A Healthy Lifestyle Program for the Treatment of Obesity in Minority Men

Historically, minority males have had limited success in programs designed to reduce weight. Twenty-five obese minority males participated in a healthy lifestyle program designed to treat essential hypertension, hyperlipidemia, type II diabetes, obesity, and hypothyroidism. Coined the LE3AN Lifestyle Program (emphasizing healthy lifestyles, realistic exercise, reasonable expectations and emotions, attitudes, and nutrition), the program offered a treatment model that involved reasonable low-intensity short exercise regimens, instruction, and extensive practice in making healthy food choices, behavior modification, and self-monitoring techniques coupled with guidance on realistic weight loss and exercise expectations. The participants were able to lose 13 Ib during the inpatient plus day treatment phases of the program and continued to maintain a 19-lb weight loss at 12 months. A program overview, case examples, and suggestions to improve outcome efficacy with difficult to manage obese, minority, male patients are provided.