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At the end of the day, all people want to know is which diet reigns supreme and is worth my time and money? Which weight loss pill or exercise should I do? We all want to lose weight fast and guess what? and keep it off for good. Can some weight loss pill melt the fat off my frame, so I can eat whatever I want? The answer to that one may surprise you. Clinical trials are being run and some have finished with some shocking results you will like in regards to revolutionary, exciting new weight loss pills that are safe to take for the long run with little to no side effects.

The more diets published in magazines and on the Internet, the more people are befuddled about what dieting really means and about the right way of bringing your body back into fighting shape. The exponentially growing number of obese people has turned weight loss into an industry like never before and the market is growing every year into the billions. It seems that all is needed is a nice idea and a great marketing in order to make a lot of money or get a lot of popularity by proposing some sort of strange diet, despite the lack of professional experience in this very overcrowded field.

And there are many diets out there in magazines, TV and the internet. We’re going to go through the most popular diets, since a review of all the diets making the rounds would be beyond the scope of this article and we don’t want to bore you with all the details.

The most popular diet in the world many would say is the Atkins diet. The biggest thing in favor of this diet is that it lets you eat high fat dairy products like butter and cheese. However, the Atkins diet has fallen from its zenith over suspicions of increasing the risk of coronary heart disease, not to mention the the large number of people complain of muscle cramps, diarrhea, rashes and weakness. The debate over the scientific fundamentals of the Atkins diet is still raging on.

Next comes Barry Sears, the Zone diet; another well-known eating plan. It’s all about eating the right mix of foods in order to reach the right hormonal balance for you. This state of balance, which is called the “Zone”, lets the body take in calories and use them through the day without putting anything aside as fat. This diet does some serious discrimination among foods without any scientific basis. Such as starchy vegetables, beans and whole grains are banned from your diet, although these foods are not in conflict with the principles of the Zone diet. Please note that The American Heart Association states the Zone diet lacks essential nutrients while promoting high-protein foods. Medifast is a highly effective meal replacement diet, which has been satisfying customers for over 25 years. Medifast has been recommended by over 15,000 physicians and has been clinically proven at Johns Hopkins. Medifast is a growing company in the weight loss market. Medifast is offering customers a FREE week of product with the purchase of a 4-week supply. Customers also receive Free Shipping with the purchase of a 4-week supply. You can expect to lose 20 pounds per month. They offer 2 week or 4 week food plan designed for men, women and diabetics. Easily design your meals online. Prices range from $140 to $285 which is based on choosing 2 week, 70 meal plan or 4 week, 143 meal plan, or diabetic plan which costs $285. The Jenny Craig diet is next on our list. One of the longest running diets that we know of, Jenny Craig started this business in the early 1980s and it’s still alive and purchased by Nestle, the famous chocolate maker. The basic idea of this diet is a trade off: say goodbye to recipes, and food shopping, and cooking, but you have to buy the super expensive Jenny Craig prepackaged food. And that runs to some $120 per week. Plus you have membership costs. Plus the vegetables and fruits which are not included in the prepackaged food. Therefore, If you can afford it and if you can adhere to it, the diet is not bad. The con here is you can buy similar low-calorie foods at the grocery store, and you don’t have to discuss this with a Jenny Craig expert that insists on your eating the prepackaged food because he gets a percentage of the sale price. Yes, they get a sales percentage on the food they sell you.

>From Florida comes the South Beach diet. A lot of people have managed to lose weight with this diet and it actually works okay. The first phase of the diet will eliminate most foods containing carbs from your daily consumption. Fortunately, this phase lasts 2 weeks. Unfortunately, second phase focuses on return of whole grains and fruits and lasts as long as necessary. If reaching the desired weight takes you 1 year, then that’s exactly how long this phase is going to last. And if you don’t like the foods allowed by this diet then you’re out of luck I’m afraid.

And yet another favorite dieting program around is the all popular Weight Watchers. This diet puts all the management tools in the hands of the user. A lot of people who are going through the same thing are going to be there to help you. If having company during difficult times helps your willpower, then you are probably going to lose all that extra weight. If, on the other hand, you don’t like the idea of being constantly under peer pressure, then this diet is definitely not for you to try. The Mediterranean Diet is based on food patterns typical of Crete, much of the rest of Greece, and southern Italy in the early 1960s, where adult life expectancy was among the highest in the world and rates of coronary heart disease, certain cancers, and other diet-related chronic diseases among the lowest. Olive oil is the primary source of fat. Cereals, which include pasta, are an integral part of the diet, and low consumption of red meats.

This is just a brief summary, there are a lot of diets out there, dozens more than we’ve been able to go over here, so we invite you to visit our website to peruse many more diets and weight loss pills along with consumer ratings. The best thing to do when choosing a diet or weight loss pill is to do your own research. See what other consumers who tried it have to say and that will give you a better understanding of what works best. Then see what your physician and/or dietitian have to say about it.

