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How to Keep Your Weight in Line
It's annoying but true: As we chalk up additional years, we find ourselves adding unwanted pounds in the process. People who had no weight problem in their 30s and 40s watch in dismay as the needle on the scale creeps upward during their 50s and 60s, even though their diet hasn't changed. And therein lies the problem.
As the years go by, the body's metabolism rate slows down and we need fewer calories than we did when we were younger. The same diet that kept us trim at 40 may plaster on the pounds at 50. Yet we still need the same amount--or more--of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients we've been getting all along. This poses a dilemma: How to find a diet that meets no more than our basic caloric needs while supplying more nutritional value than ever.
One way around the problem is exercise. The more calories you burn, the more you can eat. And you don't have to enter a marathon or "feel the burn" of a Jane Fonda workout for exercise to make a difference. Taking a walk every day is ideal (see chapter 4). You can burn off three pounds a month by walking at a moderate rate for an hour per day. For many, however, this won't be enough.
Whether the solution is diet, exercise, or both, the problem is more than aesthetic--especially as we grow older. Studies by life insurance companies show that slim people live longer, healthier lives than those who are overweight. And the reasons for this are legion.
The Health Consequences of Excess Weight
Carrying too many pounds has a hair-raising array of potential consequences. Excess weight increases the chances of developing heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, gallstones, certain cancers, varicose veins, pressure ulcers, and a variety of other diseases.
For example, high blood pressure is twice as common among overweight people aged 45 to 74. Overweight people are also three times more likely to develop diabetes. In fact, the Nurses Health Study, one of the largest disease-risk studies ever undertaken, showed that women who gain 15 excess pounds increase their risk of diabetes by 50 percent.
For men, the consequences of being overweight can be even more pronounced. A recently completed 27-year study of more than 19,000 middle-aged men found that those at their ideal weights lived significantly longer than those just 2 to 6 percent above the ideal. The heavier the men in the study, the shorter their life expectancy. Those who were 20 percent overweight had a risk of death from heart disease that was two-and-a-half times that of their slimmer counterparts.
Cancer and More
Obesity has also been linked with gallstones, back pain, sleep apnea (a condition characterized by brief periods when breathing stops during sleep), heartburn, stroke, gout, varicose veins, and even some types of cancer, including colon and prostate cancer in men, and uterine, endometrial, and breast cancer in women.
What seems clear is that the biochemical disruptions caused by being overweight are more complex and more prevalent than we thought. In just the last year or two, medical researchers have discovered links between excess weight and an astonishing variety of health problems, ranging from osteoarthritis of the hands and knees to carpal tunnel syndrome (a nerve conduction problem in the hand). All of these discoveries underscore the wisdom and benefits of weight control.
It Happens
Why do so many Americans tend to be overweight? The answer is simple: Many of us are taking in more fuel than our bodies need. Indeed, Americans now consume 34 percent of their calories in the form of dietary fat, the food most easily converted to body fat. (For every 100 unused calories taken in as fat, 97 are stored as fat. For every 100 unused calories taken in as carbohydrates, only 77 are stored as fat; the rest fuel the process of converting those carbohydrates to fat.)
Other factors that have contributed to the epidemic of overweight include highly processed foods laced with excessive amounts of fat, sugar, and sodium; lack of exercise in an age of labor-saving devices, computers, and tv; stress that prompts us to overeat or routinely snack on junk food; drinking (and nibbling high-fat snacks at the same time); and the decline in smoking (individuals who quit smoking often experience a 4- to 6-pound weight gain).
Sex Matters
Where weight is concerned, men can count themselves lucky. Women gain weight more easily than men do; and women have to work harder to get it off. It's all a matter of biochemistry.
A fat cell is designed to store calories (lipogenesis) when you don't need them and release fat (lipolysis) when you do. The enzymes that help store fat are called lipogenic enzymes; the ones that help release fat are lipolytic enzymes.
