weight loss workshop...a clinical definition for obesity is given by the dorland’s pocket medical...

Weight Loss Workshop Weigh Less Live More

Ten modules for the four part workshop to help the participant to move from dream to

reality with their weight loss goals. This workshop is designed for participants of

XtraMile Weight Loss business system.

© Peter Kenyon 2006 1

Creating Lifestyle Change

Workshop

Weight Management Workshop Manual

Developed by Peter Kenyon

(Dip. Health Science – Nutrition; Cert. IV Fitness – Personal Training)

for XtraMile Personal Fitness

http://xtramilefitness.wordpress.com

http://xtramilefitness.wordpress.com/


OUR MISSION:

XtraMile is committed to helping all who desire it to achieve their goal of a long and prosperous life through better understanding health and nutrition.

XtraMile has a personal goal to help all who seek them to achieve their goal or dream, whatever that goal or dream may be. We will assist all to reach their potential to fulfil their dream.

XtraMile has ethics founded upon integrity and equality and therefore will not engage in any transaction which does not benefit all whom it effects.

XtraMile is developed for the service of others to educate others and to endow them with the life-skills to help to help others.

XtraMile is designed to be a prosperous business focusing on efficiency and profit through beneficial, ethical and honest services.


Table of Contents

Introduction 4

What Do You require to Become a Lifestyle Leader? 4

Workshop 1

Module 1 - Background to the Problem of Obesity 5

Module 2 - The Risk and Consequences of Obesity 8

Module 3 - Health Benefits Associated with Weight Management 10

Module 4 - Body Image 13

Workshop 2

Module 5 - Nutrition 14

- Developing & Monitoring a Lifestyle Eating Plan 16

- Sample Eating Plans 22

- Understanding Food Labels 24

Module 6 - The Importance of Exercise 23

Workshop 3

Revision - Developing & Monitoring a Lifestyle Eating Plan

Module 7 - Environmental Factors Related to Obesity 25

Module 8 - Assessing Individuals for Weight Management Recording 27

Module 9 – Rules, Habits and Systems 31

Workshop 4

Module 10 – Understanding the Achievement Process 33


Introduction

Why is there a need for yet another program designed to help people lose weight? Why is there a need to convince people to change their lifestyle? There is a need because despite our increased knowledge about food and good nutrition; despite the increase use of the media to educate the public on the topics of healthy lifestyles and eating habits; despite more money being injected every year into a campaign to reduce escalating medical costs; despite all this:

The prevalence of obesity in men has more than doubled and in women more than tripled over the past twenty years.

59.6% of the population is overweight. 67.4% of males and 52% of females are considered over-weight or obese.

The most startling fact has to be that obesity among Australian children has doubled in the last ten years. 20% of our nation’s children are overweight or obese, and that figure is still growing …. rapidly.

Our overweight and obese children are growing up to become overweight and obese adults and we as parents are contributing to this.

Australia the sporting nation has become a nation content to sit and watch sports. We have become content to sit and be entertained by computer games. We have become content with gaining on America population with the comparison of – the most overweight children per capita in the world. And I am not proud of that.

The Goal is Weight Loss

The goal is weight loss, or more specifically body fat reduction. But where does a person begin? They are encouraged to follow any one of a plethora of diet plans on offer from a multitude of shelves in an uncountable number of bookshops. Or they can decide to take up the challenge from dietary assistance meal suppliers who offer pre-packed, pre-frozen, kilojoules calculated food parcels. So with all these choices what is a person seeking lifestyle change supposed to do?

The person’s dream is to lose weight so do not lose sight of that fact. Their end result is to lose maybe fifteen kilograms in twelve months. As a lifestyle leader it is your task to discover the real reason for the desire to lose body fat. Identifying the reason to achieve something contributes heavily to motivation.

A lifestyle leader encourages people to take action by setting the lifestyle example. They are encouraged to go forth in search of the true path for body fat reduction. Well a workable path at least. Action is vital to the

achievement process because action displays to the world your commitment to achieve a particular goal.

There are many steps involved in achieving a successful goal, and lifestyle change is no different. The steps involve gathering new information, learning the new information and applying the new information. As a lifestyle leader it is your task to support others on their quest along the path.

Why is This Program Different?

This program has been developed over a ten year period while giving lifestyle presentations to weight loss groups throughout South East Queensland. It started by showing weight loss club members how to follow their healthy meal plan, or more precisely by asking them why they were not following their meal plan.

This program grew from continually asking members of the public “Why”. Asking until there was no reason nutritionally, physically or psychologically to ask “Why” anymore. It is not a workshop that requires the participant to understand a text book. It is a program that helps the participant to understand the information that is required to achieve the results they desire.

What Do You Require to Become a Lifestyle Leader?

A lifestyle leader is living the lifestyle. You are not required to have lost weight in order to help others to lose weight any more than you are required to have had a heart attack in order to help people to live with a coronary disease. But there is a weight management industry standard set down by the Weight Loss Council of Australia that this workshop has attempted to comply with.


WORKSHOP 1

Module 1

Background to the Problem of Obesity

This unit has been developed to assist the participant to:

Be able to define and classify obesity

Explain the extent of the problem of obesity among the Australian population

Understand the potential pathways that contribute to obesity

What is Obesity?

A clinical definition for obesity is given by the Dorland’s Pocket Medical Dictionary as “an increase in body weight beyond the limitation of the skeletal and physical requirements, as a result of excessive accumulation of body fat”.

The Human Nutrition and Dietetics textbook as well as the Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine use a more technically derived method for defining obesity. Obesity is defined as a quantitative value that has been established by Life Insurance published tables. This value has come to be known as the Body Mass Index (BMI) and is calculated by:

Weight in kilograms

(Height in metres)2

Your Turn

Question 1

Calculate your BMI =

Thus obesity is defined as any value over 25.

The normal range for a healthy person is 20 – 25.

A value of 25 – 30 is considered as Grade 1 Obesity and maybe managed through a healthy diet and exercise.

Those with a BMI value ranging from 30 – 40 are considered Grade 2 Obesity and require a kilojoules controlled diet, exercise and behaviour modification.

If your BMI falls above 40 you are considered Morbidly Obese and require the attention and assistance of Allied Health Professionals and Medical Professionals.

Your Turn

Question 2

In relation to the body mass index

a) What is the range for a healthy person?

b) How is obesity defined?

There is a problem with the BMI measurement in that it does not take in to consideration muscle mass. Therefore if you apply the BMI to a front row forward of the Broncos you will get a value that is interpreted as obese. Body composition must be taken into account when applying the BMI value.

A simpler method to calculate obesity is by measuring your waist. Men with a waist measurement over 102cm and women greater than 88cm are considered obese and have an increased chance of developing obesity related disease states.

Your Turn

Question 3

a) What is your waist measurement? ____________________cm

b) Are you at risk? YES NO


The Chances Are You Will Become Overweight

Despite our increased knowledge about food and good nutrition, despite the increased use of the media to educate the public on good health; despite more money being injected every year into a campaign to reduce escalating medical costs; despite all this:

The prevalence of obesity in men has more than doubled and in women more than tripled over the past twenty years.

59.6% of the population is overweight. 67.4% of men and 52% of women are considered overweight or obese.

The most startling fact has to be that obesity among Australian children has doubled in the last 10 years. 20% of our nation’s children are overweight or obese, and that figure is still growing…. rapidly.

Our overweight and obese children are growing up to become overweight and obese adults and we as parents are contributing to this statistic.

Why is This Epidemic on the Rise in This Country?

In 1940 the first McDonalds hamburger stand opened in Pasadena, California. By 1948 a chain of stores started to scatter their way through America producing one hundred stores by 1959. One hundred stores in 1959 grew to seven hundred by 1965. McDonalds now operates over 30,000 outlets in 121 countries throughout the world.

In 1955 a 65 years old man sold a “finger-lickin’ good” recipe. Within nine years hundreds of franchises appeared across America. Today there are over 12,000 outlets world wide.

Are these outlets the reason this obesity epidemic exists?

OR

Do parents stand accused of the obesity epidemic?

When I was a child baking day was part of the family events. Once a fortnight I would arrive home from school to the delicious aroma of baked biscuits and cake. By the time I was a teenager this family tradition had been replaced by the continual supply of convenient, cheap and mass produced cream biscuits.

How many households had a television in 1960? How many televisions are there to a household today? Then there was the wave of computers, first one per household and then one per head. Currently the trend is smart phone devises.

Television sets, computers, smart phones – all devises to make our lives easier but is that really the truth. The average person spends 5.5 hours a day in front of a television or computer or locked to the small screen of a smart phone and then says they have no time for their children, no time for study and no time to exercise.

