Fad Diet Review – L.E.A.R.N.

Lifestyle, Exercise, Attitude, Relationships and Nutrition (L.E.A.R.N.), is a program used

for weight management developed by Kelly D. Brownell, Ph.D that was first published in 1990.

The L.E.A.R.N. manual is a long-term lifestyle program used as a weight management tool that

emphasizes behavior modification strategies. The manual includes 12 weekly lessons that

focuses on self-regulation of eating patterns, controlling behaviors associated with eating,

increasing physical activity, nutrition education, transforming negative thoughts/emotions

associated with dieting, setting realistic goals, relationships, as well as relapse prevention and

weight maintenance (Carels et al., 2011).

According to Stookey, Constant, Popkin, and Gardner (2008), the L.E.A.R.N. program is

a low-fat, high carbohydrate diet; recommending carbohydrate intake between 55% and 65% and

limiting fat intake no more than 10% of total calories intake. Aside from fat restriction, this

program does not necessarily include nor exclude any specific foods. Instead, individuals are

educated on portion control, calorie counting, in addition to calculating their own daily caloric

requirements based on activity levels (Stookey et al., 2008). This weight loss approach

emphasizes a wide range of factors that are essential to achieving goals, such as stress

management, behavior modification, and exercise. These specific areas are incorporated at the

beginning of the program, making it a more sustainable program. However, drawbacks of the

L.E.A.R.N. program include the lack of meal plans and recipes. Additionally, the recommended

low-fat intake may present challenges for certain invidivuals when dining out. There are no

known safety concerns and the exact cost of this program is unavailable.

I personally would recommend the L.E.A.R.N. program to an athlete during their

competitive season. Although low-fat intake has the ability to affect energy balance, especially in
athletes, the recommendations for carbohydrate intake provides an adequate amount of energy

needed for athletes competing. In addition, this program provides resourceful information that

would benefit athletes, as it teaches individuals how to calculate their daily requirements based

on their activity level. Overall, the L.E.A.R.N. program appears to be for individuals looking to

lose weight and/or maintain their weight.

References

Carels, R. A., Young, K. M., Koball, A., Gumble, A., Darby, L. A., Wagner Oehlhof, M., ... &

Hinman, N. (2011). Transforming your life: An environmental modification approach to

weight loss. Journal of health psychology, 16(3), 430-438.

Stookey, J. D., Constant, F., Popkin, B. M., & Gardner, C. D. (2008). Drinking water is

associated with weight loss in overweight dieting women independent of diet and

activity. Obesity, 16(11), 2481-2488.