What To Do When the Scale Won't Budge

Friday, October 03, 2003

ROCHESTER, Minn. — If you're like most women — 85 percent by one survey — you're either trying to lose weight or trying not to gain weight. If you're stuck at a stubborn weight, or can't seem to lose weight at all, don't give up. Here are tips from the October issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource.

Keep a food diary. Write down every bite, morsel and lick for a week. Then you'll have an accurate picture of your calorie intake.

Learn about serving sizes. Super-sized restaurant portions are not reality.

Go for foods that are less calorie dense. Most vegetables, fruits and whole grains contain a small amount of calories in a large volume of food. You can eat more than when you have calorie-dense foods like cake, cookies, butter and salad dressing.

Don't eat fewer than 1,200 calories a day. You'll feel hungry and deprived, which can lead to overeating.

Don't eat fewer than three meals a day. Skipping meals slows your metabolism and may lead to excessive snacking or overeating at the next meal.

Read labels. Low fat doesn't mean low calorie.

Use a pedometer to measure your steps. Build up to 10,000 a day.

Adjust the frequency, intensity and duration of your exercise. Work up to 60 minutes over the course of a day.

Pick a time of the day for exercise you're most likely to exercise. The time of day doesn't matter, as long as it works for you.

Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Carol Lammers
507-284-5005 (days)
507-284-2511(evenings)
email: newsbureau@mayo.edu

Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Erik Kaldor
904-953-2299

Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Anne Tewksbury
480-301-4368

Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource is published monthly to help women enjoy healthier, more productive lives. Revenue from subscriptions is used to support medical research at Mayo Clinic. To subscribe, please call 800-876-8633, extension 9PK1.

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