Women tend to have more lipogenic enzymes for fat storage; and the more you can store, the bigger the fat cell. Men have more lipolytic enzymes for fat release and, therefore, smaller fat cells.
Testosterone, the male sex hormone, activates the lipolytic enzymes for speedy release of fat. Estrogen, the female sex hormone, activates and multiplies the lipogenic enzymes. Estrogen not only stimulates the storage of fat, but also directs where most of it will be stored, concentrating it in the hips, buttocks, and thighs.
Throughout their lives, women have more body fat than men. The bodies of young girls contain a higher percentage of fat than those of young boys. And at certain milestones in the female life cycle--puberty, pregnancy, and menopause--women tend to put on even more fat. That means that the older a woman gets, the more likely she is to face the health-destroying problem of excess weight.
In technologically advanced countries, most men keep gaining weight until they reach their mid-50s, when they start shedding pounds. In women, however, body weight keeps increasing until the late 60s. After that it declines, but at a rate slower than that of men. While the metabolic changes of maturity could be a factor, reduced physical activity may be the real culprit.
Overweight or Over-Fat?
Don't trust only your scale or your mirror; they tell just half the story. It is body fat, rather than weight, that may be the best indicator of whether or not you need to trim down.
Fat comprises about 15 to 18 percent of the total body weight of a healthy, physically fit man. For a woman, the ratio is slightly higher: from 20 to 25 percent. It's quite possible to exceed these ratios without weighing in above your ideal; and the reverse holds true as well. Remember: You can be overweight without being over-fat and over-fat without being overweight.
This is one of the reasons a tape measure can be a better tool than a scale for measuring the success of a weight loss program. Since muscle weighs more than fat, your weight may seem to stabilize or even increase as you build muscle mass. Don't be discouraged. If you're wearing smaller-sized clothes or you've lost inches from your hips, waist, or neck, you are actually leaner and healthier than when you started.
Apple vs. Pear
At least as important as total weight is where the fat tends to settle on your body. While fat in the hips, thighs, and buttocks is mainly stored just under the skin, fat in the midsection is stored deeper in the body.
As we grow older, fat tends to collect around the abdomen, and many people develop an "apple shape." This can be more dangerous than having a "pear shape," in which excess fat gravitates to the hips and thighs.
Experts theorize that abdominal fat releases more fatty acids, leading to a rise in blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels. While this can be a serious health problem in and of itself, it also may interfere with the action of insulin in the body, thus increasing the risk of diabetes. Some researchers also believe that "apple shape" obesity may increase the availability and activity of estrogen, leading to an elevated risk of breast cancer. The good news is that, to some degree, you can modify your shape, whether apple or pear, through exercise and diet modification.
What Weight Is Right for You?
Recent research suggests that if you repeatedly have trouble reaching--and maintaining--your ideal weight, you may be better off surrendering that elusive goal altogether and focusing on what your body really wants to weigh: your natural weight.
Natural weight is the weight your body goes to and maintains when you're eating reasonably and not drastically cutting calories, exercising vigorously, or otherwise trying to shed pounds. It will never be a fixed number, but, rather, a range of 5 to 8 pounds (since weight normally varies slightly with changes in general health, activity, hormone levels, and the time of day).
Of course, that doesn't mean that any weight is healthy. If your weight is 20 percent or more over the top of the ideal range for your height and frame (see the nearby table), you should consider trimming down to stay healthy.
Gauging Your Natural Weight
To determine your current natural weight range, consider the following factors.
Your personal weight history. Try to remember the lowest weight range you have successfully maintained as an adult, without dieting, for a period of a year or more. That is your baseline natural weight range.
Your family. Make a mental picture of family members when they were about the age you are now. Because genetics is a powerful variable in terms of size and shape, family resemblance can help define your natural weight. (Remember, however, that even if you come from a long line of very heavy people, if your weight seems dangerously high, it's wise to check with your doctor about the need to shed some pounds.)
Your exercise habits. Think back to that period when you maintained your lowest-ever weight. If you exercised regularly then and don't do it now, you may need to add several pounds to your baseline weight range--or start exercising again.
