Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center will present “What’s the skinny on weight loss?” June 7 at 6:30 p.m. in the Education Center.

The program is designed to provide participants with the tools of a healthy balanced diet and help encourage physical activity.

Gwen Zumwalt, registered dietitian and coordinator of the event, plans to help the attendants of the workshop change their eating habits by identifying their eating styles.

“This program is being put on to assist our community members with making healthy lifestyle choices,” Zumwalt said. “People have a lot of eating cues that trigger them to eat, such as stress, so we can make changes based on that.”

Zumwalt said this program was planned because of community interest in the topic.

“One of the needs for our hospital is to promote a healthier community so we wanted to put the information out there,” Zumwalt said.

During the program, Zumwalt plans to instruct her participants on the strategies of healthy weight loss.

Some of these strategies include following the food pyramid and making sure the correct portion size is consumed, Zumwalt said.

“When you’re trying to lose weight, it’s important to realize how many calories you need,” Zumwalt said. “We want to help people understand their eating habits, and then try to help people make changes in eating and exercise.”

Karla Kennedy-Hagan, professor of family and consumer sciences, said it’s important to look at the individual’s intake from all the food groups in order to lose weight.

“Increasing the whole grain cereals is better than cakes and cookies,” Kennedy-Hagan said. “The biggest culprit is the amount of the fat people consume. One teaspoon of fat is 45 calories and one tablespoon of fat is 135 calories.”

Another big difference is that corporations are marketing platter-size meals. This makes exercise more important in a healthy diet.

“I suggest 30 minutes a day. 60 minutes a day would be better,” Kennedy-Hagan said. “Exercise can be anything the person likes to do-swimming, running, walking, jogging.”

Kennedy-Hagan said the more a person a gets into an exercise routine, then the more addictive it will become.

“The endorphins in the body are raised and it makes a person feel better about themselves,” Kennedy-Hagan said. “They feel more excited and they feel good during their physical activity.”

The more likely a person is to gain weight, the more they are putting themselves at risk for disease.

High-fat foods are often over-consumed, such as meat.

“A normal meat serving size is 3 ounces,” Kennedy-Hagen said. “People go out and have double or triple burgers; meat is associated with more fat intake.”

Kennedy-Hagen said when people eat quickly, the chances of overeating are common.

“It takes the brain 20 minutes to realize you have eaten a meal,” Kennedy-Hagen said.

Kennedy-Hagen said balance is important in a diet.

“It’s important to eat from all the food groups,” Kennedy-Hagen said. “You can have a balanced diet & dessert as long as you follow portions.”

Jennifer Brown can be reached at 581-7942 or jebrown2@eiu.edu.