Maintaining Weight Loss After Illness [Forum]

Hi there,

I have an unusual question. I used to be very overweight, with a BMI of 28. Earlier this year, I began losing weight very rapidly and by April was diagnosed with cancer.

By late May, my weight had plummeted to what is perfect for my height and has stayed there. Now that I am in remission, I want to maintain this new weight. However, I know that most people gain weight back after huge weight loss and, in any case, I didn't 'earn' my weight loss.

I am very motivated to stay at this new weight, partly because I never want to be so sick again in my life, and being overweight is a risk factor for cancer. Also because when I was very ill, I kept my spirits up by looking at fashion websites, at all the clothes I could wear once I got better. I am keeping a food journal and am eating the right amount of calories for my age (42), level of activity and height. I have also started walking for an hour a day and, when I am in better health, intend to join a gym and take classes.

I've also got rid of my old clothes and taken pleasure in buying new clothes that fit perfectly. It was hugely expensive, so if I gain weight again, I will be up for big clothes bills.

But already I am coming up against problems. Mostly other people - somebody always seems to be offering cake or alcohol and they seem offended if I refuse. A few people have even said I need 'feeding up' even though my weight is clinically perfect for my height and body. I think they're shocked at how much weight I've lost and think that if I went back to looking like I did before, somehow it would mean I was back to normal. Then there are people who seem to actively want me to be fat again. One friend, who is more than obese herself, hovers over me practically chanting that weight lost always comes back. My partner, who is overweight himself, loves his food and is always bringing chocolate and other snacks into the house. We've even had fights about it - he says he understands, but then brings me home some chocolates.

Also, I've lost a huge amount of muscle mass because of my illness. Should I expect to put on some weight as I do more exercise, as muscle returns, or is all weight gain likely to be fat?

Has anybody got any advice for me? I feel like the only good thing about enduring that horrible illness was the weight loss and I want to keep it. I couldn't stand it if I got fat again, on top of everything else - but how do I cope with friends and family who want to push food on me? And do I need to know anything about altered metabolism etc etc?

Thanks for all advice,

Alexie

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Small Tips For Losing Weight? [Forum]

I know that it's through exercise and diet, but I don't know where to start. I'm 5'1 and 140 lbs. Please help me.

I love sweets, junk food and soda. I know it's a lethal combination. Please give me small tips that I can work on. I'm not in a rush to lose weight I think I'd be happy if I lose my first 5 pounds.

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Can We Stop Food Stamp Users Buying Soda?

In the uphill battle to fight obesity, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has petitioned the United States Department of Agriculture to ban the 1.7 million food stamp users from using them to buy soda, or other sugared drinks.

This move is part of series of interventions to curb obesity, which have included advertisements, stricter rules on food sold in schools, and a yet-to-be successful attempt to tax sugared drinks.

Herein lies a good concept in a stirred pot of political, ethical and health soup.

I'm going to come right out and say it: I like the idea. I like it a lot. In fact, I think food stamps should be used to buy vegetables, fruits, meats, eggs, dairy, nuts, seeds and canned goods - healthy foods. I also realize the stepping-on-eggshells nature of this kind of idea.

Look, this thing should be signed, sealed and delivered starting today, but in the "humor us all" department, let's take a look at some of the sticky issues that may arise with this sort of stipulation.

Ethically, is it fair to discriminate against those with food stamps? Who are we to tell them what they can and cannot buy?

Conversely, we all have a collective responsibility to ensure that our already-off-the-rails health care spending doesn't go even further into the abyss.

I don't see this as too "big brother" at all. The run-of-the-mill straw man argument here will be "how dare they tell people what they can and cannot eat or drink", but let's remember that regulating what people can spend their government assistance on is not the same as telling people what they can and cannot eat/drink.

As with many other similarly conceived ideas, the problems are deeply rooted, and the solution is multifaceted. While this is a great idea, there are bigger fish to fry - specifically corn subsidies that keep prices artificially low.

In the end I don't see this passing due to the industry-cozy relationship between big food and government food regulators. I'm sure they have the soda lobbyists working overtime to ensure that this idea never sees the light of day. Moreover, in 2004, the Agriculture Department denied a request by Minnesota to prevent food-stamp recipients from buying junk food.

What are your thoughts on this?

