Wednesday, January 31, 2001

Weight reduction after the holidays

By JOY MALTESE, RN
District 4 Health Services

Obesity is virtually an epidemic in this country.

More than 50 percent of the women, 66 percent of the men, and 25 percent of the children in our country are overweight, giving us the dubious distinction of being the fattest country on earth. The reasons for this are simple. We're eating too much, we're eating the wrong foods, and we're exercising too little.

Being overweight increases your risk of heart disease, type II diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, some types of cancer, and premature death, so getting a handle on your weight is imperative. It can be done but not the way you think.

The secret to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight isn't a fad diet or a prescription weight loss drug or even an herbal appetite suppressant. The key is doing boring, routine, and extraordinarily unsexy things like exercising regularly and eating a balanced diet.

Good nutrition is vital

Food is the most neglected of medicines. Day in and day out, the foods you choose as fuel either build your body up or tear it down.

Avoid skipping meals. This often leads to binge or impulse eating, causing us to make poor choices in the foods we eat and the amount of food we consume. Eat sensibly, three times a day, with a healthy snack between meals.

Seek out healthy fats

Keep your overall fat intake in the 20-percent range, and avoid unhealthy fats high-fat dairy, red meat, pork and fatty poultry, processed oils, and margarine as much as possible. These foods have little nutritive value, and the fats they contain are linked to a number of chronic diseases.

Eat protein moderately

Protein is essential to build and repair tissues and for many other functions in the body, but you need less than you think. About 20 percent of your diet should consist of high-quality protein from lean poultry, fish, egg whites, nonfat yogurt, beans, and grains.

Plant foods are the key

Vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains are, quite simply, the best foods to fuel your body, feed your brain, and fight disease. Most plant foods contain slow-burning carbohydrates, which yield a steady supply of energy and satisfy your hunger. They are also loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other nutrients necessary for good health.

Drink plenty of water

Fatigue, weakness, listlessness, sore muscles, jitters, muscle cramps, indigestion, poor complexion, dry skin, constipation, even the blues can be the result of lack of fluid intake. And thirst is a poor indicator of the body's need for water.

A general rule of thumb: Drink twice as much water as it takes to quench your thirst. We need at least 6-8 eight-ounce glasses of water a day. Keep a glass of water close by to drink throughout the day. This makes a good appetite suppressant.

Know your caloric needs

Most people only need 10-13 calories per pound of body weight per day to maintain their current weight depending on their activity level. You can find out what your daily caloric needs are by using the Caloric Requirement Calculator found at www.learneducation.com.

Note the differences in your caloric requirements by recalculating at different activity levels. Remember, one pound of weight equals 3,500 calories. If you want to lose one pound of weight per week, either reduce your caloric intake by that much per week or increase your activity to burn off that many calories per week.

The best way to achieve and/or maintain your ideal body weight is to combine proper nutrition and increased activity. This may require modifications in lifestyle, making permanent lifelong changes and commitment.

A diet refers to a short-term commitment, with a short-term goal, to lose your extra weight. Once your goal is achieved, old habits begin to return.

It's your choice. Don't diet, make the decision to change your lifestyle to improve your future health.