Nutrition
Fact  or Fiction ?
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact

THE BATTLE OF Losing weight - and keeping it off

2/25/2018

0 Comments

 
     One question I’ve heard repeatedly – regarding dieting is: Why do most people who lose a large amount of weight usually regain the weight? Research points to the fact that most people who diet gain the weight back. The Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, a review on dietary-related strategies, shows that “regaining nearly half of the lost weight after one year is usual, and most of dieters (re)acquire their first weight within three to five years."

   This week, the UK’s The Guardian newspaper carried an article with the headline: Losing weight is a journey. But do you ever reach the end?  That headline and the article made me rethink the question about weight loss and the task of keeping that weight off long-term. The diet and weight loss industry is a billion dollar business that helps people lose large amounts of weight, so why do we keep putting it all back on?

   The problem with the question of ‘why people regain weight’ begins with the failure to see that dieting isn’t about following a specific food plan or a certain caloric intake and then just losing weight. It is about creating a new lifestyle, which in turn keeps that weight off. Long lasting behavioral changes are needed.
Picture
    When you undertake the feat of losing weight, you hopefully decide to make a commitment to healthy eating and physical fitness that will last into the future. That means you choose a lifestyle plan – healthy food, proper portions, and adequate amounts of exercise - that you will live by from today going forward, leaving behind bad eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle.

   The majority of our ancestors were serfs – people who were required to work hard; that means they got a lot of exercise. They had to eat to fuel their bodies for the hard labor that they were forced to do for their survival. Many times for them, food was scarce, so the body adapted to maintain equilibrium for survival, which is the origin of the idea of the ‘thrifty gene’.

  The thrifty-gene theory is that over “evolutionary time we have been exposed to regular periods of famine, during which fatter individuals would have enjoyed a selective advantage by their greater survival. Consequently, individuals with genes promoting the efficient deposition of fat during periods between famines ('thrifty genes') would be favored.” (1) These same thrifty genes may be doing us a disservice today. They may be putting out signals for our body to hold on to that extra weight or to regain the lost weight in case of future famine.

   The thrifty-gene theory is probably not the whole reason though that people gain their weight back after dieting. Research points to the need for behavioral changes if long term weight loss is to be maintained. Most of us have lifestyles that include very little exercise – and most grocery stores – versus fields where our ancestors foraged for food – are filled with extremely unhealthy food. Modern food is highly processed – it is made with chemicals and high levels of sodium and sugar to ensure the shelf life of the product. A combination of our new sedentary lifestyle, the evolutionary thrifty genes and our highly processed, nutrient-poor and calorie-dense food supply is wreaking havoc with our waistlines, the scales, and our health. So what do we do to compensate? We diet!

   If you know anything about processed foods, you know that most are filled with chemicals to maintain their 'shelf life,' and either there is little nutrition or they have been nutritionally enhanced or fortified. Besides processed foods there are health concerns with other areas of our food supply; for example - meat and fowl from animals fed antibiotics and bovine growth hormone; produce sprayed with toxic chemical fertilizers and farm-raised fish that been found with many types of toxins due to overcrowding and improper diet. Eating a diet mainly of processed food can contribute to all types of health problems, including high blood pressure, diabetes, overweight, and obesity. An unhealthy food supply combined with a lack of exercise and physical activity are definitely contributing factors to why people regain their weight.
 
   Another possible answer to the question ‘why do people who take off weight when they diet and then regain the weight’ is that diets are usually very restrictive and hard to maintain, so once the weight goal is met, dieters ease up on the diet, and the weight slowly returns. These dieters have not made long-term behavioral changes in their lives. Behavioral changes are key to maintaining long-term weight loss. Besides the difficulty in making behavioral changes, most people don’t realize how important it is to identify the barriers to reaching and then maintaining a healthier way of life. Losing weight, keeping it off, and being healthier requires that you make permanent changes in your lifestyle. It may require a bit of thought and reflection to figure out what behaviors in your life need to be changed to help you maintain long term weight loss. My motto is ‘It is not a diet - it is a lifestyle’.