Why are diets so popular today and which ones are worth your time and money? We have listed the most popular, respected diets today. How many more diets do you want to try? There are so many of them like the cabbage soup diet to diets made just for diabetics. Consumers have been polled and they rated all the popular diets according to how much weight loss occurred and the time it took. Look, we all know many diets aren’t fun to be on and for most of us it’s going to be a lifestyle change versus one – two month duration. Therefore, many consumers opt to use diet pills to loss weight without sacrificing all their favorite foods and suffering through small portions. Some will try both a popular diet and a diet pill. Either way it benefits the consumer today because of the revolutionary advancement in weight loss pills like Proactol. The one diet or weight loss pill that has true backing from the medical community for the first time, since it has passed 8 clinical trials to support all their claims, for example,blocking around 30% of your dietary fat in each meal you have by binding to the fat and is flushed out of your body. On top of that it’s an all natural appetite suppressant. After being on Proactol for a year, you won’t have to worry about going on anymore diets or suffer from hunger pains.

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Half of all Americans surveyed for the brand new “Dole Poll” said that no amount of weight loss from a low-carb diet would be worth the potential negative health impact.

According to the national poll of 801 adults, the possible side effects of a low-carbohydrate diet – such as high cholesterol, constipation, kidney stones and increased risk of some cancers -“tip the scales” against following such a diet for a full 50 percent of respondents.

In contrast, just one-third (36 percent) say they are willing to take their chances to realize some weight loss, with 4 percent reporting any amount of pounds shed would be “worth it.”

Coming on the heels of The Lancet medical journal’s survey, which suggested that such side effects as headaches, fatigue and foul breath are more frequently reported by low-carb dieters than those on conventional regimens, the Dole Poll findings are more evidence that the Atkins bubble has burst.

This backlash is already affecting the grocery industry, with less than half as many low-carb products introduced in 2004 than in 2003, and sales figures showing that many of these products are discounted or withdrawn weeks after introduction. Some industry experts even project that two-thirds of the products introduced this year will be off the shelves by 2006.

We’ve turned a corner in public awareness. The more people learn about low-carb health risks, the less appetite they have for such dangerous fad diets.

Jennifer Grossman is the director of the Dole Nutrition Institute, a research and education organization dedicated to promoting the health benefits of fruits and vegetables with regard to weight management and disease prevention.

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I don’t even like the word “exercise” anymore. Like the word “diet”, which really just means what you eat, the meaning of the word “exercise” has changed.

It once meant you were “physically moving your body for the sake of your health”. That doesn’t sound bad at all. Unfortunately, it has come to represent activities that are mostly boring, repetitive, and unappealing.

Movement is supposed to be fun. It should be good for the soul as well as for the body.

Our bodies are meant to be in motion. To be active, agile, busy, and full of life. We weren’t meant to sit on the couch all day any more than we were meant to spend hours locked away in smelly gyms.

Time travel back to when you were a child. If you were like most children, you were on the move all the time. It was never called exercise. Who would have thought of such a thing?

It was called PLAYING! And it was fun. Children don’t count calories. They don’t force themselves to play for a certain amount of time. They move around because they love it and it feels good.

No pain, no gain – blechh. If lifting weights makes you happy, more power to you. But for most people that gym membership is just a waste of money and another source of guilt. Life is just too short to spend it being miserable.

The solution? Play more. Have more fun.

Keep it simple. Make it easy. Just get up and move your body around a little each day.
*Move in ways you LOVE.
*Move to feed your soul and to feel vibrantly healthy.
*Ratchet up the richness quotient in your life.
*Treat yourself to fun and playful ways to move about each day.
*Fire the drill sergeant in your head and do what feels good.
*Look for ways to move that make your heart soar with happiness.

Think back to childhood. What is an activity you loved doing then? Try that now just for fun. Some ideas…
*Toss a Frisbee around
*Learn karate again
*Take up roller skating or inline skating
*Dig out the old croquet set and play a few rounds
*Ride your bike around the neighborhood just for fun
*Splash around in a pool or lake
*Play some softball with friends
*Chase your dog around the yard
*Play miniature golf
*Jump around on a trampoline
*Make snow angels
*Play tag with the kids
*Jump rope
*Build a sandcastle at the beach
*Spin a hula hoop
*Put on some music and go wild dancing all through your house
*Go outside and dig around in the dirt

And some play ideas for adults…
*Hiking
*Swimming
*Running
*Belly dancing
*Skiing
*Tennis
*Yoga
*Gardening
*Golf
*Ice Skating
*Ballroom dancing
*Sailing
*Water Skiing
*Tai Chi
*Volleyball
*Basketball
*Soccer
*Yoga
*Stretching in any way that feels good to YOUR body

And don’t forget the simplest choice of them all. The easiest and most natural thing we do is walk. It’s what our bodies are built for. No special equipment needed other than a decent pair of shoes.

It only takes 30 minutes of activity a few times a week to make a dramatic improvement in your health. Check in with YOUR body. What kinds of movement does it want to do? Just ask it and see what response you get. Then do that thing and see how great you feel. Your body is wise. It knows exactly what it needs.

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One of the most daunting things about starting a slimming programme is planning what you’re going to eat.

It doesn’t have to be as hard as it seems though. Most meals are simple to make, especially if they are using healthy, fresh ingredients. Forget boiling your vegetables to death and eat them raw, or lightly steam them if you want them to be hot. Don’t peel fruit that doesn’t need peeling, it saves time, and allows you to get the full benefit of the fibre content. There are lots of ways to plan your meals that will help you to achieve your slimming goals.