Image credit: poolie

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Link Time! Gluten-Free, Eating Cake, Nasal Sanitizer, and more

I'm not sure how any of us survived so long eating all that gluten and dairy, but by the thousands people are switching to a gluten-free and a dairy-free lifestyle for many reasons.

Fortunately, award winning french chef, Alain Braux, just released a new book, Living Gluten and Dairy-Free with French Gourmet Food. If you want or need to be gluten and dairy-free but want to do it gourmet and deliciously, this book is a must have.

While you're baking all Chef Braux's delicious gluten free french cakes, you can look no further than to The Have Your Cake and Eat it Diet. Developed by Personal Trainer, Charli Cohen, this plan attacks the Fad Diet mentality and teaches dieters to change their lifestyle, which includes still enjoying the foods they love. Her plan seems very effective and sensible. Who doesn't love Cake!?!

The Flu Season has begun and if you remember, just over 12 years ago hand sanitizer gel made its surge into the marketplace encouraging people to apply the alcohol based gel often to kill germs when washing hands isn't convenient. Well, 2010 brings us NOZIN, the nasal sanitizer.

It's the same basic concept, but this alcohol based product is swabbed up the nose to kill those nasty bugs before they can replicate out of control. NOZIN is available in most major pharmacies and would be great for use during air travel or in other crowded conditions as sneeze particles can travel more than 30 feet (10 meters).

While we're on the health subject, did you know that 12 million Americans alone suffer from incontinence which can be an extremely uncomfortable and embarrassing situation. New research from The University of Alabama shows that women who drink a lot of caffeine are 70% more likely to develop a leaky bladder. Some women may want to cut back on the coffee.

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Some Obese People Don't See Themselves as Fat

Many obese people don't see themselves as fat and in fact, they think they're healthy - or so says a new study.

Talk about being a "glass is half full" type of person. I wish I was like that!

The problem is this positive attitude doesn't dispel the fact that obese people are at a heightened risk of death, i.e. heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, etc.

Published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, scientists gauged body awareness of 2,056 men and women already participating in a study, surveying the individuals on their body perception.

Researchers asked participants to look at pictures and choose their ideal body size. People who picked figures that were the same or larger than their actual body size were classified as "misperceiving" their body size, but these people were also more likely to be happier.

However, worry warts who acknowledge they're fat and out of shape tend to be less happy. I'm willing to guess that only exacerbates the problem. For you Shaun of the Dead fans, that means "to make things worse."

Important factors were considered. Scientists found people with higher incomes and better education were no more likely to perceive their body weight accurately, than less educated people, or those with lower incomes.

And here's the problem with that. Those who misperceived their size, saw their health risks as the same as people who more accurately identified their body size; which is a problem. Obese people are at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, type-2 diabetes, hypertension, and the list goes on and on.

All this reminds me of the scene in Four Weddings and a Funeral - no I don't like girly movies, I saw it in a film class in college - where the overweight, smoking, drinking, jovial guy drops dead from a heart attack after boozing, eating, and dancing at the wedding reception.

I think this is a personality thing. If you're happy go lucky and have a fun social network, you spend less time being introspective and worrying about all the nitty-gritty. I'm a miserable, cynical, depressed mess, so I spend a ton of time worrying about my health, but one of my happier and - as coincidence may have it - overweight friends enjoys life more and doesn't sweat the small stuff. Well, the not so small stuff.

Image credit: The Sneeze

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Mothers Underestimate Influence On Their Kids' Weight

A survey of 1,037 women has uncovered a knowledge gap when it comes to certain weight issues - including their influence on their children's weight.

Here are some of the findings of the survey - conducted by HealthyWomen.

Not surprisingly, most respondents know that obesity leads to an increased risk for health problems, such as high blood pressure (93%), type 2 diabetes (89%), and heart disease (88%).Less than one-third of the women, however, know that obesity is associated with increased risk of colon cancer (26%), gallstones (30%), and breast cancer (23%).While 87% of women believe a parent's obesity affects a child's risk of becoming obese, only 28% assign that responsibility to themselves.Only 11% of respondents know that a child's risk of becoming obese more than doubles if the mother is obese during her first trimester of pregnancy.

Elizabeth Battaglino Cahill, Executive Director of HealthyWomen says this:

From an early age, children tend to eat the same foods as their parents, especially mothers, so exposure to nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables is not only setting a good example, but also positioning your child on a lifelong course of good health. Source

Education is central to change, but knowledge is only power if you choose to use it. To be sure, prevention of childhood obesity and healthy children begins at home - with BOTH parents (if there are 2 parents involved).

