Too good to be true? Indeed. While you may lose some pounds, they will return quickly once your old eating patterns are resumed.

Even so, this doesn’t stop countless numbers of Americans from pursuing an easy route to weight control. Everyone wants a quick fix to shed those extra pounds, but they also want their french fries and cola.

Few Americans realize that dieting isn’t enough. To improve your health and appearance, experts say real progress will occur only when you change your current lifestyle patterns and begin "eating for life."

Several students at Loachapoka High School in east Alabama are working with just this goal in mind, thanks to Brenda Lindahl, Loachapoka High School nurse, who not only organized the group but is encouraging and advising them almost daily. They’ve been meeting for the past seven months, learning to make healthful changes in their lifestyles.

Delores Musser, Nutrition Education Program agent with the Lee County Extension office, also has played an instrumental role helping these students follow through with positive changes.

From the beginning, Musser has stressed to the students that they are not in a weight-reduction class but one designed to help the students make informed decisions about food choices. Students have discussed fat grams, hidden fats, sugar content, label reading, severing sizes, and a host of other topics related to weight control.

Equally important, Musser says, is the need to maintain a regular exercise program. She also stresses the importance of planning for special occasions when one would be serving favorite foods.

"It’s very important to enjoy these occasions and not feel like you’ve blown everything," Musser says. "This is about eating for a lifetime by controlling serving sizes, eating a variety of foods, and eating in moderation by following the Food Guide Pyramid," Musser says.

The group has learned to limit foods from the top of the pyramid and make changes in cooking methods. Musser has also stressed the importance of reading food labels carefully.

"I’ve learned how to read labels for nutrition facts," says Cornetta, one of the students involved in the program.

Another remarked, "It helps me to stop saying, ‘I’m on a diet,’ and learn to say, ‘I’m eating healthy.’"

Teachers have also have taken note of the program, with one pointing out that she also has gained an understanding of the importance of altering eating habits for a longer life.

Extension programs proceed with just this idea in mind: learning for a lifetime.

(Source: Delores Musser, NEP agent, Lee County Extension Office, 749-3353.)

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