References
  1. Diab Vasc Dis Res. 2006 May;3(1):7-11.Thrifty genes for obesity and the metabolic syndrome--time to call off the search? Speakman JR1.School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, AB24 2TZ, UK. J.speakman@abdn.ac.uk
  2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1257546/
  3. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2013 Nov-Dec; 7(6): 395–404.  Published online 2013 Jun 14. doi:  10.1177/1559827613488867. PMCID: PMC4988401. NIHMSID: NIHMS807789 Long-Term Adherence to Health Behavior Change. Kathryn R. Middleton, M.S., M.P.H.,a,b Stephen D. Anton, Ph.D.,a,c and  Michal G. Perri, Ph.D. a) Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida b) Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University & The Miriam Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island c) Department of Aging and Geriatric Research, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 
    Corresponding Author: Kathryn R. Middleton, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University & The Miriam Hospital, 196 Richmond St. Providence, RI 02903, Phone: (401) 793-8950, ude.nworB@notelddiM_nyrhtaK
  4. J Res Med Sci. 2014 Mar; 19(3): 268–275. PMCID: PMC4061651.  Weight loss maintenance: A review on dietary related strategies. Fatemeh Azizi Soeliman and  Leila Azadbakht
    Food Security Research Center, Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutrition and Food Science, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
    Address for correspondence: Dr. Leila Azadbakht, Food Security Research Center, Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutrition and Food Science, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 81745, Isfahan, Iran. E-mail: ri.ca.ium.htlh@thkabdaza
0 Comments

Healthy Living for the Elderly

2/10/2018

5 Comments

 
    When does a person reach old age? America's magic number is 65. It's in dispute across the planet. World Health Organization (WHO) says someone who reaches age 50 is an older person. If you’re one of the Earth’s inhabitants who surpasses age 75 – you’re in a select minority. Less than 1 percent reaches the age of 100.
Picture
  If you want to become one of the minority who goes beyond age 75, or if your plan is to live to be 100 – you will want to live a healthy life – not bedridden, not in a nursing home, still in the world doing things you love.  
   To help you be healthy when you become elderly, following is a check list of needs and practices to be attentive to and incorporate into your lifestyle to enjoy old age when you arrive.
  Activity - Keep moving - stay active!
..or if you want to keep someone you love in your life longer, help them keep active in a healthy way.
  Be aware of the need for activities that include the following:
Picture
   Stay limber – Stretching is very important as we age because ligament and tendons shorten. Any exercise or life activity should include lots of stretching – so stretch!

  Bone density - Include lifting and weight-bearing activities. Bone density decreases with age due to loss of hormones, especially in woman due to decreased estrogen levels after menopause – but weight-bearing exercises can help.

  Muscle mass – We lose muscle mass with age, so weight training is also key to maintaining muscle strength for daily functioning.
Picture
Picture
  Equilibrium – We lose our ability to balance with age so exercise that includes maintaining balance is important for seniors. Improving our balance prevents  falls, breaking of limbs – or even more serious accidents or concussions. 
Note - dancing is both fun and great for balance.
Picture
    Equally important is keeping your interests - reading and social activity - to keep your mental health and to avoid senility and neurological impairment - but that's another issue.

..and finally, eat healthy.
   As the body changes during the mid-years or if illnesses develop, a person may need to relearn to eat or build healthier eating habits. Become informed about nutrition and your specific body needs. This is even more true if you suffer from severe (or even mild) health issues and problems or have inherited genetic vulnerabilities. Nutrition once a sideline medical issue – has become central to healing and maintaining health.

  A rich (man), who is defined as one of less than 1% - is an elderly man or woman with his/her health!
5 Comments

    Author

    Colleen O'brien

    Archives

    October 2020
    June 2019
    July 2018
    June 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    March 2016
    July 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.