1) Eat fish

Fish is good for you, particularly oily fish like salmon and mackerel. The other bonus is that fish is quick to cook. You can buy it ready-prepared from the supermarket or the fishmongers and most fish will grill in just a few minutes. It’s also easy to bake in foil, and you can even add some vegetables such as leeks, peppers or tomatoes into the foil so that it all cooks at the same time. Even poaching fish in a little seasoned water doesn’t take long. Plan to eat fish at least twice a week and you have an easy, healthy meal that requires little preparation and little cooking time.

2) Get used to salads

Provided you have the ingredients, you can make a wide range of salads in a short amount of time. Green salads made with romaine lettuce, cucumber, celery and avocado are healthy and can be prepared in 10 minutes. Carrots, dried fruit and lemon juice with sesame or sunflower seeds makes a quick and easy salad to serve with chicken or fish.

3) Steam, don’t boil

Boiling vegetables like broccoli and cabbage reduces the effectiveness of their nutrients and makes them less appetising. Steam broccoli and other vegetables for just a couple of minutes for vibrant, crunchy vegetables and saut? cabbage in some lemon juice.

Although you have to change your eating habits when you are slimming, you don’t have to plan your meals a week in advance to make sure you’re eating properly. As long as you’re buying the right foods, cooking them well and not over-eating, you should find your weight loss plan is easy and fun.

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There are many people who attempting to lose weight, some will succeed and others will fail, however the biggest battle for people who are able to reduce their weight, is often to keep to their ideal weight. Many people will find that they have soon returned to the weight that they were before they went on their diet or even that they are actually fatter. This can of course be very depressive and can result in them losing a lot of their self-esteem. What is needed is for a permanent solution to their weight problems.

There are some obvious routes to take in the battle to lose weight. They would include increasing the amount in which we exercise and reducing the amount we eat. It is this eating issue that can be the hardest to control and to reduce as our temptations often get the better of us.

In my opinion what we need to do is to make our house a fat free zone. If we become hungry and start looking through the cupboards and notice for example a packet of crisps, it can often be very difficult not to eat them. Our desire for instant food can become too great and our inner demons try and convince us that one packet will not hurt. If that packet of crisps had not been in the cupboard we would have not been put into that position of temptation and would of course not have been able to eat them.

A number of years ago, when I went about losing my own excess weight, I decided to remove all of the foods from all of the cupboards which I was aware that I needed to stop eating. I also removed certain drinks such as alcoholic drinks which were also something which contributed to my weight problems. I put into the dustbin all of the takeaway menus that I had and basically attempted to make it as hard as possible for me to eat or drink anything that I shouldn’t have been.

When out and about I had to be determined to keep to my diet and to not be tempted to buy any of these items from the shops etc. This was not easy to do as I am somebody who loves all of these fatty type foods.

In my weekly food shop I bought far more fruit and vegetables and was surprised at how quickly my taste buds started to change. I soon looked forward to eating an apple as an example and the weight slowly but surely started to reduce.

After a number of months I reached a weight that I was happy with. My wife stated that I was now able to start eating items such as dry roasted peanuts, this was a particular favourite of mine. This was possibly true but could easily result in a return to my old bad habits and of course weight problems. I decided to stick with the fruit and my cupboards are still free of those foods which I love to eat but which are not good for my weight.

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When considering that pathological eating disorders and their related diseases now afflict more people globally than malnutrition, some experts in the medical field are presently purporting that the world’s number one health problem is no longer heart disease or cancer, but obesity. According to the World Health Organization (June, 2005), “obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally, with more than 1 billion adults overweight – at least 300 million of them clinically obese – and is a major contributor to the global burden of chronic disease and disability. Often coexisting in developing countries with under-nutrition, obesity is a complex condition, with serious social and psychological dimensions, affecting virtually all ages and socioeconomic groups.” The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (June, 2005), reports that “during the past 20 years, obesity among adults has risen significantly in the United States. The latest data from the National Center for Health Statistics show that 30 percent of U.S. adults 20 years of age and older – over 60 million people – are obese. This increase is not limited to adults. The percentage of young people who are overweight has more than tripled since 1980. Among children and teens aged 6-19 years, 16 percent (over 9 million young people) are considered overweight.”

Morbid obesity is a condition that is described as being 100lbs. or more above ideal weight, or having a Body Mass Index (BMI) equal to or greater than 30. Being obese alone puts one at a much greater risk of suffering from a combination of several other metabolic factors such as having high blood pressure, being insulin resistant, and/ or having abnormal cholesterol levels that are all related to a poor diet and a lack of exercise. The sum is greater than the parts. Each metabolic problem is a risk for other diseases separately, but together they multiply the chances of life-threatening illness such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and stroke, etc. Up to 30.5% of our Nations’ adults suffer from morbid obesity, and two thirds or 66% of adults are overweight measured by having a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than 25. Considering that the U.S. population is now over 290,000,000, some estimate that up to 73,000,000 Americans could benefit from some type of education awareness and/ or treatment for a pathological eating disorder or food addiction. Typically, eating patterns are considered pathological problems when issues concerning weight and/ or eating habits, (e.g., overeating, under eating, binging, purging, and/ or obsessing over diets and calories, etc.) become the focus of a persons’ life, causing them to feel shame, guilt, and embarrassment with related symptoms of depression and anxiety that cause significant maladaptive social and/ or occupational impairment in functioning.