Are these mass producers of biscuits, cookies, cakes, computers, televisions and smart phones to blame for the present shape of our nation’s people?

As much as we would like to blame others for our woes the responsibility must none the less fall upon our shoulders. The responsibility is ours because the choices are ours. We must accept responsibility for the choices we make. In the end it is the choices that we make everyday that determines the type of person we are.

Conflict develops when who we are is not who we desire to be. An internal conflict develops when an overweight person desires to become a healthy weight person but makes decisions that continue to gain weight. This internal struggle leads to negative feelings about who we are and who we want to be. Feelings like low self-esteem, feeling of failure and feelings of anger arise from the disappointment of making the wrong choices.

Why Do We Make the Wrong Choices?

Psychologists are able to make long lists as to why we do not make the correct choices in our life. I like simply lists. There are three main reasons we do not make the correct choices that allow us to hit our goals.

Habit – we simply do the things we do and eat the way we eat because we have always done it that way. Doing it that way is automatic, it is a habit. When we live our life as a habit we don’t even attempt to think about something new.

Lack of knowledge – knowledge and information is important. If you had all the information as to why you should be on a healthy nutrition eating plan rather than an unhealthy one then the correct choice would almost be automatic, right? When we know the reasons for eating the apple instead of the pie we will always choose the apple. Isn’t that correct? Lack of knowledge is just part of the reason for not choosing correctly. The value we put on the information is also important. If you choose the pie over the apple then you are putting greater value on the taste of the pie than on your health.


Lack of effort – this is the biggest killer of achievement. There is effort required overcoming peer pressure from family and friends almost continuously offering items of sabotage while you attempt to maintain a healthy eating plan. “Oh come on, just one won’t hurt you” is the death knell of many a weight loss project.

Your Turn

Question 4

What are four habits that contribute to your weight gain?

1.

2.

3.

4. I do too little activity and exercise


WORKSHOP 1

Module 2

Risks and Consequences of Obesity


Identify the health risks associated with obesity

Be able to explain the difference between abdominal fatness and peripheral fatness

Understand the adverse effects of obesity on mortality and health

Explain the psychological and socio-economic consequences of obesity

The Cost of Living

An inactive lifestyle is one factor that contributes to many of the disease states that exist in modern society. Inactivity is the price we pay, not the reward we receive for technology and the lifestyle it provides. The price also includes:

Upper respiratory conditions Asthma

Cardio-vascular disease Hypertension

Stress Anaemia

Constipation Osteoporosis

Concentration problems Cancer

Ailments associated with increased free radicals Obesity and diabetes

A large percentage of the cost associated with the medical system is related to the treatment of the above disease states. A good percentage of our retirement is spent being treated for these diseases. Being overweight or obese are contributing factors to all of the above disease states, and in some cases the above disease state exists because a person is overweight or obese. It does not have to be so.

If we were to take control of two areas of out life we could reduce the event of these diseases in our society and more importantly reduce the chance of developing them in you as an individual. If these two areas were under our control and not left to fate then we may benefit from a healthier life and possibly greater longevity. Let’s not kid ourselves. It is in our control. We have to take responsibility.

Your Turn

Question 5

What are some of the health risks associated with being obese?

1. 2. 3.

4. 5. 6.

Which Areas Do We Most Often Leave to Fate?

1. The way we eat, and

2. The way we do things

Leaving it to Fate

Every time we put something in our mouths and do not consider the nutrient value of that food we are testing fate. Our physiological destiny is left to fate whenever we consume a food of low nutrient value that is also high in saturated fats. Any nutrient shortfall will cause the body to rob from Peter to pay Paul in order to meet the chemical cost of running our body.

Each nutrient we refer to as vitamin, mineral and phyto-nutrient serves a number of purposes in the body. A particular nutrient, for example of B vitamins, is required in our foods so that our body may use carbohydrates, protein and fats to produce energy. B vitamins are plentiful in dairy, grains and meat.

Vitamin C, plentiful in fruits and vegetables, is used to maintain skin, collagen, bones and connective tissue, and as an anti-oxidant. So when you feel like you are falling apart at the seams just think of the last time you had a piece of fruit or a good feed of vegetables.


Oils Ain’t Oils Sol, And All Fat is Not the Same

This is not quite a true statement. Fat cells are fat cells no matter where they are on the body. The fat in the arm is the same as the fat on the leg is the same as the fat around the abdomen. The difference between them is how they affect the health of the body.

Fat on the peripheral areas, that is the arms and the legs, does not have any great metabolic affect on how the body functions. There it sits as a reserve tank of fuel doing nothing more than perhaps making you feel uncomfortable, physically and mentally.

Abdominal obesity carries a greater risk of causing health problems because it affects the organs. Some of the disease states from affected organs are heart disease, cardio vascular disease, hypertension, stroke diabetes and some cancers.

The big concern now is our society is able to assist people with cardiovascular disease to live longer with the disease. We refer to it as managing the disease. One of the organs affected by cardiovascular disease (apart from the heart) is the kidney. If we do not do something about our health and allow the medical system to manage the disease for us then the end result will be kidney failure and a life on dialysis.

In a nutshell, when it comes to fat distribution it is better to be pear shaped than apple shaped.

Your Turn

Question 6

What is the difference between abdominal fat and peripheral fat in relation to your health?

Peripheral fat is found on the __________ and ____________ while abdominal fat is found on the area of the ____________________. Abdominal fat is dangerous to your health because it affects your _________.

The Older I Get the Better I Get

As we age we all have increased risks of developing any of the above disease states. This is a fact of just being human and growing older. The truth is that within any age group; young, middle aged or old aged, the mortality rate of obese individuals is greater than amongst lean individuals.

But Wait, There’s More

Being obese may have effects other than to cause disease, obesity can affect your relationship. Being obese may cause low libido. That’s right ladies and gentlemen it may affect your sex life. If that happens I guarantee that it will then affect you psychologically. So obesity can affect your social life and bring about frustration that may lead on to depression.

Obesity can be responsible for sleep apnoea which will wake you numerous times during the night to make you fatigued during the day. Carrying extra weight may lead to back pain which causes more discomfort. In short, being obese can have far reaching sociological effects that may make you feel isolated from your friends and family.


WORKSHOP 1

Module 3

Health Benefits Associated With Weight Management


Identify the health benefits associated with weight loss

Understand potential risks associated with weight loss

Exercise and Weight Management

Dieting and exercise produce changes in your body that at times appear to be contradictory to your goals. These contradictory changes lead us to believe the diet is no good or exercising will not lose our weight. I have been asked many times to explain what happens – “Why do I put on weight when I am exercising? Surely exercise can not be good for me if this is happening.”

It is difficult to explain but I shall endeavour to do so in as simple manner as I can (mainly because I do not understand the complicated manner). Above all never lose sight of the fact that good nutrition and regular exercise will always have a positive effect on the body.

Weight (Resistance) Training and Weight Management

Combining increased activity (particularly exercise) with correct healthy nutritional eating will produce the desired result for weight management, but not necessarily immediately.

If you have led a sedentary (notice I didn’t say lazy, that would be rude) lifestyle before commencing an exercise regime then your muscles may be in an under-developed state. Exercise will re-awaken them and in so doing stimulate them to develop again.

Stimulation of muscles causes development to occur in two stages.

First, under-developed muscles stimulated into action will become stronger. They do this by re-learning how to recruit all their muscle fibres instead of the lazy amount of 60-70%. This means you will become stronger, but not bigger. On the scales this may show as weight loss as your body is burning fat for energy (this also assumes you have not increased food intake). This process continues for approximately three months or until you are using your muscle fibres to 100% capacity.

The second stage relates to exercising with increased intensity. If you are pushing weights it means you are lifting heavier weights. Increasing intensity when you are walking means you are now walking up hills and not just on the flats or walking faster. When you increase work load on muscles that are already operating at 100% capacity the only way for them to cope is to increase the number and size of the muscle fibres. Bigger muscles mean more body weight. Weightlifters refer to this as hypertrophy.

Aerobic Exercise and Weight Management

Nothing strips body fat away like aerobic workouts that use the biggest muscles of the body. Walking, jogging and running thirty minutes a day 4 – 7 times a week will have those kilograms slipping away with the kilometres.

But first, as above, your under-used and thus under-developed leg muscles have to adapt to the new regime of exercise. That is, first they have to become stronger but not bigger so there maybe initially weight loss. If you continue with faster walks and introduce hills (increase intensity) your muscles will have to become bigger. It may show as increased weight on the scales but do not panic. Remember, muscle is never the health issue whereas body fat is always the health issue.

While we are on the topic of walking you may experience discomfort if the exercise is new. Do not become discouraged. Persevere and the discomfort will pass while the enjoyment of new found mobility will increase.

