"Lose 30 pounds in 30 days."

Does this sound too good to be true? It is.

"Diets that promise losing a lot of weight in a short period of time can be very dangerous to your health," says Miramichi dietician Lisa Doucet.

She says the healthiest way to lose weight is to follow Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating and to exercise regularly.

"The body adapts best to gradual changes in diet and exercise."

"Diets that exclude certain foods or food groups such as carbohydrates rob the body of important nutrients that are required to remain healthy," says Doucet.

She says for example, the low carbohydrate, high protein diet is very popular right now.

"Most health professionals and organizations strongly disapprove of its use for health safety reasons," says Doucet.

She says individuals are falsely led to believe that taking a daily multivitamin supplement will prevent the nutrient shortfalls.

"This is big mistake because protective substances called phytochemicals that have been proven to prevent many diseases such as cancer can only be found in fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes."

She says there are also risks associated with low carbohydrate high protein diets such as ketosis and damage to the kidneys.

"It’s important that you make an informed decision if you decide to give it a try."

Doucet says fad diets also tend to be difficult to maintain and individuals often return to their original eating habits resulting in weight gain.

She recommends the following tips to help manage your weight:

As a means to keep track of your eating habits, record on a daily basis what you eat. Be honest and include everything. Compare your daily food intake with Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating guidelines. From this comparison, you can now decide where your dietary changes need to be made. For example, you may want to reduce your fat intake by substituting 2% milk in your coffee rather than real cream or chose fresh fruit for a snack rather than a commercially made muffin.

Eat three balanced meals a day that follow Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating starting with a healthy breakfast. When meals are skipped, individuals feel hungry and tend to over eat with foods high in fat and sugar.

Nutritious snacks may be helpful to prevent binges. It is important to avoid high calorie snacks and desserts such as commercially made muffins, donuts, cookies, pies, and croissants. Doucet says the average commercially made muffin contains up to 400 calories and 4 teaspoons of fat. Suggested healthy snacks include whole grain crackers, pretzels, high fibre cereals, whole wheat bread, pita bread, raw vegetables with low fat salad dressing, almonds, fresh or dried fruit, cheese, milk or yoghurt.

The other main element in weight management is to exercise regularly. If you are just beginning an exercise routine, it is important to begin slowly and increase your duration and intensity over time.

Walking is one of the easiest and best ways to exercise. The longer you walk the more calories you will burn. For example a loss of 500 calories per day from walking briskly for 90 minutes will help you lose one pound per week. Don’t forget to drink enough water, at least eight glasses each day. The body needs adequate hydration to work properly. This is especially true when you are trying to loose weight.

We are fortunate to live in an area that offers many scenic walking trails that suit any fitness level. These trails include:

· Strawberry Marsh Trail – Newcastle

· Lagoon Trail – Newcastle

· RiverView Trail and Lookout –Douglastown

· French Fort Cove Trail – Miramichi West

· Walking Central – Newcastle (Lindon Recreation Centre) for indoor walking

· Millbank Trail – Millbank

· Chatham Waterfront Trail – Chatham

· Loggieville to Chatham Trail – Loggieville and Chatham

For further information about these trails and other recreational activities please contact the Miramichi Recreation Department at 623-2300.

It is important to identify how you will incorporate exercise into your daily routine and eat meals in accordance with Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating. When exercising find a friend who will accompany and help motivate you. Choose a time that best suits your schedule. Make it a priority.

Plan ahead when deciding your meals for the week and shop accordingly to ensure you have the ingredients on hand. Identify social situations in which you will encounter high calorie foods and make plans to address these situations. An example would be to eat a balanced meal before attending an evening party eliminating the desire to indulge in high fat snacks and hors-d’oeuvres.

To stay motivated, reward yourself with something you enjoy. Keep in mind a food reward, such as a large serving of cheesecake will defeat your efforts – have a small portion. Make an appointment with your massage therapist, hairstylist, esthetician or treat yourself to a movie. Pamper yourself for the efforts you have put towards achieving your ideal health and weight goal.

It will take time before you feel the results of your efforts. Don’t quit, be persistent and you will be successful. After the first month, you will see and feel a difference. Get your walking shoes on and start improving your health. It is a win-win situation.

For more information about attaining a healthy weight, contact:

· Your family doctor

· A registered dietician at the Miramichi Regional Health Authority through a doctor’s referral.

· MANGO dietician, 627-7508.

Tell us what you think about the Improving Your Chances health column by contacting us through E-Mail region7@health.nb.ca Phone (506)623-3003 or mail the Miramichi Regional Health Authority, 500 Water St., Miramichi, NB, E1V 3G5.