We must consider that some people develop dependencies on certain life-functioning activities such as eating that can be just as life threatening as drug addiction and just as socially and psychologically damaging as alcoholism. Some do suffer from hormonal or metabolic disorders, but most obese individuals simply consume more calories than they burn due to an out of control overeating Food Addiction. Hyper-obesity resulting from gross, habitual overeating is considered to be more like the problems found in those ingrained personality disorders that involve loss of control over appetite of some kind (Orford, 1985). Binge-eating Disorder episodes are characterized in part by a feeling that one cannot stop or control how much or what one is eating (DSM-IV-TR, 2000). Lienard and Vamecq (2004) have proposed an “auto-addictive” hypothesis for pathological eating disorders. They report that, “eating disorders are associated with abnormal levels of endorphins and share clinical similarities with psychoactive drug abuse. The key role of endorphins has recently been demonstrated in animals with regard to certain aspects of normal, pathological and experimental eating habits (food restriction combined with stress, loco-motor hyperactivity).” They report that the “pathological management of eating disorders may lead to two extreme situations: the absence of ingestion (anorexia) and excessive ingestion (bulimia).”

Co-morbidity & Mortality

Addictions and other mental disorders as a rule do not develop in isolation. The National Co-morbidity Survey (NCS) that sampled the entire U.S. population in 1994, found that among non-institutionalized American male and female adolescents and adults (ages 15-54), roughly 50% had a diagnosable Axis I mental disorder at some time in their lives. This survey’s results indicated that 35% of males will at some time in their lives have abused substances to the point of qualifying for a mental disorder diagnosis, and nearly 25% of women will have qualified for a serious mood disorder (mostly major depression). A significant finding of note from the NCS study was the widespread occurrence of co-morbidity among diagnosed disorders. It specifically found that 56% of the respondents with a history of at least one disorder also had two or more additional disorders. These persons with a history of three or more co-morbid disorders were estimated to be one-sixth of the U.S. population, or some 43 million people (Kessler, 1994).

McGinnis and Foege, (1994) report that, “the most prominent contributors to mortality in the United States in 1990 were tobacco (an estimated 400,000 deaths), diet and activity patterns (300,000), alcohol (100,000), microbial agents (90,000), toxic agents (60,000), firearms (35,000), sexual behavior (30,000), motor vehicles (25,000), and illicit use of drugs (20,000). Acknowledging that the leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality was risky behavior lifestyles, the U.S. Prevention Services Task Force set out to research behavioral counseling interventions in health care settings (Williams & Wilkins, 1996).

Poor Prognosis

We have come to realize today more than any other time in history that the treatment of lifestyle diseases and addictions are often a difficult and frustrating task for all concerned. Repeated failures abound with all of the addictions, even with utilizing the most effective treatment strategies. But why do 47% of patients treated in private treatment programs (for example) relapse within the first year following treatment (Gorski,T., 2001)? Have addiction specialists become conditioned to accept failure as the norm? There are many reasons for this poor prognosis. Some would proclaim that addictions are psychosomatically- induced and maintained in a semi-balanced force field of driving and restraining multidimensional forces. Others would say that failures are due simply to a lack of self-motivation or will power. Most would agree that lifestyle behavioral addictions are serious health risks that deserve our attention, but could it possibly be that patients with multiple addictions are being under diagnosed (with a single dependence) simply due to a lack of diagnostic tools and resources that are incapable of resolving the complexity of assessing and treating a patient with multiple addictions?

Diagnostic Delineation

Thus far, the DSM-IV-TR has not delineated a diagnosis for the complexity of multiple behavioral and substance addictions. It has reserved the Poly-substance Dependence diagnosis for a person who is repeatedly using at least three groups of substances during the same 12-month period, but the criteria for this diagnosis do not involve any behavioral addiction symptoms. In the Psychological Factors Affecting Medical Condition’s section (DSM-IV-TR, 2000); maladaptive health behaviors (e.g., overeating, unsafe sexual practices, excessive alcohol and drug use, etc.) may be listed on Axis I only if they are significantly affecting the course of treatment of a medical or mental condition.

Since successful treatment outcomes are dependent on thorough assessments, accurate diagnoses, and comprehensive individualized treatment planning, it is no wonder that repeated rehabilitation failures and low success rates are the norm instead of the exception in the addictions field, when the latest DSM-IV-TR does not even include a diagnosis for multiple addictive behavioral disorders. Treatment clinics need to have a treatment planning system and referral network that is equipped to thoroughly assess multiple addictive and mental health disorders and related treatment needs and comprehensively provide education/ awareness, prevention strategy groups, and/ or specific addictions treatment services for individuals diagnosed with multiple addictions. Written treatment goals and objectives should be specified for each separate addiction and dimension of an individuals’ life, and the desired performance outcome or completion criteria should be specifically stated, behaviorally based (a visible activity), and measurable.