Strategies for Successful Weight Loss
Once you have determined your natural weight range, what do you do with the information? If your weight is excessive for your height, you should try to lose weight gradually by adopting a low-fat, moderate-calorie, healthful diet and boosting your exercise level. Remember that crash diets and furious bouts of exercise don't work and can, indeed, be dangerous. Moderation and consistency are the keys to success.
From a weight-loss standpoint, a low-fat diet is ideal because it minimizes the amount of fat readily available for your body to store. But how low is low? The American Heart Association, the National Academy of Science, the American Cancer Society, and many other groups recommend that we get a maximum of 30 percent of our calories from fat (with no more than 10 percent of total calories from saturated fats). Another body of nutrition experts, including Nathan Pritikin and Dr. Dean Ornish, suggest that even lower levels of fat (10 to 20 percent of total calories) are much better than 30%, and can, among other things, actually reverse existing heart disease.
Calories Still Count
Your body needs a certain number of calories per day to maintain bodily functions--referred to as your Basal Metabolic Rate (bmr). You can estimate your bmr by multiplying your current weight (in pounds) by 10 for women, 11 for men. For example, a woman who weighs 120 pounds would require about 1,200 calories per day just to maintain her bodily functions. You'll also need some percentage of calories above your bmr to provide energy for your daily activities; the percentage will vary widely based on your metabolism and activity level. A moderately fit and active person might need 30 to 50 percent more calories than the bmr to maintain current weight. Example: A 120-pound woman would need approximately 1,680 calories per day [1,200 + (1,200 x 40%) = 1,680]. A person who is very fit and exercises frequently might burn as much as 100 to 200 percent more than his or her bmr.
If your goal is to lose weight, you'll need to take in fewer calories than you use up, or burn off extra calories through exercise, or both. If you choose to decrease calories, aim for the amount needed daily to maintain your target weight, not your current weight. Most experts recommend that women take in a minimum of 1,200 calories and men a minimum of 1,600 per day. Lower calorie levels are unlikely to supply all the essential nutrients you need, and may slow down your metabolism, making weight loss even more difficult. For gradual weight loss, some professionals recommend a daily calorie target of 10 times your weight. At this level, they say, you can expect to lose half a pound per week.
Good (And Bad) News about Sugar
The "empty calories" of sugar have gained a bad reputation. Yet sugar by itself isn't a problem. It's the high levels of fat in sugary foods such as ice cream and pastries that really put on the pounds. In terms of weight loss or maintenance, sugar becomes objectionable only when you fail to keep your intake down to moderate levels. Sugar is a carbohydrate, thus it is normally burned by the body immediately, and is converted to fat only if it's present in quantities too large to be used at once.
Nevertheless, some people find that even moderate amounts of sugar stimulate cravings for yet more sweets, often of the high-fat variety. If you are one of these people, you may find it helpful to eliminate processed sugars from your diet, relying instead on the natural sweetness of fruits, vegetables, and grains. Artificial sweeteners can be an effective aid if you have occasional cravings for sweets, but probably won't work for those of us with an active sweet tooth. The taste of artificial sweeteners can trigger sugar cravings about as easily as the real thing can.
Tempting Techniques for Boosting Fiber
Fiber has many benefits, but one stands out when you're losing weight: it fills out the stomach and intestinal cavity, producing a feeling of fullness. Fiber is found chiefly in nonprocessed foods such as whole grains, beans, peas, fruits, and vegetables. Fiber may be added to processed foods in the form of bran, which is the outer coating from a grain such as wheat or oats.
The typical American diet is high in processed foods, most of which contain little or no fiber. Most people get only about 10 to 12 grams of fiber per day, while 25 to 30 grams are needed to get real health benefits. If your current diet is low in fiber, it's important to increase your intake gradually over a period of weeks or months (a sudden jump can cause bloating, cramping, and gas). Try having a small serving of a high-fiber, low-fat cereal with your breakfast; as your system becomes used to the higher fiber levels, start substituting whole-grain breads, cereals, and pastas for refined (white flour, low fiber) varieties. Increase your consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, and eat edible peels and skins (apples, potatoes) instead of trimming them.
