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8: Weight Management

  • Page ID
    145687
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    By Lisa Jellum

    Learning Objectives

    • Discuss how to manage weight through diet
    • Provide steps for starting a weight loss plan
    • Reinforce the importance of physical activity in weight management
    • Explain how to keep the weight off

    The majority of Americans are unhappy with their current weight. Almost everyone would like to lose at least 5 pounds. A growing percentage of Americans are carrying enough excess weight to put them at risk for many diseases and even death. Few people, however, know enough about their own bodies to successfully manage their weight. Anyone planning to start a weight loss program should begin by carefully considering the following factors:

    • How many calories are being consumed daily?
    • How many calories are being expended?
    • How much fluids are being consumed?
    • How well are electrolytes being managed?

    Another consideration to acknowledge when thinking about excess weight or too little weight is the negative impact of "thinness" pressures on body image which has been observed for a number of years. According to Ordaz et al. (2017) limited research has examined ethnic differences in thinness pressures from distinct sociocultural influences. For White women, each source was salient for disordered eating. For Black women, family pressure was particularly salient for appearance evaluation. For Hispanic women, family pressure was particularly salient for disordered eating and appearance evaluation. Findings suggest possible ethnic differences in the relative salience of some pressures over others (Body Image. 2017 Nov 21;24:1–4. doi: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2017.11.004). It is important to consider a number of factors when addressing weight management. The priority should be systemic health.

     

     


    This page titled 8: Weight Management is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Scott Flynn, Jonathan Howard, Lisa Jellum, and Althea Moser (GALILEO Open Learning Materials) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.