After the initial gain in weight from increased muscle tissue you will begin to lose weight from body fat. This may be happening from the start but muscle cells weigh more than fat cells so it may appear as weight increase even though you are losing body fat.


Your Turn

Question 7

What is one reason for an exercising dieter to not show weight loss on the scales?

a) They are compensating for all the exercise by eating more

b) They are gaining muscle while their body adjusts to exercise

c) They are taking steroids

The Best of Both Worlds

Aerobic training and weight training combine beautifully to create the body you desire.

To lose body fat, improve health and increase fitness a regime of more aerobic than weights is required. Aerobic training 3 – 4 times a week and weight training once a week to maintain muscle tone in the upper body will ensure a healthy body without too much of an increase in muscle size.

A fear of becoming a Sylvester Stallone (I couldn’t spell Schwarzenegger) should not deter anyone from undertaking a weight training program. You usually need the right genes (and a bit more) to grow to that size. It just doesn’t happen in 95% of the male population, sorry about that guys, and almost never in females.

The benefits from weight training is increased bone density and increased muscle strength which leads to better posture, less backache, increased health and better blood flow.

Aerobic training is also your insurance against bigger muscles. The two types of training produce different outcomes for the body. Aerobic programs produce a lean low fat body while the nature of resistance training is to build muscle up.

Good nutritional eating and increased activity go hand in hand to create a successful weight management program. To attempt to lose weight by restricting food intake alone may not produce the desired result, and if it does it most certainly will not be long lasting. Your body’s survival techniques will ensure that when you come off your restricted food intake you will re-gain your weight, with interest.

A Word of Warning About Exercise

Start slowly. Most people today do very little activity so for most a walk of more than ten minutes is new. Some people may have to consult a doctor before starting an activity program. If you have a prior history that relates to cardio vascular disease, structural problems to the joints or even if you are just unsure then consult your doctor before exercising. He will love to monitor you on your weight management program anyway because doctors like to be able to refer to programs that work.

If you consider your lifestyle to be one of low activity then I suggest you do not take up strenuous exercise without some guidance. Get the basics in place before doing the harder stuff. Walk before you run is never truer than at this moment. What better way to turn yourself away from exercise than to undertake an activity at beyond your present fitness level.

In fact, if you are a couch potato then increase activity by doing the yard and house work. It may be all that is required to stimulate weight management in the right direction. Just do the simpler things harder. If you live within a kilometre of the shop then walk instead of taking the car. Sure it is quicker to take the car but what were you going to do with the time you saved?

Get into a healthy regime by doing some stretches and light exercise in the morning, every morning.

Some Simple Common Sense Rules Before You Start

1. Don’t over do it. If it has been years since you have done anything active then start slowly. It may even be necessary to check things out with your doctor first. Use you judgement.

2. Do not over-stretch. Stretching and feeling it is one thing but stretching and feeling pain is another. Do not stretch to pain level. It is neither warranted nor appropriate. Simply move your body gently and see the improvement over time.

3. Stop immediately if you feel pain or dizziness. If it does not subside when you are resting then consult your doctor immediately.

4. If you have not been active for some time then you can expect to feel some discomfort for a few days. Live with it, it shall pass.


Your Turn

Question 8

What are some of the health advantages to weight (resistance) training?

a) ________________________________________________________________________________

b) ________________________________________________________________________________

c) ________________________________________________________________________________

Your Turn

Question 9

What advice can you give someone who is about to start an exercise regime?

a) ________________________________________________________________________________

b) ________________________________________________________________________________

c) ________________________________________________________________________________


WORKSHOP 1

Module 4

Body Image


Understand the importance of body image and self esteem

Explain the role of media/advertising in influencing body image

Identify common eating disorders

We Are Not Worthy!

People who are over-weight or obese usually suffer from esteem problems. They may perceive themselves as failures because they have attempted weight management programs before and have not met with success. Even the jolly fat man may be hiding his disappointment and frustrations behind a comical exterior. The aggressive person may be angry with themselves more than with you, so don’t take it personally. The person who is always negative and argumentative may just be expressing their lack of understanding about what you are saying.

There are a number of reasons for a person expressing negative emotions at themselves or the people around them. Weight management requires a network of support from professionals, family and friends. The process of weight loss requires the development of new ways of eating, new habits and new ways of thinking. This all takes time and effort to remain focused, at least in the beginning. Sometimes a misplaced comment from a family member is all that is required to sabotage someone’s weight management program.

Understanding the Problem

Binge eating is a contributing factor to weight gain in an estimated 30 – 50 percent of obese women. Binge eating begins in late adolescents and is associated with body image dissatisfaction, regular dieting and dietary restraint. Young people today are under increasing pressure to conform to the ideal body shape. Magazines, television and public perception put forward models of what is considered the ideal body shape, even if in reality it is impossible for most of us to conform to that model.

This attempt to produce the ideal body shape is not confined to young females. Today, teenage boys are pressured to be lean and muscular and to follow eating habits and extreme lifestyles to produce that image.

Binge eating is one of a number of psychological issues that can be associated with being over-weight. Another common eating disorder is Night Eating Syndrome where the over-weight person consumes most of their daily energy intake either just before going to bed, or during periods of waking throughout the night. This disorder may be easily identified by asking the person questions about eating times and habits.

There are other common eating disorders that do not relate to over eating. Anorexia and bulimia nervosa often begin in a normal attempt to lose weight. Once again, psychological disorder such as distorted body image and low self esteem may be contributing factors.

If you identify nutritional or dietary concerns then refer clients to contact suitably qualified allied health professionals and medical professional.

Some Important Weight Management Rules

1. Failure is not considered failing when you are trying to achieve something. It is considered learning. If you are trying to achieve a particular result and did not achieve that result then you have not failed, but have discovered a method that did not work. You can only fail when you stop trying to achieve.

2. Trying and trying again will not bring about success. This goes against all that we were taught when we were growing up. If you tried something and did not succeed you were told to try again. If that too failed you were again encouraged to try again. Well I am about to tell you that “try and try again” is only half the truth. You have to change what you did before you try again. If you do not change what you did then you will continue to get the same result.

3. Once you have found a process that works then stick with it until you have achieved your desired result. If this process begins to fail (as in plateaus in weight management) then revert back to rule two.


WORKSHOP 2

Module 5

Nutrition


Develop a knowledge and understanding of the nutritional composition and importance of food in terms of physiological requirements of health

Understand and be able to apply the principles of the Australian Guide to healthy eating and the Australian Dietary Guidelines to offering food habits

Be able to read and interpret food labels

Oh No! Not Another Food Talk!

To understand nutrition from the beginning let us get something straight – a diet is not something you go on to lose weight. A diet is the food you eat to survive. That diet can be either a good nutrition diet or a bad nutrition diet. But what is food?

On a healthy lifestyle our food supplies us with the nutrients our body requires to stay functioning in reasonable health. A better supply of nutrients is obtained from food that is of better quality. The six classes of nutrients are carbohydrates (CHO), protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and water. Each of these six nutrients contributes to a number of functions in the body, at times overlapping in the tasks they perform.

Carbohydrates are made up of starches (fibres), sugars and glycogen. Our body uses starches, sugars

and glycogen to produce energy and muscular fuel. Dietary fibre is used to assist with digestion and cholesterol control. Carbohydrates also function in nutrient and water absorption.

Protein can also be used for energy production when carbohydrates are depleted. They deliver the amino

acids that the body cannot produce. These amino acids are called essential amino acids because they are essential to our diets. Protein is used to maintain our existing tissue, required to make new tissue and is the basic substance in the manufacture of enzymes, antibodies and hormones. Protein is also used to make carriers that transport substances like vitamins, minerals and fats around in the blood to be delivered to the cells. Haemoglobin is a protein based carrier used to carry oxygen around in the blood.

Fats are also necessary to a healthy body. Some vitamins can only be absorbed by the body in the

presence of fat. These are known as fat soluble vitamins and they are vitamin A, D, E & K. Like certain amino acids there are certain fats that the body cannot make, and these are essential fatty acids (EFA). There are two essential fatty acids we are concerned with; ά-linolenic acid (omega 3) and linoleic acid (omega 6). Fat can also be used as energy for low intensity activity only. It helps to maintain the fluidness of cells and is the substance in many hormones.

Vitamins cannot be absorbed without the presence of the carbohydrate, protein and fat nutrients. Therefore

it is no use taking a vitamin supplement without eating food at the same time. The functions of vitamins are varied. Some vitamins like vitamin A and C are required for tissue repair. Vitamins A and C also function in the immune system. The B vitamins in particular are involved in energy metabolism, and vitamin D helps calcium to be absorbed. Folic Acid and vitamin B12 are important for the nervous system and there is an enormous range of vitamins and minerals that function as antioxidants. The important thing to remember is that no nutrient functions alone. It is especially important to realise that no vitamin is responsible for one function in the body.