It goes without saying that mom and dad need to change their ways to become the healthy role-models for children.

While growing healthy habits in children starts at home, it would be folly to put 100% of the responsibility on parents. I firmly believe in the idea that it takes a village to raise a child, and in this case to raise a healthy, active child. The culture and environment children are exposed to nowadays may be one that sets them up for failure. Change needs to take place in communities, schools and various levels of government, especially for higher risk children.

Battaglino Cahill sums it up nicely when she says;

Empowering and educating women is the best way we know to break the cycle of obesity and promote healthy habits for the life of any woman and her loved ones.

Image credit: mikebaird

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Diet Drug Meridia May Cause Heart Attack and Stroke

Last Friday, the diet drug Meridia was pulled from the shelves in America by its maker, Abbott Laboratories.

Meridia, a prescription drug, was known to cause a higher risk of heart attack and stroke when in trials, but scientists believed this effect might be compensated for by the weight loss benefits. It wasn't.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requested Meridia's removal, stating that the increased heart disease and stroke risk wasn't an acceptable price to pay for the "very modest weight loss" that the drug causes.

Since January, Meridia hasn't been sold in Europe. It has now been withdrawn in Canada and Australia, as well as in America.

It's little surprise that despite the risks to dieters, Abbott were reluctant to withdraw Meridia from sale. Diet pills can be hugely profitable for drug companies:

So far this year, the pill [Meridia] had $80 million in sales worldwide, including $20 million in the U.S. Source

However, after a number of health scares related to diet drugs, perhaps dieters will turn back to tried-and-tested methods of safe weight loss: a healthy diet, combined with exercise.

Both aren't just good for losing weight, they're also great for a healthy heart.

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Not Losing Weight: What Can I Do? [Forum]

hi,
I am 35yrs old,mother of two,weighing 83kgs,height-5'6",my problem is that ,i've been jogging for 30mins & doing yoga for 45mins & eating less calories,drinking at least 16 glasses of warm water since one month,though there is visible loss in inches but my weight loss is only 1kg,which is very disappointing,what should I do to lose weight?I have to lose at least 15kgs to reach to my ideal weight.I have hypothyroidism.Please help.

kash..

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Antihistamine Use Linked to Weight-Gain

Go ask anyone who starts to snort and sniffle when pollen is high and the smell of fresh cut grass wafts through the air, and they'll tell you, antihistamines are a godsend.

Antihistamine medication is used to stop allergic reactions. Histamines in the body cause fluid to escape from capillaries resulting in swelling, itching, and sneezing.

But those beloved antihistamines, most of which you can get over-the-counter without a doctor's note, might come with a heavy price to pay -- weight-gain.

Writing in the journal Obesity, experts found an association between antihistamine use and weight-gain. Individuals taking prescription antihistamines were more likely to be obese or overweight, than individuals not taking the drugs.

In the study, among the 268 antihistamine users, 45% of study participants were overweight, compared to all 599 of the people involved in the study, where only 30% were overweight. Antihistamine users had a higher body mass index (BMI) than non users, weighing in at 31 and 28 respectively.

A BMI 25 to 29 is considered overweight, anything higher is obese. Obesity starts with a BMI of 30 and up.

But, the researchers involved with this study urge that the results do not say antihistamines cause weight-gain, only that there is an association between weight-gain and taking antihistamines.

Other medications can cause weight-gain, and I know this firsthand with anti-depressants. Some experts say medications like Prozac, Lexapro, Paxil, and Zoloft can cause weight-gain of 10 pounds or more.

Image credit: Rakka

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Poll: Are Girl Scouts Killing Us With Cookies?

Girls Scout Cookies are such an iconic American tradition and a multimillion dollar stream of revenue for the organization's fund raising efforts.

If you were around back in the early 90's you may remember the reports of people finding all kinds of weird things baked into their Girl Scout Cookies causing some recalls and lawsuits if I remember correctly. In fact, I found a staple baked into one of my Thin Mints, but I just spit it out and didn't sue.

It turns out that Girl Scout Cookies were hiding an even bigger killer all along and most people ate boxes of them with reckless abandon not realizing the damage these little sweet wonders were doing.

