Nutritionist offers tips to keep on track with weight loss and health goals

Jan 31 2011

At a time when many people are working to lose weight and get healthier, more than half of Texans admit to lying to family or doctors about their health and fitness habits such as nutrition and amount of exercise, according to the True Results Health Honesty Survey. Forty-six percent are not honest with family members and 32 percent admit to lying to doctors. True Results is a team of leading weight loss experts based in Texas.

Of those that lie, the majority (70 percent) do so only a few times per year and the main reasons for lying are embarrassment about one's real habits (57 percent) and not wanting to explain the truth (33 percent). Only 30 percent have been confronted about their dishonesty.

"Lying about your health and fitness, if even only a few times per year, can signify a fundamental issue in your ability to achieve your health goals," said Jessica Diaz, nutritionist and exercise physiologist for True Results. "Numerous studies have shown, the key to achieving any health or fitness goal is support from those around you and that cannot happen if you're not honest with yourself or others."

Gender and Weight Play a Role

True Results' survey also revealed that slightly more women lie about their health and fitness habits to family than men (50 percent versus 43 percent) and to their doctors (34 percent versus 28 percent.) The poll also showed that overweight people are less honest with others. Weight categories were calculated by determining each respondent's Body Mass Index (BMI), or measure of body fat based on height and weight.

Interestingly, the poll shows that underweight people lie at similar rates to those that are overweight - 43 percent lie to family and 29 percent lie to doctors.

Realistic Goals and Support are Key

A quarter of respondents have been on 10 or more diets in their lifetime. According to Diaz, chronic dieters often think differently than others, incorporating more self-sabotaging thoughts into daily routines. To keep on track with weight loss and health goals, Diaz suggests:

• Be realistic and healthy with weight loss and exercise goals. Losing up to two pounds per week is achievable and healthy. Any more than that is not sustainable for the long-term, and more importantly is unhealthy. If you rarely exercise, start with 20 minutes, three days per week and increase time and frequency slowly. Remember a slow steady pace wins the race.
• Reset your thinking. Almost anyone can make short-term changes in their eating and exercise behavior and lose at least a little weight. However, strict diets are not sustainable and often times lead to people regaining more weight than they lost. Adjust your thinking to embark on a long-term lifestyle change. Changing your habits instead of dieting also allows you to still consume some "bad" foods, just not as much.
• Set your goals to be healthy for yourself, not others. While we all want to look fabulous at a class reunion, that's not a good enough reason to sustain your new health and fitness habits.
• Set monthly or weekly milestones for weight loss, amount of exercise, improved diet and nutrition, etc.
• Write it down. Keep a food and exercise journal to chart your progress on reaching the milestones. Also record your thoughts in an effort to pinpoint situations or times of day when self-sabotaging behavior takes place, then work to reverse your thinking.
• Reward yourself for meeting milestones - but not with food or time off from exercise. Treat yourself to a new pair of jeans or fun activity.
• Get a buddy - someone that will hold you accountable. Studies on numerous weight loss methods from dieting, to exercise, to medical weight loss procedures show significant increases in success rates when sharing the goal with another person.
• Have a support system - inform your family and friends of your goals so they do not pressure you into "cheating." Utilize online support group forums to receive advice and support from others.
• Consider your options. If you've tried numerous diets and exercise programs without reaching a healthy weight, consider other options such as doctor prescribed medication or a medical weight loss procedure to improve your overall health. These methods are tools to kick-start a healthy lifestyle change when other methods have proven unsuccessful due to underlying health or psychological issues.