HEALTH Who really needs to diet?

Health

To diet or NOT to diet?

If you are trying to lose weight for summer, ask yourself; Do you really need to diet?

We are all assaulted on a regular basis by this diet, that diet, miracle cures and the need to be waif like thin. As a point of interest, many models suffer from eating disorders due to pressure to be well below normal weight. Clothes are easier to design to look good on a stick with no shape. Research has shown that men, and even schoolboys, will select women/girls with a curvy figure rather than no figure. Modern Western media culture idolises thinness whereas many other cultures idolise voluptuous figures. The ‘slimming business’ is worth billions so the pressure isn’t going to disappear and there will always be yet another product coming on the market. Promotion of thinness is in their best interests and, whilst some may be helpful, some can be harmful. The first thing to do is check your weight on the BMI (Body Mass Index) chart (See below)

NORMAL RANGE

If you fall within the normal range then you should not diet. Maybe you feel you should but two things affect the desire to slim. Firstly the constant pressure via media/advertising and secondly being a little unfit. Muscle tone affects the way we feel and look, not just weight. It’s no good joining a gym or buying endless fitness videos unless you really enjoy this type of exercise. Find an activity you enjoy doing – it may not produce instant results but will be far more effective in the long run. Even a few gentle exercises targeting the parts you’re worried about will help, providing you are consistent. Whatever you do, remember, if you don’t enjoy it, you won’t keep it up. Some people are built to be skinny and some are built to be bigger – it’s the luck of the draw. If your body is set for you to be at the top end of the normal range, then it will always strive to keep it there, and attempts to reduce weight inevitably lead to a bigger problem. By all means, take a look at what you eat – the best way is to keep a diary for a few days – but only make changes you can live with permanently. Best advice is to learn to love yourself, make the best of what you are and enjoy life.

OVERWEIGHT RANGE

Don’t panic, this range is common. Providing you approach the problem sensibly you can get back in the normal range without too much pain. Do remember – make small changes which you can live with. You don’t ‘’go on a diet’’, only long term changes are effective for long term results.

THREE THINGS THAT CAN AFFECT YOUR WEIGHT:

1When and how often you eat.

Skipping meals is probably the most damaging approach, as the body lowers metabolism (the speed at which your body uses energy) when it is starved. Then when you do eat, it uses the calories much more slowly. Breakfast is particularly important, as your body has been without food for some time. Skipping breakfast also has a noticeable impact on mental ability. Some people eat 3 times a day and are happy, others feel better eating several times a day. Grazers, who eat several times a day, are better continuing to do this as attempts to change the pattern will result in

failure. Just be aware of what foods you graze on.

2What you eat .

Obviously what you eat affects your weight. However, there are no bad foods, only too much of them. To remain healthy you need a good variety of food to obtain the protein, fat, carbohydrate, vitamins, minerals and trace elements your body needs. However, if you are going to make changes there also has to be the things you enjoy in your diet – if you are a chocoholic it’s no good giving up chocolate altogether, you’ll just end up binging on it. Eating has social, emotional and pleasure functions as well as nutrition. Fat is the most concentrated form of energy at 9 calories per gram but we require some fat in our diet to provide essential fatty acids and fat soluble vitamins. Also, fat is more slowly digested, so reduces early return of hunger pangs. You can easily reduce fat without harm by changing to semi skimmed milk, grilling rather than frying and using a little less butter on bread. In round figures, protein and carbohydrate provide 4 calories per gram. Protein provides amino acids which are the building blocks of the body and carbohydrate provides sugars which are essential for muscle and brain function. Cutting out sugar in drinks doesn’t hurt but you should not cut down too much on cereal foods, potatoes etc. Eating carbohydrates with a high fibre content slows down the rate of absorption and stops you feeling hungry as quickly e.g. wholemeal/ granary bread, brown rice, wholegrain breakfast cereal. Alcohol at 7 calories per gram is rapidly absorbed and too much can lead to overweight. If you enjoy a drink then don’t cut it out, just be a little more careful on quantity. As we said earlier, keep a diary of what you eat over a few days – BUT do eat normally and do be honest with yourself. Make small changes you can live with on a permanent basis. Losing weight and keeping the weight off has no quick fix. Many diets, particularly very low calorie diets, frequently result in a vicious cycle of ever increasing weight and ever increasing difficulty losing it. Cutting out a particular food group e.g. carbohydrates can be harmful as your body has no ready supply of glucose to feed the muscles, including heart muscle, also the extra protein you eat puts a strain on the kidneys. Unless you have a very good knowledge of nutrition you will become deficient in several vitamins and minerals – multi vitamin tablets are not a cure all.

3Physical activity

All activity uses calories, even breathing. The more strenuous the activity the more calories you burn off. Try to be active but in a way you enjoy and that you are happy to make a part of your normal routine.

OBESE RANGE

Our research showed that many obese people scored high on body dissatisfaction but low on drive for thinness. In other words many people would like to be slimmer but only if an overnight miracle occurred. Most had been through the mill of every advertised diet, pills or other miracle cure. Many of the acclaimed ‘slimmer of the year’ winners when reviewed had regained all the weight they had lost. Sadly many people find themselves in this range from incorrect slimming diets in the past. Sometimes it is the result of physical injury/problems which can affect mobility. Other times it is overeating, often due to unhappiness in some area of their lives. It is a more complex problem, and we will go into this in more depth next time. In the meantime, following the advice for overweight people will provide a good starting point. Remember, please do not starve, for some it has fatal consequences and at best you will have a bigger weight problem in the future.

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