you eat, can help to reduce the times you eat despite not being hungry. Furthermore, because food cannot solve emotions, only temporarily suppress them, keeping your emotions and food separated will leave the emotion exposed for a more effective solution. Not sure of the difference between physical and emotional hunger? The "Eight Traits of Emotional Hunger" developed by Doreen Virtue, PhD. describes the difference:
  (Virtue, D. (1995). Constant Craving A-Z. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House.)

• Choose foods that you value to achieve dietary satisfaction. We value food for many reasons. Good nutrition, or a balanced and varied diet, is just one important reason. Others include taste, texture, aroma, ingredients, origin of ingredients, and the environment in which we eat. Incorporating as many values as possible into the eating experience will help you to feel more satisfied. The inability to find satisfaction from your diet may be due to unmet emotional needs such as loneliness or frustration. Try to define these needs first before seeking a solution.


• Make time for self-care. Taking care of yourself means giving yourself time and attention. Many people, especially college students, become so busy with school, work, and other responsibilities that they neglect themselves. Whether through exercise, sleep, social activities, or spirituality, self-care gives us the energy to keep going. Food is often used as a source of comfort and nourishment even when we are not hungry. Try to develop other sources of comfort and pleasure. Give yourself a break by doing something you like to do for no reason other than your own enjoyment.
• Call a friend
• Go for a walk
• Read a good book (for pleasure only)
• Draw or paint
• Rearrange your furniture
• Play with a dog
• Take photographs
• Rent or go to a movie
• Get or exchange a massage
• Volunteer
• Meditate
• Take a dance class

Tips for Eating Out

All foods can be part of a healthy diet when eaten in moderation. When eating out, try to choose healthy foods without feeling deprived or unsatisfied. Consider these tips:

• Ask questions about the menu. Learn about how foods are prepared. Choose baked, broiled, grilled, roasted, steamed, or lightly sautéed items instead of fried or heavily sautéed ones.
• Ask for substitutions. For example, substitute a baked potato for the mashed potatoes.
• To help reduce portion sizes, choose an appetizer as a meal, share a plate with a friend, or have the waiter box half of your meal to-go.
• Choose chicken breast, turkey breast, pork tenderloin, or fish instead of red meats such as beef or bacon.
• Trim visible fat from your meat.
• Ask for sauces, mayonnaise, butter, margarine, and salad dressings on the side. Add just enough to flavor your food, or substitute these with mustard, salsa, or low-fat alternatives. Ask your waiter about sauces you are unfamiliar with.
• When ordering pancakes or waffles, ask for the butter and syrup on the side. Use both sparingly.
• Try to choose foods with cheese as a garnish instead of a main ingredient.
• Choose foods served with tomato-based sauces and soups rather than those that are cream-based.
• When food such as chips or bread is provided before the meal, serve yourself on a napkin rather than eating straight from the basket or dish. It is easier to pay attention to your appetite when eating in small increments.
• Order vegetables with your meal.
• Choose whole grains when possible.
• Skip the fries or order a half-order and a side salad.
• Instead of a soda, order water with lemon or unsweetened ice tea.
• Try sharing a dessert rather than ordering your own.
• Choose fruit-based desserts instead of cream-based desserts.
• Add lowfat or skim milk to your coffee rather than half-and-half.
• Stay aware of your hunger. Don't let the restaurant determine how much you eat. Try to stop when you are comfortably full.
• Choose a restaurant that has other things to enjoy besides the food, such as the atmosphere, view, or community.

What about Exercise?

Exercise is helpful for weight loss and weight maintenance. Try to get 30-60 minutes of exercise each day. Exercise should be enjoyable, not viewed as a chore. Do not exercise to punish or fix yourself, but rather as a way to take care of yourself.

What type of exercise is best?
The kind you like to do. Every type of exercise has its benefits. Cardiovascular exercise, such as walking or aerobics, is good for your heart and uses a lot of energy. Weight lifting and resistance training help to build muscle which increases your metabolism. Stretching is helpful for coordination and balance. All forms of exercise help to relieve stress.

How can I get started?
Start slow. Climb stairs instead of taking the elevator. Park farther away from the building and walk. Think of small things you can do to get started. Give your body time to adjust. Try to work your way up to 30 minutes five days a week, whether all at once or in small increments at a time.

Way to exercise on campus:

• Walk instead of taking the shuttle.
• Walk or run around the track at Clark Field.
• Join an intramural sports team.
• Watch your favorite TV show while using a machine at Gregory Gym or the Rec Center.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Take a 5 minute walk for your next study break.
• Take a PE class, such as weight lifting, tennis, or racquetball.
• Take ballroom dancing lessons.
• Climb the wall at Gregory Gym.
• Take a TeXercise class offered through RecSports.
• Ride your bike to school.
• Play water volleyball with your friends at Gregory Gym.

Why Can't I Stick to My Diet?

Most people have trouble sticking to their diet because either their expectations are unrealistic or they don't have the necessary resources, tools, or solutions to meet their goals.

Do you have realistic expectations?
Dietary change is most successful when goals are realistic. Many times we don't fail, our expectations fail us.

Realistic goals should:

• Allow for gradual change
• Incorporate your personal preferences
• Be based upon accurate nutrition information

Unrealistic goals:

• Expect dramatic change
• Deny personal preferences
• Are not based upon accurate information

Unrealistic goals are difficult to maintain, and the inability to succeed often results in disappointment and self-blame. Unrealistic expectations encourage "yo-yo" or on-and-off dieting, frustration over perceived failures, a love/hate relationship with food, and fluctuating body weight. Successful dietary change requires time to make appropriate lifestyle adjustments.

