Modest goals key to weight loss

Sensible weight-loss programmes 've modest goals but the dramatic weight loss depicted in television shows is unrealistic.
Lauve Metcalfe, associate director of special projects for the Center for Physical Activity & Nutrition, University of Arizona, says sensible weight-loss programmes are rooted in self-esteem & positive body image.
Metcalfe identifies three areas essential to successful weight management: appetite - how you choose, cook & enjoy food; activity - how you move & engage in physical activity; attitude - how you deal with issues of self-esteem & barriers.
Metcalfe outlines 11 skills for developing a healthy body image & self-esteem:

1. Honour your personal story: Past events & experiences 'shape' one's perception of body image. Acknowledge your personal story & become more conscious of what choices you can control to improve the quality of your life.
2. Accept yourself the way you are: Develop acceptance of your body image in the present form. Self-acceptance allows you to channel your energies into modifying behaviour, rather than struggling with negative thinking.
3. Create a positive mental outlook: The attitude that you bring into a situation greatly determines the outcome. Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you are probably right.
4. Practice positive self-talk skills: Positive self-talk messages will reinforce the qualities, skills & attributes within you, affect your unconscious mind & 've a major effect on the way you view yourself.
5. Guide away from comparisons: Beauty is a multi-dimensional combination of a variety of aspects of an individual that is in a constant state of change. Acknowledge your personal expressions of beauty that make you unique.
6. Build your self-reliance: Each time you challenge yourself & attempt a task or skill that is outside of your comfort zone, you will experience a stronger degree of confidence in your abilities.
7. Lighten up & live in the now: To fully enjoy life, stay in the present & experience life from moment to moment. Create a balanced perspective on life by looking to the future with anticipation, respecting the past for insight, & most important -living in the now.
8. Reward yourself in healthy ways: Create rewards & positive incentives to keep you on track with your body image program. Develop daily, weekly & monthly incentives that recognize the effort you are putting into your personal wellness programme.
9. Give yourself praise: Acknowledge the positive steps you make in taking care of yourself. Be open to the praise of others & regularly give & receive compliments.
10. Develop coping skills to deal with setbacks: There are moments in all our lives that are difficult to deal with emotionally. By creating rest periods & occasional breaks in your program you will allow yourself time to be a 'human being' versus a 'human doing.'
11. Be connected: Many people can help you stay on track with a healthy lifestyle. Value the role that supportive friends & relatives play in your life. Take time out on a regular basis to be in touch with nature & the environment, said an American College of Sports Medicine's (ACSM) release.

These findings were presented at the ACSM 14th annual health & fitness summit.