GLENN'S STRATEGIES FOR WELL-BEING: Dieting Tips for the Holidays

      *According to current statistics, between 50 and 66% of African American women can be classified as being "overweight." African American women suffer from obesity at an alarmingly disproportionate rate when compared to women of other races. 44% of black men are considered overweight, and 24% are obese. Cultural factors that influence dietary and exercise behaviors are reported to play a major role in the development of excess weight in minority groups. 
 
     I want to briefly share some information about nutrition and the human body so that maybe even a few women will avoid the dangers of dieting and the cycle of despair it brings.  

      Typical 'crash diets' fight your body's natural reaction to starvation. Lipoprotein lipase is an enzyme in the body that promotes fat storage and it increases tremendously when someone is not taking in enough food. The lowest energy level that a female who is 90 years old, bedridden, and under 5 feet tall needs, is still approximately 1167 calories per day! Concentration camps during WWII have shown that humans need a minimum of 800-900 calories for sheer survival for any extended period of time. An average meal is around 500-600 calories so if someone skips breakfast, has a diet pop and salad for lunch, and a small dinner you can see how they could run dangerously close to these levels. A person's metabolism is the complex of chemical and physical processes involved in the maintenance of life, and the rate at which your body uses substances (i.e. burns calories). When a human drastically reduces their food intake, their metabolism lowers, making it harder and harder to lose weight. This makes sense from a survival point of view, because if it continued at the same rate you would literally burn up! This is how people can end up 'yo-yo' dieting, because the body just gets better and better at storing energy. Cut calories, metabolism lowers; eat again (even if equal amount eaten before the dieting), and weight goes up. Usually higher than where they started.
 
      Let's look at starvation in the human body a little closer. When fuel is scarce, the body uses up the stored sugar in the liver and muscles first. This stored sugar is called glycogen. Each glycogen is stored with a molecule of water, and this makes it relatively heavy. When they are metabolized, this is where one might see initial weight loss. During the first five to seven days of inadequate calorie intake, skeletal muscle protein is also broken down for energy. It is lost at approximately 0.8 lb lean tissue per day. The body then shifts back and forth using muscle and fat tissue alternately. The last tissue to go would be the intercostal muscles (the muscle between the ribs) necessary for respiration. The body also adapts to starvation by reducing activity, increasing one's need for sleep, and lowering body temperature. 
 
      As one can see from this information, the weight loss that is seen with typical diets is mostly muscle and water. 

      Okay, enough science. Hopefully you're convinced this is a dangerous way to lose weight. If someone really needs to lose weight to reduce their risk of heart disease or diabetes, for example, then how should they do it? Well, the answer is not magic, but it works with the body not against it and involves commitment and education. 
 
      First, let's look at what raises a person's metabolic rate: eating regularly.

      I like to say every 4 hours or so - a meal or a snack - depending on the types of foods eaten. For example, a breakfast that includes whole wheat toast with peanut butter, a glass of milk, and a piece of fruit will last a lot longer than a bowl of cereal with a glass of juice, because it has fiber and more protein. The second thing that raises one's metabolic rate is the increase in muscle tissue. Good old exercise. Initially, someone may even gain a few pounds or stay at the same weight while from exercising.

      Walking can help make your heart and lungs function more efficiently, help you lose weight, sleep better, and reduce stress. You should try to walk four times a week for at least thirty minutes each time.
 
      Granted we can't eat fries and burgers, and drink lots of beer everyday to lose weight, but we can eat the amount of energy our bodies need in the day. The best way to do this is to decrease the fat intake in our diet (butter, oils, margarine, deep fried foods, pastries, chips, nuts, bologna, etc.). Notice, I said decrease, not eliminate. It is still okay to enjoy these foods once in awhile as long as one is eating a well-balanced, low-fat diet most of the time. The other improvement to make in one's diet would be an increase in fiber.              Fiber is a non-digestible plant component found in foods such as brown rice, whole grain breads, bran and oat cereals, fruits, and vegetables. Fiber helps with digestion and elimination and also helps to fill a person up without adding too many calories.

      It is advisable that you to drink six to eight glasses of water daily (given that you have no other medical conditions). Water is important in body heat regulation; maintenance of blood volume; helps eliminate wastes and acts as an appetite suppressant.
 
      So, there you have it - A low-fat, high fiber diet, and plenty of enjoyable exercise. This is what will help an individual lose weight, and more importantly keep it off. No magic, no money to be made, just good sound information. Good luck, goodbye to unhealthy diets, and here’s to healthy living!

Remember, I’m not a doctor. I just sound like one.

Take good care of yourself and live the best life possible!

Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician.  It is neither intended, nor implied, to be a substitute for professional medical advice.

Glenn Ellis, author of Which Doctor?, is a health columnist and radio commentator who lectures, and is an active media contributor nationally and internationally on health related topics

For more good health information, visit: www.glennellis.com