Weight Loss Facts

With all the talk about a fat epidemic and obesity problems in the United States, it's difficult to really know the facts about weight loss, diets, what works, what doesn't work, and why losing weight is so difficult. 

Consider these weight loss facts:

FACT #1:  An estimated 50 million Americans will go on a diet this year.

FACT #2:  While some will succeed in taking off weight, very few – perhaps 5% – will manage to keep all of it off in the long run.

FACT #3:  The primary reason for the low weight loss success rate is that many people look for quick and easy solutions to their weight problems.

FACT #4:  Americans spend an estimated $30 billion a year on all types of diet programs and products, including diet foods and drinks.

FACT #5:  Even though there are  increased health risks associated with being overweight or obese, losing weight can help you significantly reduce these risks.

FACT #6:  Weight loss cannot and will not happen effortlessly. Any claims that you can lose weight effortlessly is false.

FACT #7:  All successful and proven weight loss programs are focused on reducing the number of calories you eat or  increasing the number of calories you burn off (increasing your metabolism) through exercise. Most experts, if not all, recommend a combination of both.

FACT #8:  Very low-calorie diets are not without risk and should be pursued only under medical supervision. Un-supervised, very low-calorie diets can deprive you of important nutrients and are potentially dangerous.

FACT #9:  Fad diets rarely have any permanent effect. Sudden and radical changes in your eating patterns are difficult to sustain over time. 

FACT #10:  So called “crash diets” often send dieters into a cycle of quick weight loss, followed by a “rebound” weight gain once normal eating resumes, with even more difficulty reducing when the next diet is attempted.

FACT #11:  To lose weight safely, and keep it off, requires long-term changes in daily eating and exercise habits.

FACT #12:  Science has yet to come up with a low-risk “magic bullet” for weight loss.

FACT #13:  Diet patches, which are worn on the skin, have not been proven to be effective or to be safe. The FDA has seized millions of these products from manufacturers and promoters.

FACT #14:  “Fat blockers” that purport to physically absorb fat and mechanically interfere with the fat a person eats has not proven to be effective and can have dangerous side effects.

FACT #15:  “Starch blockers” that promise to block or impede starch digestion has not been proven and users have complained of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pains.

FACT #16:  The FTC has brought legal action against several marketers of “Magnet” diet pills that allegedly “flush fat out of the body.”

With so many people on diets, and knowledge of the weight loss facts listed above, why are we still getting fatter?

Dr. Billie-Hamilton, a world renowned expert in Human Metabolism, writes in her book titled, "The Body Restoration Plan" the following facts about weight loss:

• Adults are getting heavier as they get older - Current estimates suggest that the average woman gains approximately one pound each year and the average man gains one-half pound each year.
• Our body shape is changing – this has been so dramatic that the standard clothing sizes used for the last 50 years has been scrapped and completely revamped.
• Dieting alone simply does not work! – if the traditional dieting methods really worked, the fat epidemic should have been stamped out long ago. Granted, in the short term, many people do lose weight by sticking to a particular diet or regime. But the overwhelming evidence is that they will regain all the weight lost, and then some more, as soon as they return to “normal life.”
• Public health enemy # 1 – it is not just our appearance that is at stake. Life threatening illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer and strokes are all closely linked to being overweight, and their incidences are all on the increase. Research has also shown that people whose weight “yo-yos” from one extreme to the other can have up to double the death rate from all forms of illness (particularly diabetes and heart disease) compared to that those whose weight remains stable. The government is now being forced to become more involved with these issues, treating the fat epidemic as a national health problem as well as a personal challenge for millions of people. 
• The fat epidemic is a very recent phenomenon – If millions have been eating less and exercising more, why has the fat epidemic increased almost exponentially? Why are we getting fatter? Dr. Paula Billie-Hamilton’s book outlines the scientifically researched subject with answers that are profound and eye-opening. To understand this issue, she scientifically analyzes the brief history of dieting and solves the greatest 21st century mystery related to these questions.
• There is a common sense approach to weight management that is scientifically proven to work and is available to you. Whether you just need to lose a few pounds or you are classified as obese, you can achieve your goal of a healthy life by following the system as laid out by the Shaklee Weight Management Program. 

Still unsure if there is a fat epidemic or obesity problem in the U.S.? Consider these weight loss facts about Americans' weight:

FACT #1:  60% of Americans are now classified as overweight or obese.

FACT #2:  Obesity is linked to many chronic illnesses, including heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and diabetes.

FACT #3:  Obesity is also linked to many forms of cancer such as post-menopausal breast cancer, colon cancer, endometrial cancer, prostate cancer, and kidney cancer according to researchers at the American Institute for Cancer Research.

FACT #4:  William Dietz, the director of nutrition at the Center of Disease Control said in 1999, “This is an epidemic in the U.S., the likes of which we have not had before in chronic disease.”

FACT #5:  James Hill, Dean of American obesity studies at the University of Colorado has said that if the fat epidemic is not checked, most Americans will be overweight within a few generations.

FACT #6:  Obesity is now an epidemic, with the percentage of obese Americans increasing by 61% from 1991 to 2000 alone.

FACT #7:  Tommy Thompson, Secretary of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has stated that nearly 2 out of 3 American adults and 15% of children are overweight or obese. Minorities are faring worse than the overall population.

FACT #8:  At least 17 million Americans, or 1 out of every 20 people, have Type 2 diabetes. Another 16 million more have pre-diabetes. Type 2 Diabetes was once a disease of adults 40 and older. Now it is found in children as young as 8.

FACT #9:  Poor nutrition, overweight, and inactivity cause at least 1/3 of all cancers.

FACT #10:  Obesity aggravates hypertension, which contributes to the #1 cause of death in the U.S. – heart disease.

FACT #11:  The CDC has reported that obese and overweight women face significantly increased risks of having babies with birth defects.

FACT #12:  According to the CDC, excess weight and physical inactivity account for more than 300,000 premature deaths each year in the U.S., second only to deaths related to smoking.

FACT #13:  Rena Wing, Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry at Brown Medical School in Providence, R.I. Wing, the co-developer of a research study known as the National Weight Control Registry, reports that more than 70 percent of the registry's weight losers became overweight before age 18.

FACT #14:  The total direct and indirect costs attributed to overweight and obesity amounted to $117 billion in 2000, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

FACT #15:  Since 1980 obesity among adults has doubled and overweight among children has tripled.

FACT #16:  Only 3% of all Americans meet at least four of the five federal Food Guide Pyramid recommendations for the intake of grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and meats.

FACT #17:  Less than 1/3 of Americans meet the federal recommendations to engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity at least 5 days a week.

FACT #18:  40% of adults engage in no leisure-time physical activity at all.

An Important Weight Loss Fact That Will Help You Lose Weight

The Shaklee Weight Management Program will help you lose weight and manage your calorie intake by reducing food cravings. This weight loss program provides you with essential nutrients, supports normal glucose metabolism, prevents fatigue and energy swings, and reduces hunger and food cravings.