How to Put Your Diet into Action
Once you've decided it's time to shed a few extra pounds, the big question is How? The basic principles--less fat, fewer calories, more fiber--are enshrined in hundreds of dieting schemes. At any given time, you have a choice of over 300 diet books, plus all of the commercial diet centers in your area (there were over 8,000 of them recently in operation across the country). The first decision to make is whether you prefer to go it alone or seek the help of a structured program.
Tips for Do-It-Yourselfers
If you're the go-it-alone type, keep these tactics in mind. You'll need to make up for the support that comes automatically with enrollment in a program.
* Find a good time to start. "I'm going on a diet tomorrow," is a sentence that often heralds failure because it's sparked by a momentary impulse (or guilt after a triple-decker ice cream cone) rather than a well-thought-out plan. Weight loss is tough, and you should give it the same careful consideration you would give to changing your career or buying a house. Find a starting date during a relatively quiet time in your life, not while you're also moving to another state or dealing with a crisis at work.
* Create a diet "campaign." Some people prefer to start with an exercise program, and add nutritional changes later on. For others, the reverse strategy works best. And for "all or nothing" types, starting both programs on a particular day can increase motivation.
* Choose a good book for companionship. Some people prefer a diet plan book, while others do best with a low-fat, low-calorie cookbook.
* Check with your doctor if you have any medical problems. You need to make sure that the eating and exercise strategies you've chosen are suitable and safe.
* Decide whether you need a "quick start." Quick-start programs, in which you change your eating habits drastically for a few weeks, are likely to deliver the most dramatic changes on the scale. But they require a good deal of concentration during the initial phase and may not be suitable if you're pressed for time. For many people, however, this approach serves as a great motivator. After you've lost those first exciting five pounds, you can modulate the plan into one you can continue life long.
* Consider "gradualism." This strategy works best for people who don't have too much weight to lose, and those who can accept the idea of slow--but steady and permanent-- change. One approach is to modify one daily meal at a time. For example, during the first week, you can concentrate on low-fat, low-calorie dinners, assembling menus and creating tasty meals. In the second week, you can turn to lunch, and so on. Or, you can tackle one food group at a time. A switch to low-fat dairy products is a good start. The second week, pay attention to lower-fat meats and fish, and to learning how to create one or two vegetarian dinners a week. (Be careful, though: Some vegetarian recipes are amazingly high in fat.)
* Don't forget fluids. Drinking eight glasses of water a day can fill you up, prevent the shakiness and fatigue of dehydration, and give you something to put in your mouth when you're trying to forget about eating.
* Eat slowly and savor your food. Give your internal "portion control" monitor a chance to get through to you. Fill up on lots of veggies prepared without added fat. Eat pastas, potatoes, and other filling foods, too, but only within reason. Use cheeses, meat, and sweets to give an extra zing to meals, but keep them to a minimum.
* Keep track of your progress. Weigh yourself daily, keep a food diary or try on a once too-tight skirt or pair of jeans each morning. Tracking progress reminds you that you've started a change, and rewards you with a hint of the final results.
* Don't punish yourself. If you "fall off the wagon," don't despair. Learning to climb back on is a key to long-term success.
* Survive the "plateaus." While the first pounds often come off quickly, many dieters hit plateaus where their weight remains steady for weeks even though their fat and calorie counts are low. Your metabolism is making noble efforts to keep up your fat levels, in the mistaken belief that starvation is near. Don't give up; weight loss will start again once this plateau is passed.
* Reward yourself. Small treats and large pleasures will help you celebrate everything from sticking with your plan on Day One to reaching your target weight, along with whatever small markers you create in between.
