Sun Lite for Jan. 20, 2003

Monday, Jan. 20, 2003 | 8:25 a.m.

Pound predictions

When it comes to fad diets, you'll be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn't been to The Zone (and back again); said "See ya later" to carbohydrates; or broke little more than his or her spirit while trying to bust sugar.

Makes you wonder what weight-loss gimmicks are on the horizon for 2003, doesn't it? Well, wonder no more. The seers at the Calorie Control Council, a nonprofit association that has tracked U.S. diet trends for more than a quarter-century, have peered into their crystal balls to predict what will be hot and not on the health and weight-loss scene this year.

First, the bad news: The association says scales throughout this great land will continue tipping toward the heavy side, as the nation's obesity epidemic grows. The Calorie Control Council sites government stats that 65 percent of adults are overweight, while 31 percent are considered obese. Also look for obesity-related diseases, such as diabetes, to continue rising.

The good news: Activity rates are also climbing. And speaking of climbing, the council says more people will take stairs instead of elevators, among other exercise-ish stabs, in an attempt to squeeze some physical activities into their daily routines. Meanwhile state and local governments may develop plans to help get residents in shape, similar to a Colorado program that has people counting the number of steps they take each day.

Also en vogue will be dieting online, via weight-loss programs such as the one offered by surprise! the Calorie Control Council on its website, caloriescount.com. Such programs, says the council's registered dietician Beth Hubrich, "eliminate the need to attend meetings," while allowing dieters "to get the feedback they need to stay motivated."

So much for the argument that it's unhealthy to sit in front of the computer for hours.

Weight for help

Not so fast. There is still no substitute for old-fashioned exercise when it comes to shedding pounds. So say members of the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, yet another nonprofit association (just how do these fitness folks make any money?), which represents more than 6,500 clubs nationwide.

A good way to stick to an exercise program is with the help of a professional, in the form of a personal trainer at a health club. But before hiring one of these exercise experts or even joining a gym the IHRSA recommends the following: