Winning the Diet Game: How to Lose Weight and Keep It Off

By Christina Glanz

Do you have a certain amount of weight that you just cant lose?
Have you ever set a goal to lose weight and were disappointed by the results?
Did you know that exercise is not a requirement for weight loss?
Have you ever wondered why some people maintain the same weight year after year
while others continually gain?
The concepts detailed in this book will answer your questions and provide a path to get you on the
road to success. If you want to lose weight and havent had much success in the past, this book will
be your game changer. You will learn to focus your efforts on proven techniques that will allow you to
lose weight and keep it off.
Prior to Winning the Diet Game, the weight loss concepts outlined here were not available to the general
public. Thousands of people following these basic concepts have lost a minimum of 30 pounds and
have kept it off for over 5 years. People who had given up on weight loss but are now following these
proven scientifi c techniques are having more success than they ever dreamed possible.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 23, 2010
• ISBN: 9781453533284

Christina Glanz

Christina Glanz, BBA, RMA, CMA (AAMA) is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati and currently works for a physician who specializes in internal medicine. She has received training in adult weight management from the American Diabetic Association by some of the top weight loss physicians and researchers in their respective fields. In her daily work, she encounters countless patients who have no idea how to lose weight or keep it off. The amount of misinformation and bad advice these people have received inspired her to write this book. She wants you to stop wasting your money on diet plans and products that won’t provide permanent weight loss. Christina personally lost 61 pounds and has kept it off using the 10 simple rules explained in this book.

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Copyright © 2010 by Christina Glanz.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

81035

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Introduction

Chapter 2

My Story

Chapter 3

Why Calories Count

Chapter 4

Which Type of Diet Works the Best?

Chapter 5

Weight-Loss Myths and Facts

Chapter 6

The Diet Game Rules for Weight Loss

Chapter 7

A Guide to Basic Nutrition

Chapter 8

How Many Calories Do You Need?

Chapter 9

Exercise ≠ Weight Loss!

Chapter 10

Is Your Health at Risk?

Chapter 11

Estimating Daily Calorie Needs

Chapter 12

Setting Attainable Goals

Chapter 13

Understanding Portion Distortion

Chapter 14

Visualizing Proper Serving Size

Chapter 15

Creating a Personalized Meal Plan

Chapter 16

Keeping the Weight Off

Chapter 17

Weight-Loss Medications

Chapter 18

My Story—Part 2

Appendix A

The Diet Game Rules Recap

Appendix B

Meal Plan Reference

Appendix C

Suggested Meals When Eating Out

Appendix D

Sources

The recommendations and information in this book are appropriate in most cases and current as of the date of publication; however, they are not a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment by a health-care professional. The content of this book is for informational purposes only. The content is presented in summary form, is general in nature, and under no circumstances should it be relied upon as a substitute for the medical care, advice, and consultation of a qualified health-care professional. All matters regarding your health require medical supervision. Neither the author or publisher shall be liable or responsible for any loss or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestion in this book. As a result of the dynamic nature of the health care and pharmaceutical fields, information contained herein may become dated and subject to disagreement within the health care industry. For specific information about a health condition that you or a family member may have, please consult with a physician. No book can substitute for a direct assessment by a qualified health-care professional. Obese individuals are especially vulnerable when making dietary changes since this puts increased stress on their system. Please consult with your physician before changing your diet.

Dedication

Many thanks to my husband and children who supported me in this endeavor every step of the way. This book is the product of my personal and professional experience involving years of research, review, writing, revision, and discussion involving dozens of dedicated and talented individuals. My goal was to create a simple way to help you slim down, maintain good health, and feel great. Personally, I feel like I found the fountain of youth.

Trademarks

All terms mentioned in this book that are known to be or are suspected of being trademarks or service marks have been appropriately capitalized. Use of a term in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark.

Quantity Sales

This book is available at special quantity discounts when purchased in bulk by

corporations, organizations, and special interest groups. Custom imprinting or

excerpting can be done to fit special needs. For details, contact [e-mail]. This author may be available to speak at your live event. For more information or to book an event, contact [e-mail].

