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DITCH THE FAD DIET
HEALTHY WEIGHT WEEK IS JANUARY 16-22, 2005
SAN DIEGO, Calif., - January 2005 – January is a very appropriate
month for healthy weight
awareness. For starters, most Americans
have chosen to lose weight as one, if not their sole,
New Year’s
resolutions. The quicker and the thinner, the better, right?
Being overweight and underweight can contribute to many health-related
problems. According to
the American Dietetic Association, “Research
has shown excess weight is a serious health problem
for many
Americans, increasing their risk of developing a number of serious
illnesses, including
heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and high blood pressure.
Being underweight is linked with
heart problems, lowered resistance
to infection, chronic fatigue, anemia, depression and other
illnesses.”
In America, children and adolescents are among our greatest sufferers
from inadequate diets,
which can also stunt growth and impair mental as well as physical development
says Frances M. Berg, M.S., author of Children and Teens Afraid
to Eat: Helping Youth in Today's Weight-Obsessed World.
Other than inadequate diets, Shoshana Kobrin, M.A., Licensed Marriage
and Family Therapist
and an eating disorder specialist says that weight problems, whether
overweight or underweight,
are also associated with people that are
victims of emotional eating and:
•Are constantly on (or off!) a diet
•Loose weight only to gain it back
•Worry about weight, body and appearance
•Use food to relieve uncomfortable feelings
•Feel anxious, depressed, alone or empty
•Are self critical and inadequate
Americans resort to various weight loss gimmicks and fad diets that
promise quick and great results,
but which are by and large NOT
healthy. Familydoctor.org offers these tips to assist in
recognizing
fad diets:
• Claim to help you lose weight very quickly (more than 1 or 2 pounds per
week). Remember,
it took time for you to gain unwanted weight and it will
take time tolose it.
•Promise that you can lose weight and keep it off without giving up "fatty"foods
or exercising on a regular basis. If a diet plan or product sounds too
good to be true, it probably is.
•Base claims on "before and after" photos.
• Offer testimonials from clients or "experts" in weight loss,
science or nutrition. Remember
that these people are probably being paid to advertise the
diet plan or product.
• Draw simple conclusions from complex medical research.
•Limit your food choices and don't encourage you to get balanced nutrition
by eating a
variety of foods.
•Require you to spend a lot of money on things like seminars, pills or
prepackaged meals
in order for the plan to work.
Emotional eating has an underlying cause—AND a solution which marriage
and family therapists are trained to address.
If you feel you that you can benefit from a healthier eating plan,
consult a professional. Who
can help? Therapists specializing
in eating disorders, registered dieticians and nutritionists, and
your family doctor can speak with you about eating right
and maintaining healthy weight, healthy
eating and healthy lifestyle.
Resources: www.therapistfinder.com
www.eatright.org
www.diabetes.org 1-800-DIABETES – Weight Loss Matters Program
www.healthyweight.net
www.familydoctor.org
About CAMFT
The California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT)
is an independent
professional organization representing the interests
of licensed marriage and family therapists.
CAMFT has twenty-seven chapters throughout the state to serve the interests
of California marriage
and family therapists. CAMFT provides TherapistFinder.com as
a resource to prospective patients
looking for marriage and family
therapists located in California. For more information on CAMFT,
please call 858-292-2638 or www.camft.org.
Media Contact: Tricia Whittemore
Porter Novelli
Phone: (619) 687-7018 or (603) 219-6088
E-mail: tricia.whittemore@porternovelli.com
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