Girl Scout Cookies were loaded with trans fat and preservatives. Now to the Girl Scout's credit, they adjusted their recipes somewhat after the use of trans fat was legislated against, but the cookies still contain hidden levels of the dangerous fat as well as HFC's, white flour, and partially hydrogenated oils.

Dr. Andrew Siegel has started a campaign to persuade Girl Scouts of America to begin selling healthy cookies to the American public. He's asking people to stop buying the cookies, but to instead donate that money to the Girl Scouts directly in order to send them a message that we no longer want their deadly cookies. Below is a video from Dr. Siegel.

What are your thoughts concerning Girl Scout Cookies? Participate in the poll and comments below.

How many boxes of Girl Scout Cookies will you buy during their annual sale?

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Can I Lose 50 Pounds in 3 Months? [Forum]

Hi,

I'm 24, 5ft and weigh 167 pounds but my doctors say I am anaemic (strangely). They say my ideal weight range is 106 - 116.6 lbs. (48.2 - 53 kg). So, I'm technically overweight by 50lbs or 23kg.

I used to be a UK size 6 before I went to uni but due to stress and loneliness, I started indulging myself in the many luxuries in life and am now a size 16/18. I am 24 but I look like I am 30 because of my weight.

I've started a new diet program where I eat only 500 calories which consists of fruits, veggies, fresh juices and low fat milk. I also do 1 hour of Hot Yoga 5 times a week and I lose about 760 calories on average per day. I also walk quite a bit. But this is only day 3 of my diet program and I really need to stay motivated for at least 1 month to see any significant results.

Prior to this new regime, I tried absolutely everything from a soup diet to swimming to just starving myself but just can't seem to get rid of the love handles all over and to top it off, an awful looking double chin lol. The only option left is lipo but I really don't want to pursue that route because of monetary reasons and fear of machines lol. I'm afraid that if I don't do something drastic to bring my body weight down, then I might suffer a heart attack or stroke and never be able to enjoy life to the max.

I realised that I start indulging myself in chocolates and whatnot whenever I am feeling really down or really happy, so I am trying to strike a balance where I don't feel too happy or too sad lol.

And oh the other thing is that I have completely stopped alcohol. Before, I used to have a glass of white wine with my dinner every night but now that's out too. I have never had any other types of alcohol other than wine and because I'm so busy at the moment, I don't have much time to go out drinking with friends which is kind of good I guess.

I really need to lose 50 pounds fast and I'm hoping before Christmas and I just need a bit of motivation and support to stay focused to achieve my goal.

Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions?

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What Are Your Family Food Staples?

Ever wonder what the staple foods are in another person's diet?

Here in the UK we have Gillian McKeith's TV show, "You Are What You Eat", and while I certainly don't agree with many of Gillian's concepts, I love how she delves into the eating habits of those families, laying it out for the whole nation to see.

It certainly makes interesting viewing, if nothing else.

In less dramatic fashion, Walletpop recently asked dietitians and nutritionists what food stocked their pantries and refrigerators.

Here are some of their choices:

OatmealFruits and vegetablesBeansAvocadoWild salmonNutsEggsCottage cheeseGrass-fed beefHummus

Nothing very strange or startling there perhaps, but interesting nonetheless.

Some of my weekly food staples include oatmeal, natural yogurt, lentils, spinach and coffee (oh, and a little chocolate!).

What about you -- what foods are the major staples in your diet on a daily/weekly basis?

Image credit: delazon

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College Girls With Heavy Roommates Gain Less Weight

College is a place of learning. Learning how to fill the swim meet with fizzies, deliver the medical school cadavers to the alumni dinner, fill the trees with underwear, and explode the toilets every spring.

Err, I mean, college, is a place of higher education, like physics, calculus, math, and science - all that "good" stuff.

College is also the home of the dreaded "freshman fifteen," referring to the weight many students gain away from home, during their first year of school.

But if you're a girl, a new study says you're less likely to gain weight during your freshman year if your roommate is heavy.

Presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Health Economists, researchers discovered college women with roommates who have above average weight, gain less weight during their freshman year, than female students with slimmer roommates.

However, the difference was only slight, half a pound versus 2.5 pounds. Yeah, that doesn't put a big dent in the freshman fifteen.

But the reason for the difference makes sense, even though it's not so obvious. The researchers say heavier roommates are more likely to diet, exercise, and limit access to food, and these behaviors can be "contagious."