New Proposed Diagnosis

To assist in resolving the limited DSM-IV-TRs’ diagnostic capability, a multidimensional diagnosis of “Poly-behavioral Addiction,” is proposed for more accurate diagnosis leading to more effective treatment planning. This diagnosis encompasses the broadest category of addictive disorders that would include an individual manifesting a combination of substance abuse addictions, and other obsessively-compulsive behavioral addictive behavioral patterns to pathological gambling, religion, and/ or sex / pornography, etc.). Behavioral addictions are just as damaging – psychologically and socially as alcohol and drug abuse. They are comparative to other life-style diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease in their behavioral manifestations, their etiologies, and their resistance to treatments. They are progressive disorders that involve obsessive thinking and compulsive behaviors. They are also characterized by a preoccupation with a continuous or periodic loss of control, and continuous irrational behavior in spite of adverse consequences.

Poly-behavioral addiction would be described as a state of periodic or chronic physical, mental, emotional, cultural, sexual and/ or spiritual/ religious intoxication. These various types of intoxication are produced by repeated obsessive thoughts and compulsive practices involved in pathological relationships to any mood-altering substance, person, organization, belief system, and/ or activity. The individual has an overpowering desire, need or compulsion with the presence of a tendency to intensify their adherence to these practices, and evidence of phenomena of tolerance, abstinence and withdrawal, in which there is always physical and/ or psychic dependence on the effects of this pathological relationship. In addition, there is a 12 – month period in which an individual is pathologically involved with three or more behavioral and/ or substance use addictions simultaneously, but the criteria are not met for dependence for any one addiction in particular (Slobodzien, J., 2005). In essence, Poly-behavioral addiction is the synergistically integrated chronic dependence on multiple physiologically addictive substances and behaviors (e.g., using/ abusing substances – nicotine, alcohol, & drugs, and/or acting impulsively or obsessively compulsive in regards to gambling, food binging, sex, and/ or religion, etc.) simultaneously.

New Proposed Theory

The Addictions Recovery Measurement System’s (ARMS) theory is a nonlinear, dynamical, non-hierarchical model that focuses on interactions between multiple risk factors and situational determinants similar to catastrophe and chaos theories in predicting and explaining addictive behaviors and relapse. Multiple influences trigger and operate within high-risk situations and influence the global multidimensional functioning of an individual. The process of relapse incorporates the interaction between background factors (e.g., family history, social support, years of possible dependence, and co-morbid psychopathology), physiological states (e.g., physical withdrawal), cognitive processes (e.g., self-efficacy, cravings, motivation, the abstinence violation effect, outcome expectancies), and coping skills (Brownell et al., 1986; Marlatt & Gordon, 1985). To put it simply, small changes in an individual’s behavior can result in large qualitative changes at the global level and patterns at the global level of a system emerge solely from numerous little interactions.

The ARMS hypothesis purports that there is a multidimensional synergistically negative resistance that individual’s develop to any one form of treatment to a single dimension of their lives, because the effects of an individual’s addiction have dynamically interacted multi-dimensionally. Having the primary focus on one dimension is insufficient. Traditionally, addiction treatment programs have failed to accommodate for the multidimensional synergistically negative effects of an individual having multiple addictions, (e.g. nicotine, alcohol, and obesity, etc.). Behavioral addictions interact negatively with each other and with strategies to improve overall functioning. They tend to encourage the use of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs, help increase violence, decrease functional capacity, and promote social isolation. Most treatment theories today involve assessing other dimensions to identify dual diagnosis or co-morbidity diagnoses, or to assess contributing factors that may play a role in the individual’s primary addiction. The ARMS’ theory proclaims that a multidimensional treatment plan must be devised addressing the possible multiple addictions identified for each one of an individual’s life dimensions in addition to developing specific goals and objectives for each dimension.

The ARMS acknowledges the complexity and unpredictable nature of lifestyle addictions following the commitment of an individual to accept assistance with changing their lifestyles. The Stages of Change model (Prochaska & DiClemente, 1984) is supported as a model of motivation, incorporating five stages of readiness to change: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. The ARMS theory supports the constructs of self-efficacy and social networking as outcome predictors of future behavior across a wide variety of lifestyle risk factors (Bandura, 1977). The Relapse Prevention cognitive-behavioral approach (Marlatt, 1985) with the goal of identifying and preventing high-risk situations for relapse is also supported within the ARMS theory.

The ARMS continues to promote Twelve Step Recovery Groups such as Food Addicts and Alcoholics Anonymous along with spiritual and religious recovery activities as a necessary means to maintain outcome effectiveness. The beneficial effects of AA may be attributable in part to the replacement of the participant’s social network of drinking friends with a fellowship of AA members who can provide motivation and support for maintaining abstinence (Humphreys, K.; Mankowski, E.S, 1999) and (Morgenstern, J.; Labouvie, E.; McCrady, B.S.; Kahler, C.W.; and Frey, R.M., 1997). In addition, AA’s approach often results in the development of coping skills, many of which are similar to those taught in more structured psychosocial treatment settings, thereby leading to reductions in alcohol consumption (NIAAA, June 2005).