Checking Out the Enrollment Programs
If you want the extra motivation and support that come from a structured weight-loss program, you'll be faced with some additional choices. How best to judge a commercial program? Make your decision based on cost, comfort, and common sense. These plans generally attract women who have a moderate weight problem and men who are moderately to seriously overweight. All the top four commercial weight-loss programs--Diet Center, Jenny Craig, Nutri-system, and Weight Watchers--include a low-calorie diet of about 1,000 to 1,500 calories a day and some kind of supportive counseling.
None of the top four emerges as better at helping individuals to lose weight and keep it off, according to a 1994 Consumer Reports survey of 95,000 readers who had attempted to lose weight in the past 3 years. Overall, however, Weight Watchers tended to be the clear favorite among those polled. It costs less than the others, emphasizes healthful dietary habits, encourages relatively slow weight loss, and generally appears to provide the most satisfying support. In contrast, Nutri-system and Jenny Craig cost more and are more likely to use high-pressure sales tactics. But as Deralee Scanlon, rd, points out in Diets That Work: The monetary aspect does not in itself lessen the potential effectiveness of a program--in fact, some people take these programs more seriously precisely because of the financial investment.
How to Keep the Lost Pounds Off
Once you've lost the weight and have come to accept your new appearance, you have to develop new skills to hold onto your hard won gains. While there is no simple formula for keeping weight off, there are skills you can develop that will help you maintain your desired weight and make maintaining it more automatic.
The "C" Word
Long-term weight management requires a conscious commitment--one just as strong as, or stronger than the one you made in deciding to lose weight. As with any large project, it's a good idea to break the task down into smaller, doable segments. Many people find it easier to make a commitment to maintain their current weight for one year.
The commitment should be specific--something like: "I will continue to go to exercise class 3 times a week and I will continue to use vegetables for my snacks." Remember that keeping this commitment is something no one can do for you.
Once the commitment is made, keep visualizing your success. Imagine yourself a year from today, still able to get into your current sized jeans. Imagine yourself relaxed and happy, eating foods you like that are also good for you.
Create New Habits
Weight maintenance becomes a much easier proposition once you've established good nutritional habits. Simplification and preparation are key to getting new habits in place. For example, if you don't habitually eat breakfast but have decided to do so to boost your morning energy and prevent overeating at lunch, start with a simple approach: Eat the same breakfast every day until the habit is firmly embedded. Prepare by keeping the things you want for breakfast always on hand.
To avoid falling back into old habits, you need to trigger your new habits on a daily basis. For example, put a note on the mirror reminding yourself to eat breakfast, and set out dishes and some ingredients the night before.
Simplifying your approach to food makes it easier to form new habits. Choose a nutritional plan that feels comfortable and doable. If possible, reduce your plan to a simple-to-remember formula. For example, plan to eat a fruit or vegetable with each meal or snack, or set a fixed number of portions from each food group to eat every day. Keep your plan in your wallet and look at it before you buy your lunch. And remember to drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration.
Connect with Hunger
People who have never had a weight problem tend to eat when their body says "I'm hungry." But hunger signals may be badly scrambled for those who have been through various deprivation diets. Judith Matz, co-director of the Chicago Center for Overcoming Overeating, suggests it's possible to relearn to identify and respond to hunger signals and to eat only when they occur. "With practice you can reconnect your eating with internal cues," she says. "Doing so helps you distinguish between a bodily urge for nourishment and the desire for emotional comfort from food." This doesn't mean you should never reach for food out of emotional hunger, but that you should know it when you do and perhaps choose another way to fill your needs instead.
If you often feel hungry between meals, consider adjusting your food choices. Some foods have "staying power," notes Sybil Ferguson of The Diet Center Program. They stay longer in your system, helping you feel more satisfied and energetic. Many foods low in calories, such as prepackaged convenience diet foods, are also low in "staying power" because they're digested quickly. Natural foods with lots of fiber, such as oatmeal, vegetables, and fruits--are helpful for maintenance because they take longer to chew and to digest, and they create a full feeling in your stomach.
