Keeping the Pounds Off

DR. HENRY CHANG, an internist in Carmichael, California, estimates 31 percent of adults are obese and another 34 percent are overweight. He defines the latter as having a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or more and obesity as having a BMI of 30 or more. He finds the BMI calculation too complicated for most people, so simplifies it to abdominal obesity with a waist of over 40 inches for males and over 35 inches for females.

There are three phases to the Chang Method or Weight Lost Forever: monitor your weight daily; lose excess weight; and maintain weight loss with an aerobic exercise program.

Chang became interested in the first phase of his program, weight monitoring, about a year after giving up his twice-a-week tennis and martial arts due to a shoulder injury. He observed his own protruding abdomen in the mirror, stepped on a scale and noted a 10 pound increase. Hence, he emphasizes weighing daily to catch the gradual increase in weight, a normal occurrence with age. If we note a slight increase in weight, we can reverse it immediately rather than waiting for it to get out of control.

Chang spends little time on diets since "there has been so much written about them." He does give an overview of the three different types of diets and their categories. He lets patients choose their own weight-loss method. He likes the weight watchers program because it is nutritionally balanced, lowers LDL cholesterol and offers more food choices. However, for phase two of his method, he recommends limiting fat to 40-80 grams a day, depending on the patient's weight. He gives patients a simple one-page list of the fat content of common foods that can be taped to their refrigerators for easy reference.

Exercise is the third phase. Chang feels it is virtually impossible to maintain the weight loss without it. Although he hates aerobic exercise, he recommends it for at least 20 minutes a day. He gives examples of how to make it less boring. He points out that these 21/2 hours of exercise a week drastically lower the incidence of diabetes and help diabetics better control their disease. It also reduces the risk of heart disease by up to 40 percent and reduces blood pressure, strokes, stress and osteoporosis. These topics are appropriately reviewed in separate chapters.

In a book called Diets Don't Work, author Bob Schwartz endured over a hundred diets and lost more than 2000 pounds — unfortunately he gained 2001. He points out that most people hate their diets. After they've been on them for the prescribed period of time, they can't wait to get off them, and the regain cycle begins.

Dr. Chang understands this and acknowledges that 95 percent of people who lose weight gain it back. He feels that phases one and three of the Chang method guarantee the weight loss in phase two. Monitor your weight so that you never gain significantly — or if you do, lose the weight and embark on a healthy exercise program to keep it off. There are numerous personal testimonies of weight loss, cholesterol reduction and diabetic control to which many of our patients can relate. Weight Lost Forever is in a readable form that all of our patients can understand. It may also help turn the tide of obesity. Order your copy at www.longbowpublishing.com, www.amamzon.com, or www.barnesandnoble.com, or at local book stores.

delmeyer@healthcarecom.net