Minerals are remembered as the structure of the body. Calcium, phosphorus and magnesium are important

for strong bones. Calcium and magnesium are also involved in the action of nerve communication. Other minerals help to control the pH of the body while others, like iron, help to transport substances around the body. Sodium and potassium play important roles in maintaining blood volume and thus affect blood pressure. Zinc is required in many enzymes in the body, particularly in obtaining energy from fuel while iodine helps to regulate the rate at which energy is used.

Water is the body’s coolant, maintaining the body temperature through sweat. It is the carrier of nutrients to

cells and the remover of waste from the body. It is such an important nutrient that we respond to its low levels in the body within hours.


Your Turn

Question 10

What are the six classes of nutrients?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Question 11

What four uses of protein (amino acids) in our body?

1.

2.

3.

4.

Question 12

What is EFA short for? _________________________________________________________________

Question 13

Complete the four functions of water?

1. The body’s ________________

2. Maintaining the body’s _________________________ through __________________

3. Carries ____________________ to the body’s cells

4. Removes _____________________ from the body


What are the Australian Guidelines to Healthy Eating?

The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating is a 273 page report that gives in depth information as to guidelines to healthy eating. A 273 page report is more information than the average person needs to know. Following is a simple food pyramid to help remember how to eat.

(Food pyramid modified from Oregon Health & Science University at http://www.ohsu.edu)

“This new diet, I’m always hungry! Isn’t there something I can do to stop being hungry?”

Body fat reduction plans are never easy. They generally require changes to habits that have long been established. One of the habits that must be altered is that of eating every time you feel hungry. Anyway, who told us it was wrong to feel hungry? I’m not saying to disregard this feeling altogether; I am suggesting that an exercise in will power be practiced so that you are in control of your emotions and not the other way around.

Is there any food that is less likely to make you feel hungry soon after eating it? More studies have been completed in the Glycaemic Index (G.I.) factor of food; so the answer is “yes” there are foods out there that make you feel less hungry.

Food with low G.I. rating is digested slower and thus absorbed slower and making you feel fuller longer. The G.I. rating relates to how quickly the food you have eaten raises your blood sugar levels. So if it is absorbed at a slower rate it raises the blood glucose levels slower. It’s a great diet for diabetics, and the rest of us.

Your Turn

Question 14

What does G.I. stand for? ______________________________________________________________

Question 15

What does the G.I. rating relate to? _______________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

Fats, oils and sweets

(sparingly)

6 - 7 servings

http://www.ohsu.edu/


The following table relates to the diet plan above

Food Group Low G.I. Rating Medium G.I. Rating High G.I. Rating

Restricted Vegetables Peas and most pasta Basmati rice, Doongara rice, corn

Potato, broad beans, parsnip, white rice & pumpkin

Unrestricted Vegetables As Desired As Desired As Desired

Fruits Apple, orange, peach, pear, plum grapes, berries, grapefruit, mango, kiwi fruit

Banana, apricot, pineapple, rock melon, paw paw

Watermelon, lychees

Bread & Cereal Multi-grain, fruit loaf, pumpernickel, All Bran, porridge, muesli, Guardian, oat bran, Rice Bran

Hamburger bun, rye, pita, Weet Bix, Vita-weet, Special K, Just Right, Ryvita, Vita-wheat, milk arrowroot, bran muffin, most muffins

White bagel, white bread, Corn Flakes, Rice Bubbles, Sultana Bran, rice cake, bread muffin

Protein – be aware of fat content of these foods

Meat, fish, baked beans, skim milk, custard, yoghurts, ice-cream

Most diary products

As I have said in the past, information is very but means nothing unless it is put into action. How do you apply this information when you are following a diet plan?

1. Choose foods from low and medium G.I. rating groups.

2. Mix low G.I. foods with high G.I. foods when preparing a meal as this has the effect of lowing the over-all G.I. rating of the meal.

3. Purchase books about the Glycaemic Index and have a good read to gather some new knowledge.

The important thing is to choose a course and take action. A journey is not completed unless it is started, and it is not started unless the first step is taken.

Getting Started

It has been my experience that most people are just too busy to study a new eating lifestyle and respond best to being told what to do. For you people I have supplied sample diet plans to follow. In old measure they are 1200, 1500 and 1800 Calories. I have also supplied serving sizes for fruit (notice there is no avocado on the plan) and the non-restricted vegetable list.

There are a few things you should learn to make your body fat reduction program successful. You should:

Learn the serving sizes of fruit; and

Learn the vegetables that are on the non-restricted list as these are very good for making salads.

1 serve of fruit =

½ medium rockmelon, pawpaw, mango, or grapefruit

¾ cup lychees

1 medium apple, orange, peach, small pear, banana or mandarin

1 slice of pineapple or watermelon

2 prunes, figs, nectarines, kiwi fruit or small mandarins

3 apricots, passion fruits or plums

20 small grapes or strawberries

Non- Restricted Vegetables =

Alfalfa Sprouts Asparagus Bamboo Shoots Beans Bean shoots Beetroot Brussels Sprouts Cabbage Carrot Cauliflower Celery

Champignons Chives Choko Cucumber Eggplant Endive Garlic Lettuce Mushroom Onions Parsley

Radishes Peppers Snow peas Silver beet Spinach Swedes Tomato Turnip Zucchini


XtraMile Combination Diet Plan One

Meals 4800 kJs 4800 kJs Alternative 6300 kJs 6300 kJs Alternative

Breakfast ¾ Cup Cereal 150ml Trim milk (D) 1 small banana (F)

Substitute 150ml Trim milk with 200 ml skim milk(D)

1 ½ Cup Cereal 150ml Trim milk (D) 1 small banana (F)

Substitute yoghurt with any serve of Dairy

Morning Tea 200ml low fat yoghurt (D) ¼ rock melon

Substitute rock melon with any serve of fruit

200ml low fat yoghurt (D)

Lunch Chicken & Salad Sandwich

90g chicken (P) 2 slices bread salad from non-restricted vegetable list

Substitute chicken (P) with – 90g tuna, salmon or sardines; or 60g lean ham; or 2 eggs; or 80g Devon dale cheese, 100g ricotta cheese, 200 cottage cheese

Chicken & Salad Roll

90g chicken (P) 1 bread roll salad from non- restricted vegetable list


Afternoon Tea ¼ rock melon (F)

¼ rock melon (F) 12- 18 grapes (F)

Dinner Meat and veges

120g steak (P) 1 small potato (RV) carrots beans zucchini

Substitute steak (P) with – 240g non oily fish; or 400g prawn or crab meat; or 180g salmon or tuna; or 135g lamb

Meat and veges

120g steak (P) 1 small potato (RV) 1/3 cup peas (RV) Carrots, beans zucchini 1 slice bread

Substitute steak (P) with – 240g non oily fish; or 400g prawn or crab meat; or 180g salmon 0r tuna; or 135g lamb

After Dinner (includes dessert)

¾ Cup low fat custard (D) 1 small banana (F)

Substitute low fat custard with – 1 scoop Peter’s Lite Ice cream (D)

¾ Cup low fat custard (D) 1 small banana (F)


7500 kJs 7500 kJs Alternative

1 ½ Cups Cereal 150ml Trim milk (D) 1 slices toast 1 small banana (F)

Substitute 150ml Trim milk with 200 ml skim milk

200ml low fat yoghurt (D)

Chicken & Salad Roll

90g chicken (P) 1 bread roll salad from free vegetable list


1 small apple (F) 12 – 18 grapes (F)

Meat and veges

120g steak (P) 1 small potato (RV) 1/3 cup peas (RV) ½ cup pumpkin (RV) Carrots, beans, zucchini 2 slices bread


¾ Cup low fat custard 1 small banana



XtraMile Combination Diet Plan Two

Meals 4800 kJs 4800 kJs Alternative 6300 kJs 6300 kJs Alternative

Breakfast 100g Baked Beans (P) 1 slice of toast ½ rock melon (F)

Increase baked beans to 200g by taking cheese or egg out of lunch

100g Baked Beans (P) 2 slices of toast ½ rock melon (F)

Increase baked beans to 200g by taking cheese or egg out of lunch

Morning Tea 200ml yoghurt (D) ½ banana (F)

200ml yoghurt (D) 1 banana (F)

Lunch Cheese, Egg & Salad 1 egg (p) 50g ricotta cheese (P) Salad from free vegetable list 3 vita wheat

Cheese, Egg & Salad 1 egg (p) 50g ricotta cheese (P) Salad from free vegetable list 3 vita wheat

