New Weight Loss Guidelines
(9/29/98)
The National Institutes of Health announced new guidelines for the weight concious. Guidelines that could change the way millions of Americans diet.
The National Institutes of Health has some advice for people who are no more than 30 pounds overweight: Stop trying to lose weight!
That's right. The N.I.H. says that being overweight by 30 pounds or less isn't all that dangerous.
Dr. Xavier Pi-Sunyer, N.I.H. Chairman: "If people are 30 pounds overweight but not more, they should try to maintain that weight and not gain anymore."
And how do you know if you're 30 pounds overweight? The weight tables have changed recently. You're 30 pounds overweight if you're five foot four and weigh 174 pounds, or five foot ten and weigh 209 pounds.
Now, there is an exception to this new don't-lose-weight rule. There are some people who should try to lose weight, because for them, being even 30 pounds overweight is unhealthy.
Those are people who have two or more risk factors, including:
And if you're more than 30 pounds overweight, the expert panel recommends losing weight slowly--only half a pound to a pound per week.
Dr. Xavier Pi-Sunyer: "What we're saying is that this is not a program for 12 weeks, it's not a program for 20 weeks or 24 weeks it's really a lifetime program."
The National Institute of Health says these guidelines are a turning point in how we look at weight loss...a more realistic approach to figuring out who really needs to lose weight.
