Holistic Wellness for Life North of 50

The Best Diet? That Depends on You From the multitude of weight-loss plans, pick one tailored to your traits. By Kathleen Doheny HealthDay Reporter

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THURSDAY, May 13 (HealthDay News) — You know you need to lose weight. And you know you’re ready, which is more than half the battle. But you still have to pick from a seemingly endless array of weight-loss plans.

How to decide?

Experts who counsel overweight patients say there are two keys:

• Know yourself. That means being honest about what you will and won’t do, long-term.
• Evaluate and pick the diet that best suits you, watching out for key phrases or promises that are probably too good to be true.

Choosing a weight-loss plan that’s going to work “takes some self-reflection,” said Amy Jamieson-Petonic, a registered dietitian who directs wellness coaching at the Cleveland Clinic and is a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

“Are you an online type who likes to chat?” she said. “Or do you want a formal meeting?”

Some people find that plans that offer prepared meals help them stick to the plan because it takes the whole portion-control task out of their hands, said Suzanne Farrell, a registered dietitian in Denver who also is an association spokeswoman.

As far as accountability, Jamieson-Petonic said, it’s important to figure out if you’ll do all right by weighing yourself at home — and can be honest about it — or if you would do better by going somewhere where your weight would be charted by someone else.

“Think about and analyze how you currently eat,” said Judy Rodriguez, a professor of nutrition at the University of North Florida and author of The Diet Selector, in which she rates diets based on long-term flexibility and other factors.

“We are all unique in our food preferences, values, lifestyle, etc., so it seems like trying to ‘fit’ yourself into someone else’s plan is likely to have only short-term benefits, if any,” Rodriguez said.

Once you know what features you need in a weight-loss plan, look closely at the plans that seem to fit. And be sure that ones you are interested in are scientifically sound, Farrell said.

Key factors to look for, she said, include:

• Does the plan include a variety of foods?
• Does it include high-fiber foods?
• Does it educate you on the value of foods that are low in saturated fat?
• Does it tell you about “good” fats, such as olive oil?

In addition, Farrell said, “look for a plan that emphasizes physical activity and encourages eating regularly throughout the day.”

And watch out for claims and promises that sound too good to be true, Farrell added. A common one, she noted, is rapid weight loss. “It should be no greater than two pounds a week,” she said.

She’s also skeptical of plans that say no exercise is needed. Weight loss means a lifestyle change, she said, and maintaining the loss is best done by keeping an eye on food intake and on staying active.

Another red flag, Farrell said, is a plan that totally eliminates foods or food groups. Read the rest of this entry »

Spring has sprung, summer’s around the corner — it’s time to get outside and get in shape. We know your iPhone-owning counterparts have plenty of apps for tracking their calories and kilometers to stay in shape, but there are plenty of health-related apps in the Android Market, too.

Here are eight highly rated free and paid Android (

) apps that will help you get and stay in shape. If you’ve got recommendations — particularly for apps that will help folks get outdoors while the weather’s nice — please let us know about them in the comments.

1. CardioTrainer Racing

Rating (

): 5 stars
Price: $2.99
Downloads: 1,000-5,000

This app combines the free CardioTrainer with a racing application that challenges users to beat their own best times. Motivational features include a virtual race simulator, complete with a voice telling the user exactly how far behind or ahead he is. In addition to the racing module, the free CardioTrainer app can be enhanced with a weight loss module, which will cost you another $2.99 in the Android Market (

).

User comments:
“This works great since it’s so motivating! I’m easily beating my previous times. Well done on Droid!”
“The perfect running coach.”

2. Fast Food Calorie Counter

Rating: 4 stars
Price: $1.99
Downloads: 1,000-5,000

Even when you’re trying to watch your weight, it’s sometimes impossible to resist the allure of fast food. Whether you’re in a hurry or have a sudden craving for a Frosty, this app can help you mitigate the disastrous effects of too many fried, mayonnaise-drenched, delicious snacks. The app tracks and serves data for almost 9,000 items from 72 fast food restaurants. Data includes calories, fat grams, fiber, carbs and protein. There’s also a free version of this app, Fast Food Calorie Counter Lite.

User comments:
“Good resource, but needs to be updated more often.”
“Helps me stick to my diet since I eat out at times.”

3. Endomondo Sports Tracker

Rating: 4.5 stars
Price: FREE
Downloads: 10K-50K

This is a great application for runners, cyclists, joggers, rollerskaters/rollerbladers, or folks who simply like to take a walk from time to time. It helps you track your time, distance, speed and altitude, and keeps a history of your workouts. The app integrates with Google Maps (

) and your audio playlist in addition to the website, to allow for a more detailed analysis of your progress.

User comments:
“Works seamlessly. Excellent social integration. Highly recommended.”
“The best. I have tried so many other apps of this style and none compare to Endomondo’s accuracy and speed.” Read the rest of this entry »