Afternoon Tea ¾ cup low fat custard (D) 1 small banana (F)

Substitute low fat custard with 1 scoop of lite ice cream

¾ cup low fat custard (D) 1 small banana (F)


Dinner Meat and veges

90g steak (P) 1/3 cup of peas (RV) Carrots, beans, zucchini


Meat and veges

120g steak (P) ½ cup pumpkin (RV) 1/3 cup of peas (RV) Carrots, beans, zucchini


After Dinner (includes dessert)

½ banana (F) ¼ pawpaw (F)

1 banana (F) ¼ pawpaw (F)

7500 KJs 7500 KJs Alternative

200g Baked Beans (P) 2 slices of toast ½ rock melon (F)

200ml yoghurt (D) 1 banana (F)

Cheese, Egg & Salad 1 egg (p) 50g ricotta cheese (P) Salad from free vegetable list 3 vita wheat

¾ cup low fat custard (D) 1 small banana (F)


Meat and veges

120g steak (P) 2 small potato (RV) ½ cup pumpkin (RV) 1/3 cup of peas (RV) Carrots, beans, zucchini 2 slicse bread

Substitute steak (P) with – 180g non oily fish; or 300g prawn or crab meat; or 135g salmon or tuna; or 90g lamb

1 apple (F) 12-18 grapes (F) ¼ pawpaw (F)


Understanding Food Labels

Labelling laws in Australia require most manufactured foods to display a Nutritional Information Panel (NIP). The exceptions to this rule are if the foods are very small such as spices, tea, coffee, herbs or the like. If the food is one ingredient such as a piece of fruit; if the food is sold for fund raising or packaged at the point of sale.

Food labels give you the information that you need to know to help you to make choices about the food you are about to buy. When it comes to body fat reduction the first thing you want at look at is the energy (calories/kilojoules) content of the foods.

Labels will also typically show the macro nutrient of the food. That is, how much protein, carbohydrates and fats are present in the food.

A reliable label display will show the serving size of the food plus the food calculated at 100 grams. This is important to help you to work out the percentage of fat in the food. If the 100g calculations or food percentage are not present then it is probably best to steer away from this food for weight loss purposes. Labels will allow you to compare similar foods so you can make the best choice.

Working From the Top Down

First you will notice that food labels contain a serving size and the number of serves per package.

The label then shows the breakdown per serve, per 100g or 100mls. Sometimes the label will show the quantities per complete food as with breakfast cereals when the milk is added.

Fat, by law, has to show its breakdown of total fat and saturated fat. The same deal applies to carbohydrates as they must show their proportion of sugar. This breakdown enables consumers to make better decisions relating to foods and their health. Saturated fats have more of an affect on cholesterol than mono or polyunsaturated fats. Saturated fats are generally found in animal based products and are hidden in commercial cakes and biscuits under hydrogenated vegetable oil.

What Amounts Should I Be Considering When Looking At Food Labels?

Fibre is always a good ingredient to consider. It has been established that our body requires 30 – 40 grams of fibre a day to maintain health. My investigations have indicated the average to be closer to 12 grams a day. On a food label 3g of fibre in a food is considered high fibre food. You may receive the equivalent fibre content from one apple.

An amount of 600mg of sodium, 30g of sugar and 20g of fat per 100g of product is considered high. If you were looking for low amounts then you should consider less than 20mg of sodium, 2g of sugar and 3g of fat.

Where there are small amounts of multi-composite ingredients in amounts less than five percent then it is permissible to list tha name of the composite ingredient. An example of this would be if chocolate was an ingredient less than five percent of the total product then it is permissible to list chocolate and not its individual ingredients – cocoa, cocoa butter, and sugar. But this rule does not apply to an addictive or allergen that appears in the food. These have to be listed no matter how small the amount.

Food Addictives and Allergens

All additives listed must be assessed and approved by Food Standards Australia New Zealand. They must also be used in the lowest possible quantity that will achieve their purpose. Sounds safe doesn’t it? Food

NUTRITION FACTS Serving Size 50 grams Servings per packet = 1

Contents Average Qty

Per 50g serve

Average Qty

per 100g

Energy 659kJ (157Cal)

1317kJ (315Cal)

Protein 10.2g 20.4g

Fat - Total - Saturated Fat

3.5g 1.8g

7.0g 3.7g

Carbohydrate - Total - Sugars

15.2g 10.3g

30.5g 20.7g

Dietary fibre

- Total

- Polydextrose

12.5g

5.8g

23.6g

11.7g

Xylitol 2.0g 4.0g

Sodium 121mg 242mg


additives are listed according to their class followed by their chemical name; e.g. Colour (Tartrazine); of colour (102); or preservative (220)

Difference between ‘use by’ and ‘best before’

Foods with a shelf life of less than two years have a “best before” date stamped on them. After two years the quality may diminish but they may still be edible. Foods that should not be consumed after a certain date have a “use by” date stamped on them. They should not be consumed after this display date. Other foods like bread have a “baked on” date so that you can tell how fresh it is. The general rule when looking at the date of food is:

Check the ‘use by’ or ‘best before’ date when you buy food.

Keep an eye on the ‘use by’ or ‘best before’ dates on the foods in your cupboards. Don’t eat any food that is past its ‘use by’ date, even if it looks and smells okay.

The food label list of ingredients

All ingredients must be listed in decreasing order by weight, including added water (if it is less than five per cent of the food, it does not have to be listed at all). Therefore:

The ingredient listed first is present in the largest amount.

The ingredient listed last is present in the least amount.

Don’t be misled by labelling tricks and traps

The terms used are often misleading. For example:

1. The term ‘light’ or ‘lite’ doesn’t necessarily mean that the product is low in fat or energy. The term ‘light’ may refer to the texture, colour or taste of the product. The characteristic that makes the food ‘light’ must be stated on the label.

2. The claims ‘no cholesterol’, ‘low cholesterol’ or ‘cholesterol free’ on foods derived from plants, like margarine and oil, are meaningless because all plant foods contain virtually no cholesterol. Some can be high in fat and can contribute to weight gain if used too generously.

3. If an item claims to be 93 per cent fat free, it actually contains 7 per cent fat, but it looks so much better the other way.

4. ‘Baked not fried’ sounds healthier, but it may still have just as much fat – check the nutrition panel to be sure.

5. ‘Fresh as’ actually means the product hasn’t been preserved by freezing, canning, high-temperature or chemical treatment. However, it may have been refrigerated and spent time in processing and transport.

6. No added sugar – products must not contain added sugar, but may contain natural sugars.

7. Reduced fat, salt – should be at least a 25 per cent reduction from the original product.

8. Low fat – must contain less than 3 per cent fat for solid foods (1.5 per cent for liquid foods).

9. Fat free – must be less than 0.15 per cent fat.

10. Ingredients that contain fat include: Beef fat, Butter, Shortening, Coconut, Coconut oil or palm oil, Copha, Cream, Dripping, Lard, Mayonnaise, Sour cream, Vegetable oils and fats, Hydrogenated oils, Full-cream milk powder, Egg (cholesterol), Mono-, di- or triglycerides., Oven fried and baked or toasted implies the inclusion of fat.

11. Ingredients that contain sugar include: Brown sugar, Corn syrup, Dextrose, Disaccharides, Fructose, Glucose, Golden syrup, Honey, Lactose, Malt, Maltose, Mannitol, Maple syrup, Molasses, Monosaccharides, Raw sugar, Sorbitol, Sucrose, Xylitol.

12. Ingredients that contain salt (sodium) include: Baking powder, Booster, Celery salt, Garlic salt, Sodium, Meat or yeast extract, Onion salt, Monosodium glutamate (msg), Rock salt, Sea salt, Sodium bicarbonate, Sodium, meta-bisulphate, Sodium nitrate/nitrite and stock cubes.

(The previous information relating to Nutrition Labels is an extract from The Better Health Channel, a website produced by the Victorian Government of Australia in cooperation with the Deakin University)


Your Turn

Question 16 - Complete the following table

In Australia what is considered high and what is low when inspecting for the following ingredients?

Sodium (salt) Sugar Fat

High

Low

Question 17

How much fibre is required daily to maintain good health? ______________________________________

Question 18

How much fibre is considered high in foods? __________________________________________________

Question 19

Foods that should not be consumed after a specified date are stamped with a ______________ date?

a) Best by

b) Use by

Question 20

The term “Lite” or “Light” could also refer to which of the following:

a) Texture

b) Colour

c) Taste

d) All of the above

Question 21

Low fat means a food product must contain less than __________ percent fat

Question 22

No fat means the food product must contain less than ____________ percent fat


WORKSHOP 2

Module 6

The Importance of Exercise


Understand how physical activity can assist the prevention and/or management of obesity

Understand and appreciate how the importance of physical activity can improve metabolic health

The Importance of Exercise

What is the absolute Minimum I have to do to Lose Weight and Become Healthy?