Do you have what you need?
Successful dietary change also requires that you have the appropriate resources, tools, and solutions. Examples include cooking skills, nutrition information, more time, stress management, and more recreation.

How quickly can I safely lose weight?

Weight loss can be harmful when it is excessive (resulting in a BMI of less than 18.5) or happens too rapidly. Health conditions associated with harmful weight loss include:

• Dizziness
• Changes in mood and concentration
• Anemia
• Constipation
• Headaches
• Dry skin
• Muscle cramps
• Bad breath
• Gallstones
• Decreased bone mass (osteopenia or osteoporosis)
• Hair loss
• Reduced blood pressure
• Loss of menstrual cycle (women)
• Heart problems
• Death

A safe rate of weight loss is:

Rate of weight loss is affected by what you eat and metabolic function. Because diet and metabolism vary with each individual, some people may be more vulnerable to harmful health conditions. Talk to your healthcare provider if you experience or suspect any of the above symptoms. Talk with a registered dietitian before making any drastic dietary changes or to learn about your specific nutrition needs.

Do Weight Loss Supplements Work?

Many over-the-counter supplements on the market claim to burn fat, block the digestion of fat or carbohydrates, provide an energy boost, and/or reduce appetite. Such supplements can be very appealing when we really want to lose weight quickly or when we are frustrated with failed attempts. Supplement companies work hard and spend lavishly to grab our attention with advertisements such as "Kill your appetite" or "Eat as much as you want and still lose weight". Who wouldn't want effortless weight loss? When juggling school, work, friends, and family, weight loss supplements with alluring claims look like a convenient and almost magical solution. However, in reality, few really cause weight loss, and none produce significant weight loss without concurrent exercise and changes to diet. Furthermore, many weight loss supplements can actually be harmful.

False advertising?
The appealing claims that supplement companies make do not need to be completely true. Supplement manufacturers are required to have some sort of supportive research to back their claims, but the quality of this research is generally very poor. They do not have to prove that their products are effective. Rather, they just need documentation that a link between the supplement and its proposed effect on the body may exist.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not test or approve any dietary supplements. The FDA simply requires that supplement manufacturers meet certain labeling and safety standards. Specifically, supplement manufacturers are required by law to state on the label that the product is a "dietary supplement", list the supplement ingredients, and include a disclaimer regarding the supplement's effects. Claims such as "Lose weight while you sleep!" are called "statements of nutrition support," which are legal if there is any possible link between the supplement and the effect, and as long as the following disclaimer is on the label:

This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any illness.

The FDA has the authority to restrict or ban a supplement if it is proven to be harmful. For example, the sale of ephedra, an herb used for weight loss that had been sold in the United States for many years, was banned in 2004 due to mounting evidence of adverse side effects. We now know that ephedra can cause high blood pressure, insomnia, tremors, stroke, heart attack, and even death.

Evaluating a weight loss supplement
It is important to educate yourself before trying any supplement. Use third-party, unbiased, and evidence-based information, not just the product label. Links to reliable on-line resources for this purpose can be found under "Online Resources".

Americans spend approximately two billion dollars per year on weight loss supplements. However, a high sale volume doesn't mean the supplements work - it just means that a lot of people desire a "magic bullet". Consider the following before taking any weight loss supplement:

• Weight loss supplement claims are not necessarily true.
• The majority of weight loss supplements have been evaluated only for short-term use. Therefore, the effects of long-term use of the supplements are unknown.
• Weight loss supplements are not guaranteed to be safe. The FDA has banned certain supplements due to harmful effects both before the product hit the market and once the product had hit the store shelves, after harmful side effects prompted additional studies.
• Weight loss supplements do not encourage healthy lifestyle changes. If diet and lifestyle habits that contribute to weight gain or the inability to maintain a healthy body weight are not addressed while you are taking the supplement, any weight lost will almost certainly be gained back once you discontinue using the supplement.
• Certain people can be more vulnerable to the potentially harmful side effects that supplement use can cause. Check with your healthcare provider and a registered dietitian to determine your risks.

What about Weight Loss Medications?

There are several prescription weight loss medications that have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The majority of medications function to reduce appetite. One type of medication works by reducing the absorption of dietary fat in the stomach. Weight loss medications are approved for people with a BMI of greater than 27, who have a co-existing medical condition that necessitates weight loss, and who have made good efforts to change their diet and increase physical activity through lifestyle changes. Weight loss medications should only be used to alleviate medical conditions caused or exacerbated by excessive fat mass. They should only be used, and are only effective, in conjunction with diet, physical activity, and behavior modification. Average weight loss varies between 4.4 to 22 pounds. There are currently six drugs approved for treating obesity, only two of which are approved for long-term use (greater than 12 weeks). All medications carry health risks. Although prescription drugs do promote weight loss, the weight is generally regained once the medication is no longer used. It is also important to know that weight loss due to lifestyle changes is equal or greater to the average weight lost by those taking prescription weight loss medications. Consult your healthcare provider and registered dietitian for more information.

HPRC Programs Available to You

The HPRC has many programs available to help you attain or maintain a healthy body weight and lifestyle, including:

• Non-diet weight management classes
• Quick and healthy meal planning classes
• Eating disorder treatment
• Individual consultations
• Diet analysis
• Nutrition on-the-Go
• Personal Trainer on-the-Go
• Brochures and handouts
• Books and exercise DVDs available for you to check-out
• Stress Management services

Call 475-8252, or use the links at the bottom of this page for information about these and other programs.

Online Resources

General

Exercise

Evaluating weight-loss supplements

Stress and emotional management

Body image