Weight Loss and Exercise

¶ … health and quality improvement. Specifically it will discuss how to manage weight with proper diet and exercise, including the quality improvement process of how to achieve a healthy weight. As with many people in the United States today, I have experienced a weight gain, and this seems to be increasingly common in college. My weight is out of control, and I want and need to improve my health with proper diet and exercise. This paper will detail the QI process of how I will achieve this goal.

The Goals of My Program

I need to lose weight, and I am not alone. A group of authors writes, "Due to a lack of healthy eating and regular exercise, a significant proportion of college students are becoming increasingly susceptible to overweight and obesity" (Stellefson, Wang & Klein, 2006). The first step in this process is to identify my short- and long-term goals for this process. I want to lose 50 pounds, and I want to do it within a year. That averages out to about 1 pound per week, which seems like a realistic goal. In addition, I would like to develop a diet plan that I can stick to, and that becomes a lifestyle change for me, rather than a diet that would be too restrictive and might give me the incentive to go off it or "blow" it by eating undesirable and unhealthy foods.

I would like to modify my diet to take advantage of more healthy food choices, rather than settling on a restrictive diet. Two authors on diabetes note about dieting, "And what is the magic formula? It's a diet that tastes good, is easy to follow, promises quick weight loss results without feeling hungry or deprived, and includes detailed menus of what and how much to eat" (Nathan & Delahanty, 2005, p. 137). That's exactly what I need, and what I will look for. There are guidelines, however, and my research shows to achieve my goals, I need to understand caloric intake. Several authors note, "Usually a calorie reduction of 500 to 1000 calories per day will be sufficient to decrease weight at the rate of 1 to 2 pounds per week" (Hunt, Bogle, Gillentine & Daughtrey, 2001). Since that is my weight loss goal, I know that what I eat will have to decrease, because I am sure I eat far more than that now. To make this decrease, I have to monitor what I am consuming now, so I know how many calories to cut. A group of writers note, "Self-monitoring may, consist of such strategies as recording food intake including amounts, calorie and nutrient content, and fat grams, and recording events or feelings that promote overeating" (Hunt, Bogle, Gillentine & Daughtrey, 2001). That is the first intervention I need to start, and I will start it today.

To go along with my diet, I would like to develop an exercise regimen to help me regain my health and that is doable, that I will not procrastinate or avoid because it is too difficult to maintain with my lifestyle. To go along with that, I want to get more exercise in my daily activities, such as walking or riding a bike to school instead of driving, parking farther away from my destination and walking more, and taking advantage of exercise classes on campus. I feel these are all attainable goals, and they will give me the impetus to change my diet, get healthy, and remain that way throughout my life. Now, I will analyze data as to how to achieve my goals and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Collect and Analyze the Data to Measure Against my Goals

Now that I have identified my goals, I need to collect data and analyze it to ensure I meet my goals. First, I must select the type of healthy eating habits I will engage in to reach my goals. I know that one thing I need to cut out is fast food. I eat a lot of fast food because it is easy, convenient, and I am often pressed for time. I need to stop relying on fast food, because it is very high in fat and calories, and it is very unhealthy. Therefore, when making my decision, I must find healthy alternatives that are also quick and easy. I will identify the three basic types of diet or eating programs that I can choose from, analyze them, and then choose the one that makes the most sense for me and my lifestyle.

Very low-fat diets. These diets urge the dieter to eat only 10% of their calories from fat. They make sense because fat contains more calories than protein and carbohydrate do (fat contains 9 calories per gram, while protein and carbohydrate contain 4 calories per gram) (Nathan & Delahanty, 2005, p. 140). If you limit your fats, you can eat a lot more protein and carbohydrate so you feel full while you eat fewer calories. Many of these diets severely restrict meats, and urge the dieter to become a vegetarian. The authors note about these diets, "Although very-low-fat diets are touted as being simple and easy to follow, many people find them difficult to follow for the long-term because of the number of food restrictions and the limited number of meal options when eating out" (Nathan & Delahanty, 2005, p. 141). These diets also restrict even the "healthy" fats, like olive oil, fish oil, and others that have been proven to create better heart health, so I think they are suspect. I think this type of diet would be too restrictive for me and too hard to stick to, because I do like meat, and I would not want to severely restrict it. I think choosing healthier alternatives, like chicken and fish, is better than restricting it entirely.

Low-carbohydrate diets. Some people call low-carb diets "high-fat" diets, because many of the allowable food choices are high-fat foods, like butter, cream, red meat, and cheese. However, a low-carb diet can be made more healthy by choosing other alternatives, such as lean meats like chicken and fish, avoiding high-fat dairy options, and eating a lot of vegetables, salads, and even some low-carb fruits, like strawberries or blueberries. If I was suffering from type-2 diabetes, a low-carb diet might be the right choice for me. The authors continue, "For people with diabetes, an important potential benefit of low-carb diets is that they can dramatically lower blood-glucose levels and insulin requirements (Nathan & Delahanty, 2005, p. 145). Since I do not suffer from diabetes, I'm not sure this diet is right for me. I like meat, but I think I need to look at another alternative before I decide.