Treatment Progress Dimensions

The American Society of Addiction Medicine’s (2003), “Patient Placement Criteria for the Treatment of Substance-Related Disorders, 3rd Edition”, has set the standard in the field of addiction treatment for recognizing the totality of the individual in his or her life situation. This includes the internal interconnection of multiple dimensions from biomedical to spiritual, as well as external relationships of the individual to the family and larger social groups. Life-style addictions may affect many domains of an individual’s functioning and frequently require multi-modal treatment. Real progress however, requires appropriate interventions and motivating strategies for every dimension of an individual’s life.

The Addictions Recovery Measurement System (ARMS) has identified the following seven treatment progress areas (dimensions) in an effort to: (1) assist clinicians with identifying additional motivational techniques that can increase an individual’s awareness to make progress: (2) measure within treatment progress, and (3) measure after treatment outcome effectiveness:
PD- 1. Abstinence/ Relapse: Progress Dimension
PD- 2. Bio-medical/ Physical: Progress Dimension
PD- 3. Mental/ Emotional: Progress Dimension
PD- 4. Social/ Cultural: Progress Dimension
PD- 5. Educational/ Occupational: Progress Dimension
PD- 6. Attitude/ Behavioral: Progress Dimension
PD- 7. Spirituality/ Religious: Progress Dimension

Considering that addictions involve unbalanced life-styles operating within semi-stable equilibrium force fields, the ARMS philosophy promotes that positive treatment effectiveness and successful outcomes are the result of a synergistic relationship with “The Higher Power,” that spiritually elevates and connects an individuals’ multiple life functioning dimensions by reducing chaos and increasing resilience to bring an individual harmony, wellness, and productivity.

Addictions Recovery Measurement – Subsystems

Since chronic lifestyle diseases and disorders such as diabetes, hypertension, alcoholism, drug and behavioral addictions cannot be cured, but only managed – how should we effectively manage poly-behavioral addiction?

The Addiction Recovery Measurement System (ARMS) is proposed utilizing a multidimensional integrative assessment, treatment planning, treatment progress, and treatment outcome measurement tracking system that facilitates rapid and accurate recognition and evaluation of an individual’s comprehensive life-functioning progress dimensions. The “ARMS”- systematically, methodically, interactively, & spiritually combines the following five versatile subsystems that may be utilized individually or incorporated together:

1) The Prognostication System ? composed of twelve screening instruments developed to evaluate an individual’s total life-functioning dimensions for a comprehensive bio-psychosocial assessment for an objective 5-Axis diagnosis with a point-based Global Assessment of Functioning score;

2) The Target Intervention System – that includes the Target Intervention Measure (TIM) and Target Progress Reports (A) & (B), for individualized goal-specific treatment planning;

3) The Progress Point System – a standardized performance-based motivational recovery point system utilized to produce in-treatment progress reports on six life-functioning individual dimensions;

4) The Multidimensional Tracking System ? with its Tracking Team Surveys (A) & (B), along with the ARMS Discharge criteria guidelines utilizes a multidisciplinary tracking team to assist with discharge planning; and

5) The Treatment Outcome Measurement System ? that utilizes the following two measurement instruments: (a) The Treatment Outcome Measure (TOM); and (b) the Global Assessment of Progress (GAP), to assist with aftercare treatment planning.

National Movement

With the end of the Cold War, the threat of a world nuclear war has diminished considerably. It may be hard to imagine that in the end, comedians may be exploiting the humor in the fact that it wasn’t nuclear warheads, but “French fries” that annihilated the human race. On a more serious note, lifestyle diseases and addictions are the leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality, yet brief preventive behavioral assessments and counseling interventions are under-utilized in health care settings (Whitlock, 2002).

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force concluded that effective behavioral counseling interventions that address personal health practices hold greater promise for improving overall health than many secondary preventive measures, such as routine screening for early disease (USPSTF, 1996). Common health-promoting behaviors include healthy diet, regular physical exercise, smoking cessation, appropriate alcohol/ medication use, and responsible sexual practices to include use of condoms and contraceptives.

350 national organizations and 250 State public health, mental health, substance abuse, and environmental agencies support the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “Healthy People 2010” program. This national initiative recommends that primary care clinicians utilize clinical preventive assessments and brief behavioral counseling for early detection, prevention, and treatment of lifestyle disease and addiction indicators for all patients’ upon every healthcare visit.

Partnerships and coordination among service providers, government departments, and community organizations in providing treatment programs are a necessity in addressing the multi-task solution to poly-behavioral addiction. I encourage you to support the mental health and addiction programs in America, and hope that the (ARMS) resources can assist you to personally fight the War on pathological eating disorders within poly-behavioral addiction.