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By purchasing this book, you have taken the first step towards getting off of the diet roller-coaster. As you read, you will learn that it really isn’t that difficult to take control of your weight and overall health. I was just like most of you; I constantly struggled with my weight, tried each of the fad diets, had some minor successes, but the weight always came back. About four years ago, I received specialized training in adult weight management that opened my eyes to new research and a new way of taking control of my weight and health. By making small changes to my diet, I was able to lose over 60 pounds and have kept it off.

My husband loves to eat and had struggled with his weight for years. I asked him to help with the initial editing of this book. As he read, he realized that the science behind weight loss was so simple that he decided to implement the concepts outlined in this book into his daily routine. As of today, he is within 5 pounds of his weight-loss goal and has lost 58 pounds. So, between the two of us, we lost 120 pounds, which is nearly equal to the current weight of our two children! When people saw my remarkable transformation, they wanted to know my secret. I will teach you this secret and show you how thousands of people are using these same techniques to achieve similar results. Once you implement the 10 Winning the Diet Game rules, you will also experience weight loss success.

In my job, I have encountered hundreds of patients who are overweight, have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or type 2 diabetes. Unfortunately, these people have no idea how to get these diseases or their weight under control. Compounding this problem is the fact that doctors have less time to treat patients on a one-on-one basis. Costs keep increasing, so doctors have to fit more patients into their schedule to help cover additional overhead. The office that I work at is no exception. In our practice, each primary care doctor sees approximately four patients per hour. This is much less than the average, where doctors see six patients per hour. A quick calculation shows that the typical patient should receive between ten and fifteen minutes of the doctor’s time. In reality, these patients get somewhere between six and ten minutes of face-to-face time due to the doctor’s other daily responsibilities.

Frankly, the doctor does not have time to engage into an in-depth discussion about anything other than the issue that brought the patient to the office that day due to the volume of scheduled patients. Each day I see at least two or three patients who know they need to make significant changes to their diet in order to get some related health issue under control. The problem is that they don’t know where to start and the doctors don’t provide clear direction to even get them on the right path. The doctor may say to simply watch your diet, but what does that really mean?

The education of most primary care physicians is disease oriented, with heavy emphasis on pharmaceuticals. Since doctors are trained to diagnose a disease and treat it, they don’t have time to sit down with the average patient and explain a diet. In fact, unless the doctor specializes in nutrition, most would like to avoid the subject altogether, since many don’t know how to manage their own nutrition. Due the workload of doctors today, most will treat the symptoms of obesity rather than the root cause. Common symptoms are conditions such as:

• Diabetes

• Heart disease

• High blood pressure

• High cholesterol

• Sleep apnea

• Acid reflux or GERD

If diet and weight are recognized to be problems, many doctors will suggest that the patient make an appointment with a dietitian. This is better for the doctor, but not necessarily for the patient. Real-world issues, such as having to take more time off of work for another appointment or being faced with a bill not covered by health insurance usually causes the patient to do nothing. Most patients lack the knowledge required to effectively change their diet, and most doctors lack the time to properly explain it. In my daily work, I encounter many people who are frustrated with their weight. I constantly hear the following types of questions and comments:

• I don’t understand why I am gaining weight?

• I just can’t seem to lose the 5 pounds I picked up during the holidays.

• I seem to hover around a specific weight, and can’t seem to get my weight below that number.

• I’ve been exercising for weeks, but I’m not losing any weight.

I know the answers to these questions and have the knowledge necessary for these individuals to be successful. Unfortunately, like the doctors, I only have a short time to spend with each patient and can't provide the level of understanding necessary during the time allotted for an office visit. The level of desperation these patients experience due to their failed weight-loss attempts inspired me to write this book because I have been in their shoes and know exactly how they feel.

The content of this book is based on my personal and professional experiences as well as results from a published evidence report that identifies proven weight management techniques. The fact-based evidence report was compiled for the American Dietetic Association and its Commission on Dietetic Registration. In this training, I received instruction from some of the top weight-loss researchers and doctors in the country and want to share this knowledge with you.

This book was designed for overweight adults who are generally healthy but need some direction. It was designed to help you understand how lasting weight loss is achieved. You have the power to control your weight, but it can’t be done without knowing the rules to weight loss and weight gain.

I will show you what works so that you can stop wasting your money on unproven products and unhealthy diet plans. The research has been summarized into ten successful weight management rules that you can begin using right away.

