Weight Management

Weight Management Program

The UCSF Weight Management Program offers customized plans to help adult patients achieve and maintain weight loss. The plans may include weight loss techniques, dietary changes, exercise programs and behavior modifications, as well as support groups and educational lectures. Research has shown that combining a variety of weight loss and management techniques increases an individual's chance of long-term success. Our goal is to help you adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Choosing Heart Healthy Fats

Heart healthy food choices, exercise and weight control all help prevent and treat heart disease. Saturated fat, hydrogenated fat, and trans fat are linked to an increased risk for heart disease. A heart healthy diet is low in these fats and includes moderate amounts of healthy fats. 

 

Limit These Fats

Saturated, Hydrogenated, Trans Fats

Choose These Healthier Fats

Mono- and Polyunsaturated Fats

Use in moderation

 

·Solid at room temperature

  • Dairy Fats

  Butter, Cheese, Cream Cheese

  Cream, Ice Cream, Sour Cream
  Whole Fat Milk, Creamy Dressing
 

·Meat Fats

  Fatty Marbled Meats, Bacon, Ribs

  Sausage, Salami, Hamburgers
  Hot dogs, Chicken Skin, Lard

  • Baked Goods

  Croissants, Cookies, Cakes,

  Muffins, Pastries, Biscuits, Pies

  • Fried Foods

  Donuts, French Fries, Hash Brown
  Fried Chicken, Fried Fish, Eggrolls

  • Tropical Oils

  Coconut and Palm Oil

·Hydrogenated Oils

         Stick Margarines, Shortening

  • Trans Fats

    Read food labels. Trans fat is  

    listed under total fat.

 

 

·Liquid at room temperature

  • Plant Oils

              Olive, Avocado, Canola   

              Peanut, Safflower, Sunflower

             Walnut, Sesame, Grapeseed

             Flax, Soy

  • Nuts

   Walnuts, Almonds, Cashews,     

   Hazelnuts,  Pecans, Pistachios

   Peanuts, Macadamias

·Seeds

  Chia, Flax, Hemp, Pumpkin

  Sesame, Sunflower, Pine Nuts

  • Fish & Seafood

        Salmon, Mackerel, Herring

        Sardines, Trout, Tuna
        Crab, Lobster, Oysters

        Clams, Mussels, Shrimp                

·Avocados & Olives

·Soy

            Tofu, Tempeh, Soy Milk
            Edamame, Soy Nuts

 

 
 

How to Read a Food Label

How Much Saturated Fat is Too Much?

Calorie Intake

Saturated Fat Limit

1400 kcal

8-9 grams

1600 kcal

9-10 grams

1800 kcal

10-11 grams

2000 kcal

11-13 grams

Text Box: To help lower your LDL cholesterol, limit saturated fat to 5 to 6% of your daily calorie intake. Use this table to figure out your daily saturated fat limit.

Guidelines for a Heart Healthy Diet

Fats

  • Replace saturated, hydrogenated, and trans fats with heart healthy oils in food preparation, cooking, and at the table.
  • Choose healthy fats from whole foods such as avocados, nuts, seeds, fish and olives.
  • Choose vegetable oils such as olive, canola, avocado, and grapeseed oils instead of butter, lard, shortening, palm and coconut oils.

     

Meats and Proteins

  • Choose fatty fish like salmon, mackerel or herring twice per week
  • Incorporate more vegetarian meals.  Try tofu, lentils, beans, nuts, and meat alternatives.
  • Choose leaner cuts of meat such as loin or round.  
  • Choose meats that are not marbled with fat and trim visible fat before cooking.
  • Avoid high-fat processed meats such as hot dogs, sausages, salami, ribs, bologna and bacon.
  • Remove skin from poultry. 

    Dairy and Dairy Alternatives

  • Use low fat or nonfat version of dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and cottage cheese. 
  • Buy reduced fat or low fat versions of your favorite cheeses. Look for 2% cheeses. Mozzarella and ricotta are naturally lower in fat.
  • Choose milk alternatives like soy and almond milk.
  • Limit cream, cream sauces, and creamed soups.

    More Helpful Tips

  • Read Nutrition Facts labels on food packages.  Choose foods with low amounts of saturated fat and avoid trans fats.
  • When reading labels on meat and cheese (per ounce)

    0-3 grams of fat = lean

    4-7 grams of fat = medium fat

    8 or more grams of fat = high fat

  • Avoid deep-fried foods.
  • Drain and discard visible fat when cooking.
  • Baking, broiling, boiling, poaching, and steaming are low fat cooking methods.
  • Use vegetable oil sprays to coat pans and trays for cooking or baking.

     

Choose Healthy Fats