For more info see: Poly-Behavioral Addiction and the Addictions Recovery Measurement System, By James Slobodzien, Psy.D., CSAC at:

http://www.geocities.com/drslbdzn/Behavioral-Addictions.html

Food Addicts Anonymous: http://www.foodaddictsanonymous.org/ Alcoholics Anonymous: http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org/

References American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Association, 2000, p. 787 & p. 731. American Society of Addiction Medicine’s (2003), “Patient Placement Criteria for the Treatment of Substance-Related Disorders, 3rd Edition,. Retrieved, June 18, 2005, from:

http://www.asam.org/ Bandura, A. (1977), Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84, 191-215. Brownell, K. D., Marlatt, G. A., Lichtenstein, E., & Wilson, G. T. (1986). Understanding and preventing relapse. American Psychologist, 41, 765-782. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Retrieved June 18, 2005, from: http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/ Gorski, T. (2001), Relapse Prevention In The Managed Care Environment. GORSKI-CENAPS Web Healthy People 2010. Retrieved June 20, 2005, from: http://www.healthypeople.gov/ Publications. Retrieved June 20, 2005, from: http://www.tgorski.com Lienard, J. & Vamecq, J. (2004), Presse Med, Oct 23;33(18 Suppl):33-40. Marlatt, G. A. (1985). Relapse prevention: Theoretical rationale and overview of the model. In G. A. Marlatt & J. R. Gordon (Eds.), Relapse prevention (pp. 250-280). New York: Guilford Press. McGinnis JM, Foege WH (1994). Actual causes of death in the United States. US Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC 20201 Humphreys, K.; Mankowski, E.S.; Moos, R.H.; and Finney, J.W (1999). Do enhanced friendship networks and active coping mediate the effect of self-help groups on substance abuse? Ann Behav Med 21(1):54-60. Kessler, R.C., McGonagle, K.A., Zhao, S., Nelson, C.B., Hughes, M., Eshleman, S., Wittchen, H. H,-U, & Kendler, K.S. (1994). Lifetime and 12-month prevalence of DSM-III-R psychiatric disorders in the United States: Results from the national co morbidity survey. Arch. Gen. Psychiat., 51, 8-19. Morgenstern, J.; Labouvie, E.; McCrady, B.S.; Kahler, C.W.; and Frey, R.M (1997). Affiliation with Alcoholics Anonymous after treatment: A study of its therapeutic effects and mechanisms of action. J Consult Clin Psychol 65(5):768-777. Orford, J. (1985). Excessive appetites: A psychological view of addiction. New York: Wiley. Prochaska, J. O., & DiClemente, C. C. (1984). The transtheoretical approach: Crossing the boundaries of therapy. Malabar, FL: Krieger. Slobodzien, J. (2005). Poly-behavioral Addiction and the Addictions Recovery Measurement System (ARMS), Booklocker.com, Inc., p. 5. Whitlock, E.P. (1996). Evaluating Primary Care Behavioral Counseling Interventions: An Evidence-based Approach. Am J Prev Med 2002;22(4): 267-84.Williams & Wilkins. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Guide to Clinical Preventive Services. 2nd ed. Alexandria, VA. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy People 2010 (Conference Edition). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office; 2000. World Health Organization, (WHO). Retrieved June 18, 2005, from: http://www.who.int/topics/obesity/en/

James Slobodzien, Psy.D., CSAC, is a Hawaii licensed psychologist and certified substance abuse counselor who earned his doctorate in Clinical Psychology. The National Registry of Health Service Providers in Psychology credentials Dr. Slobodzien. He has over 20-years of mental health experience primarily working in the fields of alcohol/ substance abuse and behavioral addictions in medical, correctional, and judicial settings. He is an adjunct professor of Psychology and also maintains a private practice as a mental health consultant.

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The best way to stay motivated about losing weight is not to focus on which ab workout you’re trying or which crazy diet you’re on. Don’t think about all the sacrifices you’re making by not eating that chocolate cake or missing a rerun of your favorite tv show to go on a walk. Instead focus on the reasons you want to lose weight in the first place.

Do you want to better your health? Get a nicer looking body? Those are the reasons most of us have for wanting to lose weight. The most important thing to fully understand is the “why am I doing this?” And “what is in it for me?” Am I looking for overnight successes or can I have a healthy body all my life. Ask yourself these questions and keep the answers in mind on your weight loss journey.

It takes effort to accomplish anything in life, and it also takes change. One of the hardest things to overcome can just be changing your everyday habits. To change your habits, you’ve got to change the
way you think. Most of your weight loss battle will be fought in your mind, and not in the gym or on the track.

One way to stay motivated is to find a picture of a great, healthy body that you would love to have. Print out this picture and put it in your purse or wallet. Others will be more motivated by keeping a
picture close to them of what they look like right now–the ‘before’ photo. Along with whatever picture you choose, write down your goals and some affirmations: “I will be 10 pounds lighter by July 4th.”
“I will fit into that bikini this summer.” “My spouse will tell me I look amazing.” These are just examples, write down what works best for you.

When you’ve selected a few of your personal phrases, they’ll start to trigger your new positive frame of mind. Say these statements to yourself in the morning when you wake up and before every meal. Never
miss them, this will help change your life, and for the better–much better.

You can buy all the workout machines you want and try every crazy diet on the planet if you want. Do this things work? or are they all hype. Most stuff we see on tv is only hype, as some may work it is
still the basic fundamentals about fitness we all should practice.