They also say that most of the time people pick friends and acquaintances who are similar to themselves. So, with randomly assigned roommates, you might be paired with a person you wouldn't normally make friends with, like an overweight person. And this person's unique habits may rub off on you.

This makes a lot of sense to me. My roommate in college didn't exercise before I met him, but he later started going to the gym with me.

Image credit: jasoba fett

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Doctors Communication Style Matters for Weight Loss

A study from Duke University showed that the manner in which Doctors communicated with patients, regarding their weight loss, impacted their success -- it is better to be Dr. Mark Green than Dr. Greg House, when broaching the subject of weight.

The study is published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Researchers recorded the conversations between 40 primary care physicians, and 461 of their overweight or obese patients, over an 18-month period. Investigators were tracking how much time was spent and, specifically, how doctors talked with their patients about diet, exercise and weight loss. (The doctors were not told what the researchers were looking for).

Doctors discussed weight with patients in 69% of cases. Doctors spent an average of 3.5 minutes discussing diet and weight issues -- about 15% of the visit.There was little difference between patients who were counselled vs. those who were not, in terms of weight loss.When researchers accounted for the doctor's communication style, however, they found a statistically significant difference between communication styles.Patients whose doctors talked about diet and weight loss in a more motivational fashion, using predominantly reflective or empathic statements, were much more likely to lose weight, compared to those whose physicians used a more judgmental or confrontational style of communication.Patients whose physicians communicated well lost about 3.5 pounds three months after the visit.Excellent study: first of its kind to examine specifically Physicians' communication style, and its affect on patients' weight loss.Possible study flaws: communication styles aren't always directly definable and hence there is room for interpretation. Another potential flaw is that Doctors were recorded. While they didn't know why, it may cause them to be more vigilant in addressing issues thoroughly.Physicians are an important cog in the wheel of overall health. They are the front-line practitioners and as such, they can have enormous influence on the success of patients' efforts to lose weight and improve health.Counselling training would certainly help physicians communicate effectively and "get through" to their patients. At the same time, doctors tend not to have much in the way of formal education in nutrition, exercise science and specifics of how to lose fat. You have to know the right information before you learn how to deliver it.

In the end, I think the patient is best served by a physician who is both empathetic, but also honest and to the point. I also think that in addition to counsellor training and more extensive education in nutrition, MD's should work closely with other health professionals, who specialize in fat loss and nutrition.

Image Credit #1: Playtime Magazine
Image Credit #2: Actuzap

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Hey Man, Do You Work in a Restaurant?

A funny thing happened to me a while ago. For some reason it just now dawned on me to blog about. Sorry, I'm slow.

At the time, I had switched Yoga studios. I like a vigorous practice and my old studio cut back on classes. Now, as luck would have it, my new studio is two doors down from a farmers market, which is win-win for me.

So I was shopping there every week, and typically I bought a lot of fruits and vegetables, especially fresh greens, like broccoli and spinach. I'm mostly vegetarian, so I plow through a lot of vegetation every week.

I was standing in line that day waiting to pay and when it was my turn, the cashier, who I see every week and never makes small talk, asked me, "Do you work in a restaurant? Because you always buy a lot of stuff."

Now, I'm a social misfit, so I just smirked. I guess a short Italian guy buying huge bunches of produce every week does look like a restaurant owner, especially in New Jersey, the land of delis.

I told her no, and explained that I eat a vegetable-based diet and that I don't eat meat. She wanted to know if I was a vegetarian. I said, "Kind of." And told her my diet is mostly fruits and vegetables and the only animal I eat is fish.

The cashier seemed to get it, but not really. She's Mexican, so she was probably thinking, "Stupid gringo is missing out on good tacos and burritos."

She might be right, but I admit, one little dude buying that much fruits and vegetables each week is unusual. She must have thought I was some sort of human-cow hybrid. And in her mind it might be easier just to eat some carne asada every once and a while.

Trust me, I understand that. I'm 100% Italian, my family is over-the-boat Italian - NOT guido Italian - and so they still look at me funny when I don't eat meatballs or cheese.

So, if you're veg too, has anything like this ever happened to you? Do you go grocery shopping and get mistaken for a sous-chef?

Image credit: No Cookie

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Fred's 8810 Weight Loss Idea

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