Natural Medicine Clinic Publications

Weight Loss: Is success cosmetic or is it health?

By Nancy Aagenes, ND

If you want to lose weight it would be uncommon to ever lose as much as you want as fast as you want. Decide right now that you will relapse and regain. Expect that as part of the process and go back again and again to the basics. This article is not about what to do, but about the importance of retrieving health rather than beauty as the goal.

In a heartbreaking piece of research obese people were asked these questions:

• What is your "dream" weight?

This was not anything logical or rational or possible, just the dreamiest imaginable weight. Obese people wanted an average loss of 38%. That means, for example, from 250 to 155. One of my patients recently imagined a loss of over half of his body weight-current weight 286, "dream" weight 120.

• What is your "happy" weight?

This weight would make you absolutely satisfied even if it weren't "dreamy". The average came to a 32% loss. A 250-pound woman would be 170. Done in 12 to 18 months, that loss is not possible or sustainable without extreme changes most people cannot do or cannot maintain. Most women who weight 170 are still unhappy with their weight.

• What is your "acceptable" weight?

This is not the weight you want, but you could live okay and accept this weight. Obese people asked for a 25% loss to meet this threshold-from 250 to 187.

• What is your "disappointing" weight?

This is less than you currently weigh and a loss that would feel like a defeat. The average percentage here was 17%--from 250 to 207.

Medically the optimal weight loss is often defined as a 10 to 12% loss over a year -from 250 to 225 pounds. Health benefits are profound, the best possible health results occur and our patients aren't even disappointed yet!

Why is 10% acceptable to physicians? What does it accomplish? Blood sugar drops, the cholesterol excretion increases and sticky bad cholesterol decreases, blood pressure drops. Mobility improves-people can tie their shoes again, can walk and move with greater ease. They actually become physically stronger. Not only do your clothes fit better, every measurable medical parameter is improved by a 10% loss.

Even if you don't lose one pound, not gaining demonstrates measurable health benefits. The bad cholesterol increases less, blood sugar can actually decrease, as can waist circumference.

The other great news is that moderate loss is better in the long run than dramatic loss. Moderate loss can be maintained. Dramatic loss results too often in a gain larger than the amount originally lost. One study divided participants into two groups. The first was encouraged and supported in moderate changes. The second was rigorously supervised in extreme diet and exercises changes. At the end of four months, the loss was about the same. At the six month mark the extreme group had lost more.

Participants thought the study ended there. The genuine goal of the researchers was to assess the second six-month period in which all encouragement, support and supervision were withdrawn from both groups. Predictably, both groups regained some of the lost weight. The important finding is this: the moderate group gained a small amount and stayed below their starting weight from a year earlier. The extreme group gained extremely-they gained more in the second six months than they had lost in the first six months.