Dear Health-Conscious Consumer,

Congratulations on your choice to explore the Healthy Directions path! If you've made it to the pages of the Healthy Directions Website, chances are you've already contributed to the $33 billion consumers spend each year on weight loss programs. Here's the clincher: if it is a fast cure, a miracle pill or an overnight potion you seek, this program is not for you. If, however, you are willing to learn the truth about how your body works, if you are committed to becoming a healthier version of yourself, and if you're ready to resign yourself that fad diets simply don't work, you've already made a significant weight loss discovery and one that is truly astoundingly "revolutionary" in today's weight loss world of fast dollars and false promises.

The truth is simply this: weight loss begins in the mind - not in the body. Weight loss naturally occurs as you seek to evolve into a healthier version of yourself, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant the changes are. Once old habits have been countered - likely the most difficult task in creating a lifelong change for the better - new habits emerge with splendid ease. Remember learning to drive? At first, you had to pay strict attention to shifting each gear, to signaling, to braking appropriately and to watching drivers around you. Each move was planned and deliberate as you attempted to maneuver this strange machine. Your body is no different. It is a high-performance engine that runs at peak performance when the right amount of care is given. The path may be bumpy as you make your first attempt at forming new, more balanced habits. You will have to pay attention to what you eat, to how much you eat and to how much you move! The good news is that with patience and practice, you will soon negotiate health habits with the same ease as the car you drive second naturedly today.

FACT: Most people have a difficult time losing more than about one pound per week. In order to lose one pound of body fat, a deficit of 3,500 calories must be created. A program that advertises 30 pounds in 30 days is either lying or promoting an extremely unhealthy practice. Think about this - a 30-pound weight loss is a deficit of 105,000 calories. In order for a woman who is 5'5" and weighs 175 pounds to lose 30 pounds in 30 days, she would be forced to eat nothing and walk 15 miles per day!

"I paid a huge fortune for a well-known weight loss program, and yes, I did lose a lot of weight, but I realized I could not sustain that lifestyle. My physician advised me to attend Healthy Directions to complete my weight loss as well as learn skills to maintain the weight loss. Without Healthy Directions and Mary, I would have never kept this weight off. Healthy Directions is not a diet. It is a lifestyle change. I have kept 53 pounds off for nearly two years now and have reduced my medication by one- half. I look better and there is simply no comparison as to how great I feel."

Anita Yeatman ~ Healthy Directions client

Face the truth: Just as there is no easy way to get rich, there is no easy way to lose weight. Both take patience, persistence and learning to distinguish fact from fiction. If this doesn't sound like the typical "diet" advertisement, take heart. The science found in Healthy Directions comes from years of collected research and proven strategies offering sound advice with no promised sonic speed results. It is also likely the first program you will see that relies solely on the laws of physics - weight is determined simply by input (food) and output (exercise). What results from this program is a lifelong pattern of healthful behaviors that will naturally lead to a slimmer, healthier you!

What do fad diets have in common?

• They promote quick weight loss.
• They are critical and skeptical of the scientific community.
• They promote diets that are unbalanced or extremely low in calories.
• They often use liquid formulas instead of real food.
• They attempt to make clients dependent on "special foods."
• They fail to provide weight maintenance after the program ends.

Customer testimonial

"Healthy Directions is not so much a diet as it is a lifestyle. I lost and gained the same 15-20 pounds so many times with diets that it must have totaled 1,000 pounds. Healthy Directions taught me how to eat and what to eat to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. It especially taught me that eating too many calories at one meal did not mean I had abandoned my good eating habits forever. I learned to forgive myself and go back to healthy eating. I even went on a week's cruise and really enjoyed the great food, but I continued to exercise and only gained two pounds. When the cruise was over, I resumed my good eating habits and the two pounds were gone a week later. With Healthy Directions, I am never hungry and usually feel full. Best of all, it is a healthy lifestyle that is maintained with minimum difficulty. With Healthy Directions I have lost 35 pounds and have maintained that weight loss for 2 years."

Jim Williamson, Attorney

Since Healthy Directions was created by a registered dietitian to be promoted only by other registered dietitians, the program is based on scientific findings - not mere theory. Think about it this way… you wouldn't dream of going to a dentist who possessed no knowledge through scientific study and who "theorized" that his new "revolutionary" drilling technique could be performed painlessly without anesthetic. Why treat your body in any other way? The professionals dispensing the information through Healthy Directions not only possess the scientific training needed to assist in behavior modification, they also have your best interest at heart - your health.

In addition to producing a sense of failure, very low calorie, low carbohydrate diets can:

• Diminish immune response
• Decrease metabolism (This will usually return to normal when a normal eating pattern is resumed)
• Cause loss of bone density
• Produce cold intolerance
• Cause dehydration
• Cause gout
• Cause ketosis
• Cause loss of lean body tissue
• Imbalance minerals and electrolytes
• Cause sleeplessness
• Cause sudden death
• Cause weight cycling
• Cause atrophy of heart muscle
• Decrease blood pressure
• Decrease cardiac output
• Cause irregular heartbeat
• Promote hair loss
• Cause headaches
• Cause body and breath odor
• Cause lethargy/fatigue (not enough glucose to brain)
• Cause dry skin
• Create gallstones
• Create kidney stones
• Cause liver inflammation
• Cause psychological problems
• Cause menstrual irregularity
• Decrease oxygen consumption
• Increase the risk of cancer

What does work?

• Creating awareness through record keeping.
• Creating a style that supplies slightly fewer calories than what is needed to maintain your present body weight.
• Increasing knowledge of food and nutrition and its role in preventing disease processes. Knowledge is power!
• Following the food guide pyramid, focusing on whole grain breads and cereals with increased fruits and vegetables.

A personal note from Mary Gilmore, Healthy Directions Creator, Author and Clinical Dietitian: "Healthy Directions provides clients with the necessary tools for weight loss and maintenance. As a clinical dietitian and a certified diabetes educator, I can tell you firsthand that a consistent pattern of healthful behaviors decreases problems resulting from existing illnesses and severely decreases the risk of developing other diet-related health issues, including heart disease, digestive problems, diabetes and hypertension. I have watched clients time and time again significantly reduce the need for blood pressure, diabetes and other medications through lifestyle modification."

Create a healthy style, give it time, and you can expect to receive desired results!

The truth is always the strongest argument.
~ Sophocles~

Healthy Directions invites you to download a lesson sample for your own perusal and use. Should you have any questions regarding your nearest Healthy Directions program, please feel free to email Mary Gilmore, Healthy Directions creator and author, at marygrd@aol.com.

If you do not have the good fortune of having Healthy Directions available in your community, you can still get started on your path to a healthier weight through our Healthy Consumer Packet. This informational packet contains the core lessons you'll need to get started. It's also packed with healthy, quick and easy recipes and comes with a one-week complimentary review of completed food records by one of our registered dietitians. Additional records may be reviewed for a nominal fee. Through our continued line of support, you will find the motivation, inspiration, facts and scientific knowledge to begin your journey to a healthier you! For more information, CLICK HERE

Document Downloads (require Microsoft Word)

• Portions Control - How Much Is Enough?
• The Family Dinner Table

Document Download (requires Microsoft Word)