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CNN Saturday Morning News
Summer Shape-Up: Interview With Donato Vaccaro
Aired May 25, 2002 - 08:35 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: All right, here it is, as promised. This is the first installation of CNN's summer shape up. Tune in every Saturday at 8:00 a.m. from now until Labor Day for everything you need to know about slimming down and shaping up.
And just to preview some of the experts we plan on bringing to you, Dan Isaacson, nutritionist of the stars; Jake Logo of "The Body By Jake" fame; Oprah's personal trainer, Bob Green, and the always popular exercise guru Richard Simmons.
And in case you miss any of the information, you can head to cnn.com/health for our summer shape up Web page. It's chock full of tips, quizzes and a preview of what's ahead.
All right, let's get right to it.
"Consumer Reports" magazine has conducted a major survey on weight loss. Psychologist Donato Vaccaro helped lead the research.
He joins us now from New York to talk a little bit about it.
Donato, what did you discover from this survey?
DONATO VACCARO, "CONSUMER REPORTS": Well, this is probably the largest survey ever of weight loss and maintenance and we found that among 32 dieters, that is, dieters were defined as people who had ever been overweight in their life. They had a body mass index of 27 or more. That's the standard definition of being overweight.
Well, among those people we identified about one of four were successful in losing 10 percent of their body weight or more and keeping it off for a year or more. And among them, we found half of those people, 4,000 dieters were super losers. They lost 10 percent of their body weight or more and kept it off for five years or more.
PHILLIPS: Wow. How did they keep it off?
VACCARO: Well, the most interesting finding, I think, of the whole project was that 83 percent of the super losers said they did it entirely on their own without the help of a formal weight loss program, diet book or pill. So what we learned was that there's really no magic formula, no magic pill. Essentially people did it on their own. PHILLIPS: But is there a way to figure out what formula is best for you? Obviously there's medical concerns. Some people have a different metabolism rate.
VACCARO: Right. Well, basically, what we learned is that people tailored their own diet or exercise program based on their individual needs. Most important, we found that exercise was one of the most important strategies our dieters used. The vast majority of them were doing some kind of walking, at least. And we found that among people who exercised at least three times a week or more, 80 percent of them said that that was like the most important thing that helped them to lose weight.
PHILLIPS: Now, counseling and getting a trainer, what was the percentage? How many people sort of needed that other person in their life somehow motivating them?
VACCARO: Well, actually, we didn't find that many people did that. Less than 10 percent used a personal counselor. We, the examples we gave were a nutritionist or a psychologist, say. But the people that did use that -- and, by the way, people were probably less likely to use that because it costs money -- but among people who did use that one-on-one counseling, that was the second most effective strategy compared to doing it on your own, using your own diet or exercise regimen.
PHILLIPS: How often did these folks that were successful exercise?
VACCARO: I would say basically, you know, more than seven -- about three quarters of them were exercising at least three times a week, doing vigorous exercise, keeping their heart rate going and sweating.
PHILLIPS: OK, now you had some bullet points. So I read your, the "Consumer Reports." I have it right here. Let's talk about some of the bullet points that you point out.
VACCARO: Sure. There's five bullet points which are based on the findings from our research with our readers and also combined with information that we've obtained from the latest research in nutrition. And one of the first bullet points is that you should learn to tame your blood sugar level. How your body uses carbohydrates is a really important aspect of dieting and we found that from our readers' experiences, by reducing highly refined carbohydrates like pasta and potatoes, you can help to regulate your glycemic index in your body.
The goal -- excuse me -- to regulate your glycemic in your body. The fact is that you want to reduce blood sugar levels because when your blood sugar levels are low, you'll feel more hungry. So by eating high fiber, whole grain foods instead of highly refined foods, you'll be able to feel less hungry.
PHILLIPS: Psychologist Donato Vaccaro, also with "Consumer Reports." Get that June 2002 issue. It's a great article.
Donato, thank you.
VACCARO: You bet.
PHILLIPS: All right, now our celebrity panel is ready to answer all your diet and exercise questions. It's still not too late to get your question in. E-mail us at wam@cnn.com. You can also call us now at 404-221-1855. Fitness experts Donna Richardson, Denise Austin and Billy Blanks will join us, not intimidate us, right after this break.
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