Is this a silly question? Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t, but it is a question that arises from time to time. If people could take one pill to become slim and another to attain good health there will still be people out there who will ask, “Do I have to take both of them?”

It is human nature to want to achieve results from a minimum of effort. What is the minimal effort of change that you have to make to your lifestyle in order to make a significant difference to your health? Here we are talking about two things; effort and change.

In essence it is the lack of effort that contributes to the unhealthy lifestyle which inevitably leads to ill-health. First is the lack of effort in acquiring knowledge about what we have to do. If it is weight loss that is of concern then it is acquiring the knowledge in relation to low-fat eating, kilojoules control monitoring, good nutrition eating and exercise regimes. There is a huge amount of information available on each topic but you have to make the effort to find it and acquire it.

Second, once you have this knowledge you have to make the effort to use it. It is the action of continually applying the knowledge (the doing) that develops into habits of a healthy lifestyle. Aristotle once said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit”. I would suggest we can replace excellence with lifestyle.

Mental Attitude

Change starts with your mental attitude. You will not achieve positive results with a negative attitude.

When it comes to weight reduction there are only two things to consider:

1. The amount of Kilojoules going into the body, and

2. The number of Kilojoules used by the body

When the number of Kilojoules going in is more than the number of Kilojoules being used then you have weight gain. When Kilojoules going in is equal to Kilojoules being used then you have maintained weight. Successful weight loss occurs when the number of Kilojoules taken in is less than the number of Kilojoules being used by the body. It is, and always will be simple maths.

Going on to a Kilojoules restricted diet without introducing increased activity and exercise will bring about weight loss, but only as a short term result. It cannot be sustained. Severely reducing your energy intake will result in weight loss, but not necessarily from body fat. Your body will still require a certain amount of energy a day to operate. This is known as your basal metabolic rate (BMR).

If you reduce your intake to below its needs your body will make up for the shortfall from its reserve stores. Its reserve stores are the protein and fat of the body. Chances are if you diet without exercising then the extra Kilojoules the body needs will come from protein (muscle) and not fat. If you start losing muscle then your BMR will drop and probably become tired. Exercise will preserve the muscle and actually increase the amount of muscle so your BMR will remain the same or even increase.

Nutrition

If you do nothing else you should be focused on reducing saturated fats, eating 2 – 3 serves of fruit, chomping through 3 – 5 serves of vegetables and drinking water instead of soft drink, every day.

Activity and Exercise

Activity and exercise are two different concepts. Activity is the way you do things such as going to the shop, whether you walk or take the car. In modern living we led to believe it is our right to reduce the amount of activity we do. I have met friends while I was out on a bicycle ride or at the shops who had offered to put my


bike in their boot and give me a lift home. I always wonder what they think I was doing. Activity also includes how you perform household chores like washing the dishes.

Exercise on the other hand is a specific activity designed to bring about improved health and increased fitness. Here you should exercise:

30 minutes three times a week to maintain health

30 minutes everyday to increase health, and

30 – 60 minutes four times a week to improve fitness

The good thing about exercise is that it will use more Kilojoules and increase your metabolic rate (the rate at which your body uses Kilojoules)

How Do You Use Exercise to Increase Metabolic Rate and Lose Body Fat?

• Kilojoules restricted diets will use protein as an energy source to make up short fall

• Less muscle means reduced metabolic rate

• Exercise preserves muscle

• Muscle uses Kilojoules even when doing nothing

• More muscle means more Kilojoules burned

• Exercise creates more muscle

• When muscle is being preserved the body is forced to use fat as an energy source

What is the Best Way to Reduce Weight Without the Yo-yo Effect?

1. Choose a sensible good nutrition diet plan

2. Increase activity if you do little activity

3. Introduce exercise if your activity is already considerable

4. Invest in a good set of scales that record body fat percentage

5. have a maintenance plan for when you have achieved your weight loss goal

Your Turn

Question 23

What 3 areas should be considered when undertaking a weight management program?

a)

b)

c)

Question 24

Define “exercise” as it relates to weight loss - __________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

Question 25

How often should you exercise to improve health? _____________________________________________


WORKSHOP 3

Module 7

Environment Factors Related to Obesity


Understand and explain how environmental factors such as eating patterns, social factors and pregnancy

contribute to food behaviour

What Doe it Mean To Be 15 Kilograms Over-weight?

One gram of fat has 38 kilojoules of energy so a person who is 15kg overweight has consumed approximately 570,000 kilojoules more than their body requires. That at least is how much potential energy they have stored in their fat cells.

How does a person consume 570,000 more kilojoules than their body needs and not notice it? After all 15kg of fat is equal to about thirty tubs of margarine or butter. Pick up that at your local supermarket and feel how much extra weight some of us are carrying around.

To put on the equivalent of 570,000 kilojoules a person would have to consume (over their daily energy requirement) over a year:

1000 Stubbies of beer or spirit drinks (2.7/day)

300 hamburgers or pies (5/week)

100 blocks of chocolate (2/week)

860 cans of soft drink (2.3/day)

37 tubs of butter or margarine (1.5/f’night)

354 serves of regular fries (1/day)

In reality 15kg is more likely to go on over a period of three years, but you can see my point. Now, in order to remove this extra 570,000 kilojoules a person actually has to perform activity (better read exercise here) to burn it off. If you chose not to reduce your energy intake and just increase your output you would have to:

Walking 90 minutes everyday (17 kJ/min)

Jogging 45 minutes everyday (34 kJ/min)

Heavy weight training 40 minutes everyday (42 kJ/min)

So it really does make a great deal of sense to share the way you reduce your excess body fat. If you could identify that extra food that contributed to the 15kg body fat as well as introduce exercise then you could possibly get by with half the amount of exercise that is quoted above.

Environmental Factors Related to Obesity

A person who is 15kg overweight has consumed approximately 570,000 kJ (135,000 kcal) more than their body requires. This fact may explain how a person became overweight (they ate too much) but does not explain why a person became overweight. Why did that person eat too much?

The issues we need to understand at this point are:

How do environmental factors, such as eating patterns, social factors and pregnancy, contribute to food behaviour?

Inactivity

Earlier we said that a person becomes overweight or obese because they eat too much food or do too little activity. While it is true that severely overweight people are inactive because they are too unfit to participate in exercise there is little or no evidence to support the fact that inactivity alone is the cause for obesity.

Lean people may also lead sedate lifestyles and remain lean. This brings us back to the amount of food that a person consumes as the major contributing factor to obesity.


Genetic Factors (Answer to question 26 in next two paragraphs)

Obesity will tend to run in the family, but that does not lock a person into a predestined future of large clothes and slow walks. No-one is condemned to being obese because their parents were obese. The influencing factor that is inherited more than the genes is the cultural aspect of eating. The tendency for an individual to over-eat is more likely to occur because he/she came from an environment that encouraged over-eating. Having said this though does not rule out the small possibility of a genetic related problem to obesity.

Social Factors and Eating Patterns

Being a social species we look for any reason to gather with others to celebrate, commiserate or intoxicate. All these social activities expose us to the consumption of extra energy (read kilojoules or Calories here) above that required by our body.

When you ask many people about the excess consumption of energy on these days they will tell you that it is the exception rather than the rule to their lifestyle. In reality these exceptions occur with such frequency that they become the habit for their lifestyle.

There are so many public holidays and reasons for people to enter into festivities that there is probably at least one reason a fortnight to over-consume. Let’s list some of these reasons.

New Year Australia Day Valentines’ Day

Chinese New Year Easter Weekend Mothers’ Day

Fathers’ Day Birthdays Weddings

Long Weekends House warming Anniversaries

Graduations Holidays Christenings

Etc Etc Etc

Pregnancy

Women are expected to gain weight during pregnancy. Now let us qualify that statement. A healthy weight gain during pregnancy is on average approximately 12.5 kilograms.

This is weight gain that accounts for the growing baby and the extra kilojoules that will be required to breast feed. In fact the act of breast feeding will assist with regaining a person’s pre-pregnancy weight.

What if a person is already over-weight when they become pregnant? Should they be encouraged to diet?

If a person is already over-weight before they become pregnant then they are encouraged to either refrain from further weight gain or to not increase their weight by more than six kilograms. This will depend upon how over-weight the person started out at and the advice of their supervising medical practitioner.

Why do some people regain their pre-pregnancy body weight more easily than others? There is no scientific reason for this occurrence, other than some women are more vigilant to prevent excessive weight gain during and after pregnancy than others.