Skipping meals, either because of time crunches or out of guilt from previous overeating, interferes with the steady state of satisfaction that makes maintenance easier. When the body has been deprived of food for many hours, your blood sugar level drops, leading to cravings for immediate energy boosts. Eating a balanced selection of foods on a consistent schedule helps stabilize your blood sugar level and hunger sensations, so you can continue to make intelligent decisions about eating.
Avoid Deprivation
A sense of deprivation ("oh, I wish I could eat that," "you're lucky, you can eat anything," "I used to be able to finish a whole cake at one sitting") is a prime enemy of long-term weight maintenance. Tyrannical diet programs do work well for short-term weight loss, but over the long haul, we all need to eat for pleasure as well as nourishment. Meals are among the most pleasurable social events in life, and it pays to learn to take pleasure in the foods that are good for you.
Keep a list of foods or dishes you particularly like that also fit in with weight maintenance. When you find yourself missing your old bacon, eggs, and steak diet, treat yourself to all of your favorite nutritious foods in the same day. It keeps your spirits up without expanding your waistline.
Whenever you feel hungry, there's always something you can eat that will be satisfying without threatening your weight stability. Try keeping the refrigerator stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables. Treat yourself to exotic and out of season fruits and vegetables when they look inviting in the market. Nibble on red peppers, fresh young carrots, and cucumbers dipped in a low-fat sauce (no-fat salad dressing makes a quickie dip).
Monitor Your Weight Daily
If you find you've put on a pound or three, try to ease yourself back on track quickly. This may involve relaxation efforts, visualizing more nutritional eating, or being extra careful for a few days. But once a 5-pound gain has occurred--you should consider it a "weight emergency" and construct a relapse recovery plan.
Return from Relapse
Everyone should expect to have slips from their weight maintenance program," says James Hill, PhD, associate professor of psychology at the University of Colorado in Denver. "The most important thing is to recover as soon as possible."
The first step in recovery is to identify the problem(s). List all possible reasons to finish the sentence, "I've started gaining weight again because ...."
Then adopt an optimistic stance about your ability to bounce back from hard times. Remembering previous accomplishments, and setting realistic goals for the future can soon have you back on the maintenance track.
Assume responsibility for your actions and beliefs--this puts you firmly in control of your future. Come up with some solutions for each of the stresses that undercut your program. For example, a new low-fat cookbook or cooking class can help you combat food boredom.
When you've patched together a recovery plan to meet your needs, gather strength for the new change by tapping into your support network. Talk to someone who is positive and reinforces your decisions. If you were part of a formal weight loss program, check in with the support group whenever you need to recover from a lapse.
Feed Your Emotional Needs
The trick to avoiding relapses--and coping with those that occur--is to remember that you're a capable, lovable human being who can accomplish your goals. Nurturing your own self-esteem can help you cope with the stress and burnout that so often lead to overeating. When you feel tired, bored, quick to anger, withdrawn, rigid and ineffective, you're most apt to abandon your nutritional program. It helps to remember the positive side of your weight loss experience: feelings of being in control, reaching goals, making peace with your appetite, taking care of yourself. It's easy to believe in yourself when things are going well. It's when the going gets tough that you need to reinforce your self-confidence.
Making positive life changes that improve your body and mind are a good way to foster self- esteem. Consider taking a stimulating class or workshop, or try a new exercise program. Developing a relaxation ritual, which may involve breathing exercises, chanting, or muscle tension and relaxation, is another excellent technique for caring for yourself.
The Maintenance Mantra
Why do you want to maintain your weight loss? What's the most important factor for you? The reasons vary from person to person. For some, lowering blood pressure or a high cholesterol level is most important. For others, cosmetic concerns loom largest. Naming your motivation proudly and loudly, at least to yourself, can help you stay on track. "Usually people go out and lose as much weight as they can, then see how much they can keep off," notes Professor Hill. "Maybe we should do the reverse: first, make the right nutritional changes, then, based on our ability to stick with them, accept the resulting weight." *