Balanced diets. These diets combine the right, healthy types of foods to create an eating plan that is based on healthy choices, rather than overly restricting foods. It is more of a common sense approach to eating. For example, replacing red meat with poultry and fish, replacing high-fat breads and side dishes with lower-fat vegetables, fruits, and salads, and drinking more water or juice instead of high-fat sodas and lattes. These are all fairly easy choices to make that do not take a lot of time and energy to figure out. Ultimately, the idea of any diet is to eat fewer calories and lose weight. All of these diets will help you do that, it is just finding the one that is right for my body, my lifestyle, and me.

After considering all of these diet types, I think I want to design a lifestyle shift around the third, common sense plan. I think that fits the best for my tastes, my needs, and my particular lifestyle, and I think it would be the easiest to keep and maintain throughout my life. I know that I will have to make important decisions about my eating habits, but I feel I can do this with help from menu plans, Web sites, and perhaps even a nutrition class to help me understand the foods I put into my body.

I also have to identify the type of exercise I want to pursue. I already noted ideas to walk more, park farther away, and such. I will also take stairs instead of elevators, and generally try to become more active in my everyday life. I know that is not enough, so I have to decide on a regular exercise program. It is hard for me to join a gym and keep up the commitment. I do not like going to the gym, especially when I am overweight, and I do not like having to choose a time to go every day. With my schedule of work and school, it is difficult to fit in gym at irregular hours. However, I do have the ability to buy a DVD workout program and workout at home. This fits into my schedule much better, and now, there are so many different programs to choose from, that I can find one that fits my interests and needs. I have seen programs based on dancing, kickboxing, yoga, Pilates, and intensive aerobic workouts.

Since I am out of shape and have little free time, I think I should choose a program that is not too long and starts out slowly, building up as I become more fit. I will look for a program that is 30 minutes or so, and has different options for me as I progress through the program, something like the "Power Half Hour" workout I researched online. I think the best way to check these out is to rent a few from a video store, and then choose the one I like the best. It also needs to utilize the basic principles of beneficial exercise. Another author notes, "In order to maintain the weight loss, you must exercise. Your fitness program should include three critical components -- cardiovascular exercise, strength training, and stretching and flexibility training" (Villarosa, 2007). I will evaluate the programs I test to see if they contain all these components, and choose the one that most meets those requirements along with my own requirements.

Opportunities for Improvement

I definitely know that I have to improve my eating habits and my physical exercise, as I have outlined. Exercise is as important as diet, for a number of reasons. The two authors continue, "Exercise should be part of every weight loss program because you need to increase the calories that you burn relative to the number of calories you consume" (Nathan & Delahanty, 2005, p. 138). I know that is true, and I know I have to add it to my goals for good health, and not just because of the weight loss benefits. The Mayo Clinic reports on a variety of other health benefits from regular physical activity, including lowering cholesterol and maintaining heart health, improving mood and sleep, boosting energy, and it can actually become a pleasurable and enjoyable activity (Editors, 2009). Exercise is a key to feeling better about myself, too, because it allows me to maintain a healthy weight and feel good about keeping my goals and adhering to them.

Another opportunity for improvement is changing my diet. I know that I have to eat more healthy alternatives, like vegetables instead of high-fat fried foods, and leaner meats, but I have the opportunity to learn more about cooking and preparing foods, and how to choose the right foods that are not only healthy but also fun to eat. I do not cook very much, but I think that I would like to learn how, and I would like to have more choices of what I put into my body. Cooking myself I can choose the ingredients I like, and cut back on fat, salt, and other additives that are in many of the fast foods I eat now. I worry about having the time to cook, but I know that when I am rushed, I can also buy prepackaged salads and frozen steamed vegetables, and I can look for healthy frozen meals, like Healthy Choice or Weight Watchers at the supermarket. A good result of this may be that while I am eating healthier, I may save some money, because fast food can become expensive, and I may learn some new cooking skills, too.

Another opportunity here that has to be addressed is drinking and partying, because I am sure that has helped add to my weight gain. Almost all the students I know go out on the weekends (and some during the week) to drink and party. They overeat a lot, too. I know that I will have to cut back on alcohol when I change my lifestyle, because it is just loaded with empty calories, and I know making that decision is an intervention in my lifestyle, and the right choice for me. I may lose some of my partying friends with my decision, but I think that is really an opportunity to gain a healthier lifestyle and do away with a bad habit at the same time.

Design and Implement Interventions to Improve the Outcome

I know that this is not an easy thing to achieve, and that I have to have interventions to fall back on when I fail to attain my goals, or feel the need to "cheat" on my diet. I think one way to do this is to ask for support from my friends and family. They know I am unhappy with my weight and they have encouraged me to do something about it. In addition, research indicates that college students often benefit from social support from friends and family when they are trying to lose weight. Another writer states, "One 'intervention' source that has been frequently acknowledged, but not often emphasized, is the use of social support to effect positive behavior change" (Gruber, 2008). I can foresee some problems with some of my friends, who like to go out drinking and then chow down at fast food places. I know that I may not be able to hang out with these friends, but that is a lifestyle choice that I have to understand. It is better for my health and well-being, and that is now an important priority in my life.