BlueExtrasSM Weight Management Discount ProgramJenny Craig® Discount Program Show Jenny Craig can help you achieve your weight loss goals. Through one-on-one support provided by a trained weight loss consultant, you will receive a tailored program based on the three essential components of successful weight management: Food, Body, Mind. You can meet with your consultant in-person in a local centre, or enjoy the convenience and privacy of the Jenny Craig At Home program. Choose the program that works best for you: Trial - Free 30-day program* Try Jenny Craig for 30 days! Then you can upgrade using your Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) discount to one of the programs described below. Premium Success - 25 percent off the 1-year Premium Success program*? This program is designed to help you lose weight and learn to keep it off! Enjoy up to 10% off Jenny Craig weight loss products, plus additional incentives for staying on track with your program. Register for Jenny Craig Online:
To find your nearest Jenny Craig Centre**, or to enroll in Jenny Direct�, the at-home program, call 877-JENNY70 (877-536-6970). For more information check out the Jenny Craig program frequently asked questions. Get Your ID Card Learn more about these BlueExtrasSM discounts currently offered: The relationship between Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois and Jenny Craig is that of independent contractors. Treatment goalsRegardless of the type or combination of obesity treatment, goal setting is an important part of any obesity treatment plan. While a person may want to lose a large amount of weight, it's important to realize that setting and achieving a realistic goal of reducing weight by as little as 3% to 5% of body weight will yield important, positive gains in health. Treatment goals work best if they are tailored to a person's needs. For example, it's safe to lose 1 or 2 pounds per week, but a person may be more comfortable losing at a lower rate of one-half pound per week. Over one year, that is a 26-pound loss. If that rate is maintained over 3 years, it will lead to a significant weight loss of 78 pounds over time. Whatever treatment plan a person follows, losing weight slowly will be more effective and healthy over the long term. Quick weight loss often spurs weight regain. Treatment for obesityTreatment for obesity may include a combination of different types of treatment. Always talk with your healthcare provider for a diagnosis and treatment recommendations. There are a variety of ways to treat obesity. Using more than one method, such as making diet changes as well as adding exercise, are beneficial. DietAlthough diet plans high in protein and fat and low in carbohydrates are popular, some of these diets may pose serious health risks in the long run because of the emphasis on saturated fat. Successful weight loss that is maintained over a long period of time depends more on limiting energy consumed (calories) and increasing energy expenditure (exercise and daily activity) than just the composition of the diet. Fasting may result in rapid weight loss, but lean muscle mass may be lost as well as fat. All-liquid diets must be medically supervised. They may be used for a short time in people who are obese. Although these liquid diets may be effective in the short term, they are not the long-term answer to weight loss. Fads, fasting, and popular diets in which health effects have not been determined by rigorous clinical trials may not be healthy choices for weight loss. However, there are dietary recommendations that, if followed, will lead to weight loss:
ExerciseA regular exercise program helps people who are obese by helping keep and add lean body mass, or muscle tissue, while losing fat. It also helps to increase the rate at which weight is lost if a person is eating healthy food according to a meal plan. This is because muscle tissue burns calories faster. Walking is an excellent choice of exercise for people who are obese. A walking program should start slowly by walking 30 minutes a day a few days a week. Increase gradually to the goal of walking for longer periods most days of the week. If you have severe arthritis and walking is difficult, water walking in a swimming pool is a very effective means of exercise. There is minimal weight bearing on the knees with this exercise. Some fitness centers also offer water aerobics. Exercise lowers blood pressure and can help prevent type 2 diabetes. Exercise also helps improve mood, reduce appetite, improve sleep, improve flexibility, and lower LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol). Check with your healthcare provider before starting any exercise program. Environmental factorsMany U.S. adults have a sedentary lifestyle. Becoming active takes effort on your part. Use of the car and working at a desk restrict activity. Watching TV is a sedentary activity that can contribute to an inactive lifestyle. There are simple steps that can be taken to increase daily activity:
By looking at a person's daily routine, it may be easier than first imagined to find ways to work more activity into the day in addition to exercising. The workplace may be challenging when trying to stick to a weight loss plan. However, there are strategies that may help to keep a weight loss plan on track at work. Bring healthy snacks, such as cut-up fruits and vegetables, to keep on hand when the pastry cart rolls by. Avoid going to office social gatherings hungry. Plan ahead to avoid the temptation of treats that are high in sugar and fat. Ask your employer if he or she can allow an exercise program to be built into your work schedule. You may be able to use a treadmill while you work. Some people also benefit from working at a standing desk instead of sitting all day. Support groupsJoin a support group for encouragement and reinforcement of changing lifestyle behaviors. Some groups meet weekly and are run by volunteers, psychologists, nutritionists, or exercise therapists. There are also online communities that can help provide support and information to strengthen efforts to lose weight and make lifestyle changes. Friends and family can also provide important support when making lifestyle changes. Although commercial weight loss programs can be expensive, many of them offer the convenience of prepared food. Some of these programs also provide professional consultation to help a person to tailor his or her weight loss efforts to his or her needs. Medical treatmentTreatment by a healthcare provider may be necessary when efforts to lose weight have been unsuccessful ,yet coexisting medical conditions make it crucial to lose weight. Medicine may be necessary for those having obesity-related health problems and, while medicines may help, they are not the "magic" bullet. Behavioral measures play an even more important part in any weight loss regimen. Behavioral strategies can be used to help change dietary habits and increase activity levels. Eating disorders need treatment by a therapist and may also need medicine. Surgical treatmentWeight-loss surgery (bariatric surgery) is the only choice today that effectively treats morbid obesity in people for whom more conservative measures, such as diet, exercise, and medicine have failed. Potential candidates include:
There are several different types of bariatric surgery, but all procedures are either malabsorptive, restrictive, or a combination of the two. Malabsorptive procedures change the way the digestive system works. Food is rerouted past a part of the small intestine that absorbs some calories and nutrients. With some procedures, there is a restrictive part of the procedure as well. These procedures are commonly referred to as "gastric bypass" procedures or the more aggressive duodenal switch with biliopancreatic diversion. Restrictive procedures severely reduce the size of the stomach to hold less food, but the digestive functions remain intact. This type of procedure may be referred to as a "gastric banding," or vertical sleeve gastrectomy. Typically, malabsorptive procedures result in more weight loss than restrictive procedures. They also lead to more nutritional deficiencies over time. Always talk with your healthcare provider to find out more information. |