Your Turn – True or False

Question 26

a) Inactivity is the sole cause of obesity True False

b) Obesity is genetically related True False


WORKSHOP 3

Module 8

Assessing Individuals for Weight Management Programs


Develop interview skills to illicit the appropriate information relating to general health, eating, social and physical patterns to identify the needs of those undertaking a weight management program

Understand and develop the techniques required to assess body composition

Starting as a New Person on the Healthy Eating Plan

“Those who fail to plan, plan to fail”

I don’t know who said it, but it still holds true. If you have an idea that you want to lose weight and do not have a plan of attack then you are going to fail. Most weight management groups have a plan that involves sensible healthy eating, so let’s make it work. For all those who have been attending weight loss meetings for some time and have not achieved the result you desire then it’s time to rule a line and start again. Let’s use this diet plan like it should be used.

As a new person to the healthy eating plan what is the first thing you should do? Go through these seven points to help you to become familiar with the system.

1. You must know where your starting point is. You must know how much you are eating that is contributing to weight gain. Establish how many kilojoules you are consuming each day to put on weight.

2. It is unlikely that you will record your eating habits for the week let alone attempt to count kilojoules to establish a starting point. So use the RAPID DIET ANALYSIS below to give a rough idea of how many kilojoules are consumed each day. You will need to use the food group list to help you with this. To make this sensible eating plan work you will have to become very familiar with the food group list.

3. It is best to reduce kilojoules intake by about 10% to make compliance more likely. A person consuming more than 8000 kJ a day should start on the 7500 kJ diet plan.

4. You should continue on that diet plan until you plateau. Plateaus are good things. Plateaus are signals that your body has adjusted and it is time to do something different. Move on to the 6300 kJ a day plan, until you plateau or reach your goal weight. If you again begin to plateau then go onto the 4800 kJ eating plan.

5. Don’t rush, and be prepared to make mistakes. That is what learning is all about. If you do not make mistakes then you have not learned anything and have arrived at your goal through luck.

If You Are Helping a New Person Start on a Weight Management Program

If you are a member of a group that is helping someone start on a new weight management program you are helping them to perform the above, at least up to step three. It may have been necessary to have them consult with their physician before attending to you. You cannot hand them this booklet or other weight management manual, and a copy of the diet plan and say “Welcome, glad to have you on board”. Why shouldn’t you do this?

1. Handing a new person an eating plan booklet without showing them how to use it is insensitive. It is the same as handing someone who wants to learn to fly the keys to a plane and saying, “There it is, go for it”. A person needs to be shown how to work the weight management eating plan. They have to be taught how to plan for a meal, for a day, and for a week.

2. This teaching may take one session, or it may take three sessions. It depends upon the person as a student and you as a teacher. Teach the new person how to plan for their meals until that person is able to plan for their meals.


Don’t rush through the process just so you can get them into a meeting. Their priority is to learn a new eating style. Keep going over the basics until they can do that and then they can attend meetings.

If You Are Helping a New Person – Initial Interview and Assessment

A new person will always be apprehensive for a number of reasons. If they are coming to your group they are entering a new environment with unknown settings, procedures and a room full of strangers. They must be greeted and made to feel welcome. Some may be feeling anxious about the process they are entering. It may not be the first time they have attempted to manage their weight and need to be reassured.

The Interview Process

You are in a support and advisory role. To help people achieve their goals does not always require them to be told what to do. Displaying the appropriate communication skill will assist the new person achieve their weight management goals. There is no one correct method for body fat reduction but there is a correct concept that should be followed. The concept has been outlined in these pages. Here we are going to outline the basic communication skills required.

The skill of active listening will help you to gather information, develop empathy and build a relationship with the person you are helping. The first rule of active listening is to – SHUT UP. You cannot listen if you are doing all of the talking. Take time out to listen to the other fellow for a while.

How do you become a person who listens more effectively?

Observe non-verbal communication and notice when the actions do not reflect the words.

Be aware of the many factors that interfere with the communication process. Does the seating make the new person feel comfortable? Is it too noisy in the room to talk with them? Is too much movement in the room distracting concentration? Is eye contact being made and sustained? Is there any personal bias interfering with the communication process?

The gathering of personal information should be a casual process designed to make the new person comfortable. Keep it informal. Become comfortable with long silences and do not feel the need to rush in to fill them. The new person may be using silences to formulate their answer. Encourage them to work through the silence.

Demonstrate reflective listening skills to indicate you have heard and understood what has been said. Communication skills such as mirroring, paraphrasing and question will show you are making an honest effort to listen and understand the person’s emotional state.

The Interview Questions – Personal Details

Mr. Ms. Miss. Mrs. Other ………… Last name______________________________________

First name_____________________________ D.O.B. _____________________________

Home address ______________________________________________________________

Contact details

Home phone number ______________________________. Mobile_____________________

Email ______________________________________________________________________

Personal Details

Marital Status Married Children Single Occupation _________________

Hobbies __________________________________ Fitness Activity _____________________


The Interview Questions – Medical History

Medical history

Normal family doctor ________________________________________________________

Clinic Address ______________________________________________________________

Do you have any pre-existing medical condition? YES NO

If “YES” specify _____________________________________________________________

Are you presently being treated by another practitioner for this or any other ailment? YES NO

Specify ____________________________________________________________________

Has your Doctor ever said that you have a heart problem? Y N

Do you frequently have pains in the chest? Y N

Do you often faint of suffer from severe dizziness? Y N

Has your Doctor ever said that your blood pressure is too high? Y N

Do you have or have ever had any joint or back problems? Y N

Are you pregnant? Y N

Are you currently taking any medication, feeling unwell or injured? Y N

Have you recently undergone surgery or treatment for any medical condition? Y N

Is there any reason not mentioned above why exercise may prove uncomfortable or harmful? Y N

Are you presently taking supplements? Y N

Have you exercised in the past? Y N

The Interview Questions – Other Details

Motivation

What is your reason for undertaking exercise? ______________________________________

What are your goals? _________________________________________________________

Marketing

How did you hear about XtraMile Fitness? _________________________________________

Disclaimer

I have read this disclaimer and understand fully that undertaking any form of physical activity no matter how slight and how well supervised holds a certain amount of risk that may result in injury, slight or serious, or even death. I have been honest and open to him/her about my medical history and pre-existing condition/s whether known to my medical practitioner, or any other practitioner, or not

The Interview Questions – Dietary Status

Breakfast Snack Lunch Snack Dinner

Do they eat take-aways Are bowel movements regular?

How often? How regular?

What do they eat? Do they sleep well at night?

Do they drink coffee ? What time is normal bed time?

Do they drink soft Drinks? What time do they normally rise?

Do they smoke? Do they eat before going to sleep?

Do they part-take in drugs? What do they normally eat?


Use Rapid Diet analysis to estimate their energy intake.

5000/1

6300/2

7500/3

As Desired 5000/1

6300/2

7500/3

5000/1

6300/2

7500/3

6-7 serves everyday

3 serves everyday

Record

exercise this

column

Day Restricted Vegetables

Unrestricted Vegetables

Fruit Bread & Cereal

Protein Dairy Foods

Comment

Day 1

Day 2

The Interview Questions – Body Assessment Recording

When it comes to recording measurement for weight management do not rely on scales (weight) alone. Doing so will bring about frustration on the participant’s part if they are exercising. Neither should rewards be given out for weight loss purely on the basis of what the scales indicate. Weight management is not about losing body weight. It is about managing body fat and reducing it to an acceptable level that reduces the incidence of ill-health

What information should you record?

By now you know why we use body fat scales and do not rely on weight alone. Neither would I rely much on Body Mass Index (BMI) for the same reason. BMI does not take into consideration any muscle mass development. Body fat, body measurements and clothing size is always a better indication of what is happening to the body than the scales.

Here is an example of why you should record body measurement and body fat and disregard BMI and weight alone.

Person A comes to you and is 176cm tall and 95Kg. His BMI = 30.6 which puts him into Grade 2 obesity. A check indicates he has 28% body fat. Calculations on this show lean body mass to be 68.4 kg and fat content to be 26.6 kg.

Person A then exercises and eats well for two months. He comes back to you and he weighs 95 kg. Should you be disappointed? His BMI is still 30.6 (still Grade 2 obesity). A body fat check indicates he is now 22%. Calculations now show lean body mass to be 74.1 kg and fat to be 20.9 kg. He has gained 5.7 kg of muscle and taken off 5.7 kg of fat.

This shows the importance of recording the above measurements.

