Another Slant on Weight Control

++   If you are frustrated by the figure you have, you have lots of company!  (And you probably know it)  We hear a lot about the "obesity epidemic."  The media are full of that, and of weight-loss programs.  Let's face it:  if any of them worked well for most people, we'd all be able to stay slim.  Medical and dietetics journals report plenty of studies on why the problem persists.  Now, there is an entirely different approach to this issue.  One name for this approach is HAES(SM), Health At Every Size.

 HAES views obesity from the philosophy that dieting and weight obsessions are unhealthy. . .and proposes that health is a result of behaviors that are independent of body weight. - Miller, Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 2005 

   How does this apply to you?  Here are some comments on the HAES movement's views, and some related observations.  The basic idea is that when a person obsesses about weight, she (or he) concentrates on numbers - pounds; and maybe blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol - and not on over-all health.  Lowering the numbers is a good thing, but not the only thing.  Many of the health complications that come with being overweight don't come just from carrying extra pounds.  The life-style choices that led a person to put on the weight in the first place contribute a lot to one's health status.

  We're starting to gather research evidence that trying to "fool Mother Nature" is counter-productive because we still have bodies designed in the Stone Age, and She is trying to keep them healthy during famine.  One implication of this is that if you "go on a diet," you will regain weight as soon as you go off the diet. Mother Nature does not know, or care, that the starvation is self- imposed.  Another implication is that there is not one perfect size or shape for everyone - and if there were, it would probably not look like a reed-thin runway model.

  So, what can you do instead?  To start, don't "go on a diet."  Instead, "improve my diet."  You know how to do that - your mother and your doctor have been nagging you for years!  If you are unsure, visit a website such as MyPyramid.gov.  Then, make other life improvements:  get more exercise (in a way that's OK with your doctor); get enough sleep, and at regular times; reduce your intake of caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, etc. (or quit - there are places to get help).  If you think all the changes are over- whelming, make changes gradually.  This week, add 1/4 cup vegetables (not fried!) to your daily intake.  Next week, add a short walk each day.  Now, you're sleeping better and feeling a little better.  Next, reduce your sweets intake by 10%.  Cut back another 10% each month until you have it a sane level - by allowing yourself a little, you're less likely to feel deprived and be tempted to go crazy.  Get more ideas from your health-care provider.  Keep it up so it becomes a habit.

  Doing these things will make you feel better - physically and mentally.  You know they will.  The extra pounds won't melt off like magic, but the other numbers usually improve.  For that, you can be proud of yourself.