If you’re in this for long term, great results then you’ve got to change your habits, and your way of thinking. Tell the affirmations to yourself until you really belieive them, and then still say them! Do
this everyday for three weeks and you’ll begin to see weight loss as it was meant to be. You’ll meet new levels of achievement that you didn’t even know existed. Keep sharp and focused on the right things, stay
passionate and consistent about your new way of life and your rewards will soon begin to reap.

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A new study shows that being overweight in mid-life substantially increased the risk of dying of heart disease later when they get older. This finding is based on a research by Northwestern University as result of tracking 17,643 patients for 3 decades. Even people with healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels when the study began are not safer.

Overweight people are more likely to have heart disease, as they are more likely to have a higher blood pressure and cholesterol. Both hike the risk of heart disease. Statistics shows obesity can cause heart attacks, strokes and diabetes.

So if your weight is above normal level, you need to shed a few pounds for the sake of your health.

How do you know for sure if you are overweight or not? You can tell that by your Body Mass Index, BMI for short. Generally speaking, a person whose BMI index is above 25 is considered overweight.

BMI Weight Status
Below 18.5 Underweight
18.5 ?C 24.9 Normal
25.0 ?C 29.9 Overweight
30.0 and Above Obese

You can calculate your BMI by the following formula:

English Formula
BMI= weight in pounds/(height in inches x height in inches) x 703

Metric Formula
BMI= weight in kilograms/(height in meters x height in meters)

Even if you don??t quite mind being overweight, it??s better to keep your weight at normal level for your health.

Visit http://4-weightloss.info for information and resources about weight control.

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Scientists have now discovered that skeletal frame humans are more vulnerable to bouts of anxiety than that of oversized happy porkers that at the time of study were found to be less prone to depression in their recent research.
Then in the same article a snippet revealed how a 16 year study stated that slim people are more confident and content, surely this is a great factor for happiness denoting a safe healthy life.

The results and outcome say’s that being fat is the making of a happy person. Tell us something new we have had this drummed into us since we learnt to say dada. Two celebrities were mentioned in the article Fern Britton /Victoria Wood for e.g. both with failed marriages behind them. No laughter at that time for these obese characters.

Fern Britton said medical staff informed her of how she is cutting her life short by her excess weight, she went onto say how she finds it all terrifying, but then questions herself as to would her kids like to see their mummy frustrated and depressed. It would be nice to be remembered as a jolly old soul she states, balderdash.
Being able to slip into a figure hugging size 10.12 dress is enough to banish any bouts of depression/anxiety that so many people crave and battle with the bulge to have. Were the children’s thoughts considered at any time where you may bet they would love to have mummy for as long as they could regardless of her mood swings…

Surveys are never a 100% especially when trying to find out how a fat person really feels on the inside? More untruths unfold about a person and their needs when a questionnaire is filled out.
Climbing the stairs, out of breath spasms, running for a bus, comfort on an aeroplane are all out of the question for an obese person not to mention the verbal abuse from ignoramuses on the streets. Tell me where the happiness can be in that.

My heart goes out to obese people through no fault of their own have to suffer the burden of carrying extra weight due to an illness, only to endure more pain from those ignoramuses I spoke of earlier, Remember these patients have a passport to enter into the medical world and seek attention regardless of their size, but as we all know no passport no hospital treatment for those who have self inflicted this disability on themselves.

Overweight and want to do something about it, diets I agree do not work for most people in their quest to slim down so why not consider a whole different way to approach the matter. Just by cutting down and a little more exercise is a fantastic move forward for any one serious about bettering themselves. When you find the new you, why not go onto further your education and do better things with life and that is to start living.

Is it a good thing to be able to reach into a person’s thoughts? Of course, this way no more disasters like that of the 911 bombings, but on the other hand it may cause more damage where the broken hearted overweight people’s tears would flow faster than that of a tsunami.

Jolliness/giggles/smiles/ are not enough to prove that the fat man is a happy. When the laughter comes from the heart then maybe just maybe you will know this sign of happiness is for real.

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You can be overweight and still be relatively fit. But it depends if the extra weight you carry is muscle or fat. If the extra pounds are muscle, your risk of disease is lower than if this weight was fat. If your extra weight is fat, you are at increased risk of diabetes, cancer and stroke ? even if you exercise.

However, this doesn’t mean you’re not benefiting from exercise if you’re overweight or obese. You are. Regular exercise can help reduce the risk of certain diseases. However, your weight is also important to your health. For example, if you’re overweight or obese, you can reduce your risk of heart disease if you exercise ? but you’re still at increased risk of diabetes if you don’t lose weight. Also, carrying extra pounds into your 40s and 50s may put you at increased risk of developing diabetes and heart disease later in life ? even if you have no other risk factors for these diseases.

Still, it’s important to remember that the number on the scale isn’t the whole key to your fitness. Even thin people are at increased risk of heart disease if they’re not active. The exercise you’re doing helps improve your overall health. So keep it up.

Regular physical activity is an essential component to maintaining muscle and a healthy weight. Health experts recommend at least 30 to 60 minutes of moderate-intensity activity five or more days a week. To lose weight, increase the duration and intensity of your exercise, eat a healthy diet and cut back on your portions.

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