Name Height Start Weight Start Body fat

DATE Lean Body Mass Desired Body Fat Target Weight

Weight

Body fat

Biceps/Triceps

Shoulders

Chest/Scapula

Abdo/Pelvic

Gluteals


WORKSHOP 3

Module 9

Rules, Habits and Systems


Understand the importance of setting rules for short & long term results in lifestyle change

Understand and use the weight management systems available to you

How Do You Become the Person You Desire To Be?

What Are the First Five Things You Must Know?

1. You must know what you want and why you want it. That is you must know you want to lose body fat and you must know why you want to lose it. This project must then become a priority in your life. A priority is something important that occupies your mind by focused thinking, not obsessive thinking.

2. You must know what you are willing to give up to achieve the result you desire. You may have to give up those high fat nutritionally depleted foods that contributed to your weight gain. You will have to give up those habits that contribute to weight gain and replace them with habits that contribute to weight loss.

Your Turn – Question 27

My eating habits that contribute to my weight gain

Eating rules I must develop to achieve weight management

1 1

2 2

3 3

4 I do too little activity and exercise 4 I will perform 30 minutes of exercise 4-5 time week

Most of us have rules that we live our life by. We have personal rules (we may call them values) that we shall not steal. We have rules about whether we smoke, or drink. Is a smoker offended when a non-smoker declines their offer of a cigarette? Is the drinker offended when a non-drinker declines their offer to buy an alcoholic beverage? Then why do we think a non-healthy eating person would be offended if we decline their offer of a piece of cake, “Sorry, but I do not eat sweets.”

3. You will have to put a time limit on your project. If you don’t put a date on it you will keep putting it off and never start the project. Putting a date on when you expect to hit a certain weight will assist you with setting goals to aim for along the way.

4. You will need to join a club or organisation which has people with similar goals and objectives. These organisations will have people and information that will help you to achieve your result. It is here that a mentor will be found.

5. You will need a plan in order to achieve the result you desire. A plan is nothing more than the actions you will take to hit your goals. You will not lose body fat on a mere wish or whim. Do you have a plan or are you relying on luck to hit your goals?

When it comes to weight management you can only manipulate the kilojoules that enter your body and the kilojoules that your body uses. It is and always will be a simple case of maths. There are strategies to help you control and monitor what goes into your body:

Meal replacement supplements – these are excellent for the short term to help disrupt habits that are contributing to weight gain, such as skipping breakfast or eating junk food at lunch.


Pre-packaged meals – are great for the standby in the freezer for when you cannot be bothered to cook for yourself. The kilojoules have already been worked out and are great to use in conjunction with meal replacement supplements to bring about rapid weight loss.

Diet plans – is about using someone else’s idea about what you should be eating. A sensible diet plan can lead to a healthy long term eating lifestyle. This is the direction you really want to move after using the first two as a short term aid.

Kilojoules and fat counting – are for the people who do not want to change the foods they are eating, but gives them the opportunity to manipulate the diet they are on. This is the most labour intensive of the four systems but the one that offers the greatest education about the foods you eat.

A healthy lifestyle eating plan probably involves a combination of all of the above.


WORKSHOP 4

Module 10

The Achievement Process


Understand the steps involved in the Achievement Process

How to Get What You Want From Life

“In discussing an approach to bringing about changes within oneself, learning is only the first step. There are other factors as well: conviction, determination, action, and effort. So the next step is developing conviction. Learning and education are important because they help to develop conviction of the need to change and help increase one’s commitment. This conviction to change then develops into determination. Next, one transforms determination into action – the strong determination to change enables one to make a sustained effort to implement the actual changes. The final factor of effort is critical.”

Dalai Lama

Dreams, enthusiasm, learning, action discipline, desire, dedication, positive attitude and success markers are all the clichés you need to achieve a result. But clichés alone, like dreams alone, will not carry you very far if you do not understand the process that exists to make it all work. To get what you want from life you have to know the steps to take and be prepared to take them.

Dream

A dream is nothing more than an idea, want or desire. But a dream will remain a dream if it is not acted upon. If you carry a dream around long enough without action it will die and disappear. So we need to move your dream out of your mind and into the real world. How?

Result

A dream is a vague idea at the start of the process. A result is the end of the process and it is not permitted to be vague. A result has to be quantified (specific, real and measurable) and tied to a time frame. Being tied to a time limit will bring about a sense of urgency that will drive you to action. Being measurable will help you to set goals.

An example:

Dream = “I want to lose weight”; this is a vague concept

Result = “I want to lose 15 kilograms in 12 months”; this is specific and tied to a time frame

So now you have thought of a dream and have established a quantified result. What’s next?

Reason

We do not do a thing without a reason to do it. We would not even get out of bed in the morning if we did not have a reason to do so. If you do not have a reason to lose weight you will not begin the process to lose weight.

Our reason for losing body fat creates the emotion that we identify as motivation. Our reason for doing something is not our motivation but contributes to the motivation cycle. Do you have a reason for losing body fat? Or are you trying to lose weight because your doctor, your spouse or your partner has coerced you into it?

“YOU HAVE TO OWN YOUR REASON TO ACHIEVE ANY RESULT”

Most people have two reasons for doing something; the reason they tell you and their reason. So it is not important what reason you tell people for you undertaking a particular project just be sure that you know the true reason for wanting to do it. How do you find your true reason?



Choose your number one health priority.

Eating right Being fit Being stress free

Weight management Gaining weight Not being ill

Being healthy in your retirement years

Answer the following questions.

Why did you choose that one? ____________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

Is it important to you? YES NO

Why is it important to you? ________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

What would happen if you did not achieve your chosen priority? __________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

Why does that worry you? ________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

Why does that worry you? ________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

Action & the Motivation Cycle

After establishing your true reason for weight management it is time to take action. If you do not know what to do just do something that you think is on the correct path to your end result. The first thing you might actually do is seek out someone who can help you.

Your reason should be strong enough to motivate you to action. Looking at this model, which comes first; action, reason or motivation.

Initially you will need the reason to give you motivation to drive you to action. This will continue to work for sometime, up to three months, before it begins to


fail. We have all seen this at weight management groups. The new person commences with great success and then comes their first plateau. Sometimes they can work through this, sometimes they can not. What happens and is there a strategy for working through plateaus?

This is why knowing your reason for weight management is so important. The above motivation cycle is accurate, but only at the commencement of the project. Your reason will contribute to the motivation to drive you to the required action. After the honeymoon period you will require your reason to

drive you to action. Motivation will kick in only after a period of time of performing the action. An example of this is people who exercise. No-one who exercises feels like exercising until they have spent some time performing the actions that warm them up.

This is the point where most people who do not succeed, fail. They assume their

reason will continue to drive their motivation to action. They tend to wait until they feel motivated again. The truth is their reason is required to make them take action which will give them results to re-motivate them.

“DON’T ALWAYS ASSUME YOUR REASON REMAINS CONSTANT”

Goals – making mole hills out of mountains

To bridge the expanse from having a dream to reaching a result we need to set some goals. Goals break the project down into a series of smaller results. They are like sign posts along the road to let you know you are still on track. Let’s set some goals for your weight management project.


I want to lose ___________ kilograms in one year (e.g. 15 kg in one year)

Kilograms Months Date

15 12

7.5 6

3.75 3

1.25 1 (4 weeks)

300 g 1 week

Plan

Having goals will give you a strong foundation for achieving a result, but it will not guarantee you a result. Everything you have done to this point will amount to nought if you do not have a plan that will assist you to reach your goals.

A plan is nothing more than a written statement of the action you will take to deliver you to your end result. Why must it be a written Statement? If your plan enabled you to hit your goal then if it is written down you can duplicate it. If you did not hit your goal and you followed a written plan then you are able to adjust it. How do you know what you did if you do not have a record of it?

While we are on the topic, if you have a plan you have to work that plan. Carrying a diet plan around in your pocket will not help you to lose weight. You have to do as the plan says. You cannot negotiate with a successful plan – you do it to the letter without changing things. If you change a diet plan and don’t lose weight then you should not complain about the diet plan.


If you are on a weight management program and have not yet commenced losing body fat the question I am now asking you is –

HAVE YOU DONE ALL THAT WAS NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE THE RESULT?

YES NO

Mentor

Why is a mentor so important to helping you to achieve a result? They know where the information is kept and how to achieve the result you desire because they have already achieved it. They are aware of the pitfalls that may occur and will assist you over the psychological hurdles you will encounter.

Successful weight management is about people helping people and one of the best ways to learn something is to teach that very thing. Sometimes you will lose body fat when you help someone else lose body fat.


Who is your mentor?

Who are you a mentor to?


What are the 9 steps in the Achievement Process?

1. Dream

2.

3.

4.

5.

6. Action

7. Action

8. Action

9. Result


What step(s) would you consider to be the most important in the Achievement Process and why?

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