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Following is a list of frequently asked questions and answers
with cross references to HM2 lessons for registered participants.
The questions are organized into these categories:
If you have a question not addressed in this section, please
contact HealthMed2.
HM2 QUESTIONS
| Question |
Answer |
| Why do most weight loss programs
fail? |
By some estimates, as many as 95% of all
weight-loss programs fail in the long-term. Reasons are varied
but generally include inadequate attention paid to the areas
of Monitoring, Moderation, Exercise,
Education, Diet, and Discipline. Not coincidentally, these are the
two M's, E's, and D's reflected in the name HEALTH-MED-2. (Registered
participants can refer to Lesson N2: Comparing HM2 with
Alternative "Diet" Programs) |
| What are realistic weight-loss goals? |
A realistic goal for initial weight loss is no
more than 10% in weight reduction, over a 6-month period,
resulting in no more than 1 to 2 lost pounds per week. Once
this goal is reached and consistently maintained, additional
weight loss goals can be set. (Registered participants can
refer to Lesson N2: Comparing HM2 with Alternative
"Diet" Programs) |
| When selecting a wellness program,
how can a consumer be protected from faulty claims and
unhealthy practices? |
Recently the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer
Protection strongly "urged" leading U.S. weight-loss
companies to "voluntarily" adopt standards warning
their potential customers that:
- They likely will have trouble keeping off unwanted pounds.
- Keeping pounds off requires a lifelong commitment to eating
sensibly and exercising.
- Small weight losses can produce big health benefits.
- There are dangers that accompany both obesity and rapid
drops in weight (more than 3 pounds per week or less than 800
calories per day).
- Pricing must be simplified and divulge the total costs of
food, nutritional supplements, and physical exams.
All consumers should be extremely careful when working with
programs and companies that do not actively endorse these
standards. (Registered participants can refer to Lesson N2:
Comparing HM2 with Alternative "Diet" Programs)
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| What is the single best indicator
for long-term weight-loss success? |
Consistent, aerobic exercise is the single best
indicator for long-term weight-loss success. HM2 recommends
under physician supervision, a minimum of 30 minutes of daily
exercise, 5 days per week, with an appropriate heart beat
range. Walking briskly is an excellent form of this type of
exercise. (Registered participants can refer to Lesson N7:
Understanding the Role of Exercise) |
| What can I do if I'm a beginner to
HM2 and don't have as much time as I'd like to transform my
diet into a healthy one? |
Select the "View HM2 Meals" function
and choose from a variety of preplanned healthy breakfast,
lunches, dinners and snacks. Remember that the serving sizes
correspond to a 2000 calorie daily diet, and may need to be
adapted to meet your particular needs and circumstances. (Registered
participants can refer to Lesson B3: Planning Healthy Meals
and Snacks) |
| What is body mass index (BMI) and
why is it so important? |
BMI is a commonly used measure of health
based on one's weight and height. A BMI between 18.5 and
24.9 is considered healthy; between 25 and 29.9 overweight;
and above 30 obese. (Registered participants can refer to
Lesson B2: Setting Your Baseline) |
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NUTRITION QUESTIONS
| Question |
Answer |
| What does the latest research say about the
benefits of dietary fiber? |
In April 2000, as reported in the New
England Journal of Medicine, two studies suggested that
fiber may not protect against colon cancer. However, there are
still many reasons for eating a high-fiber diet, including:
decreased cholesterol, decreased blood pressure, and decreased
risk of acquiring Type II diabetes. Fruits and vegetables
should continue to be a primary part of any healthy diet. (Registered
participants can refer to Lesson N5: Understanding
Carbohydrates and Fiber) |
| Do foods labeled as "fat-free" have
fewer calories? |
Not always. Many times fat-free alternatives
have more calories, and may therefore contribute to weight
gain if not consumed in moderation. You should always read the
nutritional labels as well as the health claims on the labels.
