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Q&A Lose Weight Slowly, Says Albemarle Diet Expert

Posted on: Tuesday, 11 January 2005, 09:00 CST

BY darren freeman

THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

ELIZABETH CITY Leslie Otts, a clinical dietitian at Albemarle Hospital, helps patients change their eating habits to get and stay healthy.

With many people starting the new year with resolutions to lose weight, Otts offered some tips.

In general, she suggested working with a dietitian and doctor to set goals and track progress.

She stressed that people need to set realistic goals.

If you want to lose 60 pounds in one year, for example, Otts recommended focusing on losing five pounds a month.

Dieting should also be accompanied by exercise, she said. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator and parking at the far corner of a lot are small steps that could help. People should first speak with a doctor if they are interested in more vigorous exercise, Otts said.

Before joining the hospital two and a half years ago, Otts educated the public about diet and advised diabetics for Albemarle Regional Health Services.

She holds a bachelors degree in nutrition from Meredith College, where she also completed nine months of post-graduate dietitian training.

Q. When should somebody consider losing weight?

A. When you feel like you need a change. Until youre ready to make the changes, it isnt going to do any good. If you see your health declining, if you are overweight. One thing you look at is your body mass index. If thats over 25, youre considered overweight.

Diabetes, heart problems, kidney problems can be addressed with diet.

Q. What are the first steps to take?

A. Contact a local dietitian and talk to a doctor. There are Web sites where you can get good information like the American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association and the American Dietetic Association.

Q How important is it to consult a doctor before losing weight?

A Very important. The first step is to see a doctor to find out what the diagnosis is and what changes you should make.

Then, go to a dietitian.

Q. What are the drawbacks to losing weight without speaking with a doctor?

A. You may feel like if you slip up one time, you fail. That is not the case. You can have slip-ups, but you want to keep on.

If youre working with somebody, you have accountability. If youre going to start cutting back and working with portions, a dietitian will do a food diary with you, review it, analyze what youre eating and help you with the other steps.

Q. Should people phase into a new diet or change immediately?

A. Phase into it. You want to take steps in your changes. If you think about changing everything at once, its overwhelming. That sets you up immediately for failure. If you make an outline of all your changes over the next few months and mark off the changes you made, you can see where you were, how far youve come and where you need to go to meet your goal.

Q. What are some of the most common bad eating habits?

A. People eat way too much at a sitting. Theyre looking for convenience, and a lot of times that comes with high calories and high fat. A small hamburger and french fries could equal 1,200 calories.

Not following the food pyramid, having too many of certain foods and not getting enough of the other food groups.

Skipping meals is not good. For one, your metabolism will slow. Two, when you finally do eat, youre so hungry you overeat. Your body is only going to burn so many calories at a time, and excess calories (get) stored in fat. You need to stay on a regimen of at least three meals a day with healthy snacks.

Q. How could somebody resist urges for junk food?

A. That is a hard one. Take time when you go to the store to find food you can buy, take home and take to work or put in your car to have healthy snacks like unsalted pretzels, low-fat popcorn. When you go to a convenience store, know what foods to get. Get bottled water or flavored water that doesnt have calories. A lot of convenience stores are now offering fruit. Choose a granola bar over a candy bar.

Q. What is the most common misconception about weight loss and dieting?

A. That carbohydrates are bad. Carbs are not bad, they are good. We need starch, which turns into glucose in our body, and we need that for energy. A lot of people eat too many starches, so cutting back is a good thing, but not cutting out completely. You want to eat a variety of foods and think of the food-guide pyramid. And youve got to watch portions.

Q. What are the signs that a new diet is working?

A. Just feeling good about yourself. You want to keep checking your weight, but not every day. Maybe every week or every other week. And if you are working out, your weight might stay the same if you are gaining muscle and losing fat. Check how your clothes are fitting and check your cholesterol every six months to a year.

Q. What are your thoughts on the traditional food pyramid?

A. I like the food pyramid. If you use it along with the national dietary guidelines, you will have success. It is an all- around healthy diet. If you are trying to lose weight, you can stick to the low end of recommended portions.

Q. What do you think about popular or fad diets?

A. There is success because people are cutting their total calories.

But the best way to lose weight is going to be slow. Eat less and move more. The recommendation is losing one to two pounds a week. With the fad diets, you are going to lose it and lose it fast. But it isnt going to stay off as easily. The slower you lose weight, the more it is going to stay off.

The fad diet is not the healthiest. If you cut out certain fruits you are missing a lot of vital chemicals and good vitamins and minerals we need every day.

Q. Should somebody on a diet take multivitamins or supplements?

A. I would recommend multivitamins if somebody is not getting enough fruits and vegetables every day.

But supplements, herbal supplements, are a different story. I do not recommend them. Theres not enough information, not enough research and a lot of them interact with heart medications and a lot of other medications.

Q. What should people do after they hit their target weights?

A. Stick with your healthy lifestyle. If you keep losing weight, increase portions from the lower-calorie foods like vegetables and fruit. You have to keep on exercising and eating right.

Reach Darren Freeman at (252) 338-0150 or darren.freeman@pilotonline.com.

Source: Virginian - Pilot

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