Ideas To Help You Flexi ity: The New Buzzword In Weight Loss (NAPSA)—Today, losing weight can be a challenge for anyone experiencing a hectic and unpredictable life. It is not surprising, then, that experts say it is essential for a weight-loss plan to be flexible and adapt to the fastpaced way people now live. Unfortunately, many weightloss diets are based on rigid formulas that are hard to maintain. Low-carbohydrate diets may look good on paper, for example, but it’s easy to feel deprived of the foods you love when following them andeasier still to abandon the diet altogether in the face of ordinary obstacles. What busy people need is a plan that adds flexibility and ease to theirlives. The good newsis that Weight Watchers has introduced new FlexPoints. The company has taken the simple structure of its POINTS Food System that is proven to work and built in plenty of leeway so eating well and losing weight aren’t such a hassle. Flexibility and the freedom to eat whatever you like helps to eliminate the stress that can complicate the weight-loss process. According to the International Labor Organization, Americans are working almost a full week more per year than they were a decade ago, and the news magazine The Wilson Quarterly says that leisure time for most adults has shrunk by almost 40 percent during the past 15 years. In reality, people juggle so much in their daily lives that, for many, trying to lose weight is just another source of stress. A 2002 Harris Interactive study found that almost half of its respondents For most people, flexibility is key in finding a weight-loss program that works. feel they don’t have time to get their lives in order. “A rigid diet is like walking a tightrope because there’s no room for error,” said Karen MillerKovach, M.S8., R.D., Chief Scientist at Weight Watchers International, Inc. “FlexPoints is like an elastic band that can be pulled and stretched lots of ways without breaking.” New research comparing people’s mental approach to eating have found that a “flexible control” approach to eating is associated with successful weight management. Flexible control means being able to adjust one’s eating up or down, as the situation requires. The research showsthat being flexible is associated with fewer episodes of overeating, lower body mass indexes, and lower scores on measures of depression and anxiety. For more information or to find the nearest meeting location, visit WeightWatchers.com or call 1-800- 651-6000.