(Registered participants can refer to Lesson N4: Reading
Food Labels) |
| If water is so important, why is it not part of
the USDA Food Guide Pyramid? |
Since water does not have a caloric value, it
is not part of the Food Guide Pyramid. However, most persons
should drink 8-10 8-ounce glasses of water daily, and
carbonated drinks do NOT qualify as substitutes. (Registered
participants can refer to Lesson N8: Decreasing Disease Risk) |
| What is glycemic index and why is it important? |
Glycemic index (GI) is a measure of how quickly
a particular food converts to glucose (blood sugar). It was
first introduced in 1981 to help diabetics choose the
"best" foods given their diabetes. HM2 uses GI as
one of several tools which persons can use to help them better
control their weight loss and maintenance. GI values are found
on food labels in some foreign countries, but not yet in the
U.S. (Registered participants can refer to Lesson N5:
Understanding Carbohydrates and Fiber) |
| What is the difference between High Density
Lipoproteins (HDL's) and Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL's)? |
Lipoproteins carry cholesterol throughout
our bodies. LDL's cause cholesterol to build up on artery
walls, and HDL's help remove cholesterol from your blood. It
may help as a memory hook to think of LDL's as
"lousy" and HDL's as "healthy". (Registered
participants can refer to Lesson N6: Understanding Fats and
Cholesterol) |
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EXERCISE QUESTIONS
| Question |
Answer |
| How much exercise should I do? |
Consistent, aerobic exercise is the single best
indicator for long-term weight-loss success. HM2 recommends
under physician supervision, a minimum of 30 minutes of daily
exercise, 5 days per week, with an appropriate heart beat
range. Walking briskly is an excellent form of this type of
exercise. (Registered participants can refer to Lesson N7:
Understanding the Role of Exercise) |
| What is the difference between
aerobic, resistance and flexibility exercise? |
Aerobic exercise helps the heart by keeping the
heart beating at a predetermined rate, and should be performed
on a daily basis for 30 minutes or more. Walking briskly is an
excellent form of this type of exercise. Resistance exercise
builds and tones muscle and should be performed for 10 to 15
minutes every other day, allowing time for muscle tissue to
rebuild between sessions. Flexibility exercise involves
stretching and improves balance and overall flexibility, and
should be performed daily for just 5 to 10 minutes after
warming up. (Registered participants can refer to Lesson
N7: Understanding the Role of Exercise) |
| Does flexibility exercise involve
merely bobbing up and down a few times to touch your toes? |
No. Likes all forms of exercise, there are good
and bad ways to perform flexibility exercise. These are
explained and illustrated in the HM2 curriculum. (Registered
participants can refer to Lesson N7: Understanding the Role of
Exercise) |
| Should one start to exercise
without supervision from a trained medical professional? |
Definitely not. You should always receive
proper instruction and approval from your medical provider
before you begin any exercise regimen. (Registered
participants can refer to Lesson N7: Understanding the Role of
Exercise) |
| What if I don't have enough time to
exercise regularly? |
Exercise is so critical to long-term weight
control that you must find about 45 minutes each day to
perform a balanced exercise regimen including aerobic,
resistance, and flexibility activities. You can learn how to
spread the minutes out over the day, and how to do all you
need to within the walls of your own home. There is no valid
excuse, including injuries, for not exercising, given your
doctor's approval. (Registered participants can refer to
Lesson N7: Understanding the Role of Exercise) |
| Can I exercise a little more if I have
overeaten, to offset the additional calories consumed? |
No. As a general rule, you need to burn
3500 calories through exercise in order to lose just 1 pound.
This would take the average person many days to accomplish,
through regular, healthy aerobic exercise. So, don't think of
exercise as a way of losing weight, but rather as a way of
improving overall health which supports weight control. (Registered
participants can refer to Lesson N7: Understanding the Role of
Exercise) |
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BEHAVIOR QUESTIONS
| Question |
Answer |
| What suggestions do you have for maintaining a
healthy diet when eating out? |
Registered participants can refer to Lesson
B6: Eating Out. |
| What general steps do I follow in HM2 to ensure
that my diet is healthy? |
Registered users first receive a Personal
Profile Report, listing the nutritional criteria for their
meals and snacks. They then enter their meals on the HM2
website, using the Meal Planner function, and adapt individual
food items until the entire meal matches the nutritional
profile on their Personal Profile Report. The meal can
then be saved for repeated use, which significantly saves
time. (Registered participants can refer to Lesson B3:
Planning Healthy Meals and Snacks) |
| Why should treating overeating not follow the
Alcoholics Anonymous approach? |
The AA program follows the "disease
model" to treating addiction where the addictive behavior
victimizes or controls the patient who does not have the
ability to make behavioral change without traditional medical
resources like drugs, hospitalization, and so forth. In
contrast, HM2 follows the cognitive-behavioral (or
self-empowerment) model where the patient has self-control and
can therefore change his or her behavior given the right
coping skills and resources like using cognitive
restructuring, analyzing high-risk situations, taking
problem-solving action, and so forth. (Registered
participants can refer to Lesson B4: Treating Addictive
Behavior) |
| What are "slips" and
"relapses"? |
Behavior change involves stages of change,
which are clearly defined in HM2. Generally speaking, a
"slip" is downward movement within a stage of
change, and a "relapse" is downward movement to a
different stage of change. These are clearly defined and
illustrated in the HM2 curriculum. (Registered participants
can refer to Lesson B4: Treating Addictive Behavior) |
| What are "the 5 steps for highly effective
change"? |
1) Understand the Stages of Change. 2) Define
the desired behavioral change. 3) Analyze and refine the
target behavior. 4) Match your current behavior with a stage
of change. 5) Progress through the remaining Stages of Change.
(Registered participants can refer to Lesson B5:
Understanding the Stages of Change) |
| Why is it important to weigh and analyze every
meal? |
Unless you know exactly what you have eaten and
when and why, you cannot determine your baseline behavior and
work towards improvement using realistic short-term goals and
strategies. Self-empowered change involves monitoring and
analyzing your behavior, as well as being held accountable for
it. (Registered participants can refer to Lesson B4:
Treating Addictive Behavior) |
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