I resisted weight loss because I did not notice the gradual changes in my appearance over the years. Once I entered the medical field, my eyes were opened to the health effects of being overweight. For me, maintaining a healthy weight is more about reducing my risk for serious disease. The change in appearance is just an added bonus.

Everyone wants to be thin, but there is a big difference between desired weight and healthy weight. Setting a weight goal that is too low will result in failure because it cannot be maintained. I will show you how to maintain a healthy weight and discover a new self-image. Once you understand why you are gaining weight and learn how to stop it, you will be on the road to success.

Every time we decide to go on a diet we are choosing to play a game that has been created by the diet industry with a no-win scenario. The game is not designed to allow us to win. In fact, for the diet industry to succeed, we must fail. If we succeed, we won’t need to buy their products. Their game is designed to keep us hooked by allowing small successes, providing hope that we will eventually lose all of the weight we want to lose. The diet industry has confused so many people with their false claims and amazing promises that only one in ten Americans actually know how to lose weight and keep it off. How can we expect to have any success if we don’t have a set of proven rules to follow?

Fortunately, I don’t believe in the no-win scenario and I want you to succeed. My goal is to change the game. I am going to arm you with the knowledge and skills necessary to be a better player so that you can win the diet game. A game is defined as a contest that requires skill, endurance, and adherence to a set of rules. In order to be successful with weight loss, we must approach the way we eat in the same manner.

If you make the right choices, hone your skills, and follow the rules provided in this book, you will be able to lose weight and keep it off for good. The game of baseball is a perfect analogy since successful weight management is not a one-inning game; it is not even a nine-inning game. Winning the diet game or winning at baseball both require that you give your best effort every day. You don’t have to hit a home run every time, but if you continually hit singles and don’t strike out too often you will win. The key to winning the diet game is to pile small achievable successes on top of each other continuously. You don’t have to be perfect; you just need to be consistent.

Losing weight is a lot easier than you think. Thousands of people who have used the techniques outlined in this book have lost weight in a variety of ways and for a variety of reasons. Some have lost 30 pounds, while others have lost 150 pounds. Some have kept the weight off for one year while others have kept it off for decades. Their past failures and eventual successes have provided great insight into specific behaviors that provided long-term success. You are about to discover these common elements. Knowledge is power!

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My story begins on Mother’s Day with a trip to the emergency room. My neck felt like it was being squeezed by a giant snake, my blood pressure was sky high, and I just didn’t feel right. At thirty-seven, I didn’t think I was having a heart attack, but I went to the hospital anyway just to be sure. I was lucky that day because it was nothing too serious. I was discharged once my blood pressure had returned to an acceptable level and was told to follow up with my doctor.

During the follow-up visit with my primary care doctor, I discovered that I had high blood pressure and would need to take daily medication to keep it under control. He also informed me that I was prediabetic and a candidate for type 2 diabetes if I didn’t make some changes. Worst of all, my trip to the doctor that day also included the dreaded stop at the scale. I hated getting on the scale and had banished all scales from my home several years earlier when I was unable to lose weight. As I stepped on the scale that day, the weight kept going higher and higher until it topped 200 pounds—203 pounds to be exact.

At five foot five and 203 pounds, I was officially obese!

I knew I had been getting heavier each year, but wasn’t sure how it was happening. I didn’t think I was eating too much, and didn’t think I had changed my eating habits to cause the weight gain. Nonetheless, each year the doctor’s scale registered a few pounds more than the previous year. At first I tried to deny that I was causing it. I thought the weight gain was related to getting older, and I convinced myself that my metabolism was just slowing down and there was nothing I could do to change it. When I looked in the mirror I didn’t see myself any differently than before. Sure, my waist was thicker and I had developed belly fat, but I thought that was normal for anyone who had given birth to children. I was able to ignore the truth until that fateful Mother’s Day trip to the ER.

The follow-up visit with my primary care doctor made me face the fact that my decisions and actions directly affect my health. My family has a strong history of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. I was showing signs that I was headed in the same direction. I decided right then that I needed to make some serious changes in my life so that I would be around for my husband and children. Up to this point in my life I had put their needs first, now I realized that I needed to make my health needs my top priority. Based on a recommendation from a friend, I made an appointment with a well-respected weight management doctor. It took months to get an appointment, but what I learned in his weight management class sent me on a journey for more knowledge. While in his class,