Action Time to Lose Weight

Now that we have set our goals for weight and activity, it's action time. And while we're putting our plans to reach our goals, let's not forget that ultimately, we want to prevent or delay diabetes and the complications that may come with the disease.

In our effort, we will use a program that has been proven effective in a clinical test called the Diabetes Prevention Program. If we employ the principles that have been successfully tested by DPP, we will be on the road to realizing our goals.

Now let's review the recommended goals of the Diabetes Prevention Program or DPP. The recommended weight goal to lose one or two pounds a week are as follows. They are between 500 t0 1000 calories lower than the number needed to maintain the weight:

Recommended Daily Amounts of Fat and Calories

Starting Weight in Pounds; Fat in Grams; Calories;
250-300; 55; 2000;
220-245; 50; 1800;
175-215; 42; 1500;
120-170; 33; 1200;

The numbers of fat and calories are what we need to lose one or two pounds a week. To achieve our goal, we will have to shop better to make sure we buy foods that will not go over the numbers recommended for our starting weight.

We will also have to learn to prepare food in healthier way like broiling instead of frying and using low-fat products. We may have to change our eating habits. We may have to eat every four hours so we don't get too hungry. Why? Because getting too hungry could make us overeat.

We don't stop here. We will have to jot down what we eat and the activity we do to monitor closely our effort to reach our goal. And let's weigh ourselves every day at the same time and wearing the same type of clothing, preferably in the morning before the first meal.

If after three weeks we have not lost weight, then we will have to look back to see what's holding us up. Perhaps we are making a mistake in recording what we eat. It is easy to mistake portions between 3 and 5 ounces of steak. We may also be using one tablespoon of butter instead of one teaspoon.

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