Keep Your Weight In Line

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Keep Your Weight In Line
1
Thu, 08-18-2005 - 6:33am

How to Keep Your Weight in Line


It's annoying but true: As we chalk up additional years, we find ourselves adding unwanted pounds in the process. People who had no weight problem in their 30s and 40s watch in dismay as the needle on the scale creeps upward during their 50s and 60s, even though their diet hasn't changed. And therein lies the problem.


As the years go by, the body's metabolism rate slows down and we need fewer calories than we did when we were younger. The same diet that kept us trim at 40 may plaster on the pounds at 50. Yet we still need the same amount—or more—of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients we've been getting all along. This poses a dilemma: How to find a diet that meets no more than our basic caloric needs while supplying more nutritional value than ever.


One way around the problem is exercise. The more calories you burn, the more you can eat. And you don't have to enter a marathon or "feel the burn" of a Jane Fonda workout for exercise to make a difference. Taking a walk every day is ideal. You can burn off three pounds a month by walking at a moderate rate for an hour per day. For many, however, this won't be enough.


Whether the solution is diet, exercise, or both, the problem is more than aesthetic—especially as we grow older. Studies by life insurance companies show that slim people live longer, healthier lives than those who are overweight. And the reasons for this are legion.


Sex Matters
Where weight is concerned, men can count themselves lucky. Women gain weight more easily than men do; and women have to work harder to get it off. It's all a matter of biochemistry.


A fat cell is designed to store calories (lipogenesis) when you don't need them and release fat (lipolysis) when you do. The enzymes that help store fat are called lipogenic enzymes; the ones that help release fat are lipolytic enzymes.


Women tend to have more lipogenic enzymes for fat storage; and the more you can store, the bigger the fat cell. Men have more lipolytic enzymes for fat release and, therefore, smaller fat cells.


Testosterone, the male sex hormone, activates the lipolytic enzymes for speedy release of fat. Estrogen, the female sex hormone, activates and multiplies the lipogenic enzymes. Estrogen not only stimulates the storage of fat, but also directs where most of it will be stored, concentrating it in the hips, buttocks, and thighs.


Throughout their lives, women have more body fat than men. The bodies of young girls contain a higher percentage of fat than those of young boys. And at certain milestones in the female life cycle—puberty, pregnancy, and menopause—women tend to put on even more fat. That means that the older a woman gets, the more likely she is to face the health-destroying problem of excess weight.


In technologically advanced countries, most men keep gaining weight until they reach their mid-50s, when they start shedding pounds. In women, however, body weight keeps increasing until the late 60s. After that it declines, but at a rate slower than that of men. While the metabolic changes of maturity could be a factor, reduced physical activity may be the real culprit.


Overweight or Over-Fat?
Don't trust only your scale or your mirror; they tell just half the story. It is body fat, rather than weight, that may be the best indicator of whether or not you need to trim down.


Fat comprises about 15 to 18 percent of the total body weight of a healthy, physically fit man. For a woman, the ratio is slightly higher: from 20 to 25 percent. It's quite possible to exceed these ratios without weighing in above your ideal; and the reverse holds true as well. Remember: You can be overweight without being over-fat and over-fat without being overweight.


This is one of the reasons a tape measure can be a better tool than a scale for measuring the success of a weight loss program. Since muscle weighs more than fat, your weight may seem to stabilize or even increase as you build muscle mass. Don't be discouraged. If you're wearing smaller-sized clothes or you've lost inches from your hips, waist, or neck, you are actually leaner and healthier than when you started.


Apple vs. Pear
At least as important as total weight is where the fat tends to settle on your body. While fat in the hips, thighs, and buttocks is mainly stored just under the skin, fat in the midsection is stored deeper in the body.


As we grow older, fat tends to collect around the abdomen, and many people develop an "apple shape." This can be more dangerous than having a "pear shape," in which excess fat gravitates to the hips and thighs.


Experts theorize that abdominal fat releases more fatty acids, leading to a rise in blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels. While this can be a serious health problem in and of itself, it also may interfere with the action of insulin in the body, thus increasing the risk of diabetes. Some researchers also believe that "apple shape" obesity may increase the availability and activity of estrogen, leading to an elevated risk of breast cancer. The good news is that, to some degree, you can modify your shape, whether apple or pear, through exercise and diet modification.


What Weight Is Right for You?
Recent research suggests that if you repeatedly have trouble reaching—and maintaining—your ideal weight, you may be better off surrendering that elusive goal altogether and focusing on what your body really wants to weigh: your natural weight.


Natural weight is the weight your body goes to and maintains when you're eating reasonably and not drastically cutting calories, exercising vigorously, or otherwise trying to shed pounds. It will never be a fixed number, but, rather, a range of 5 to 8 pounds (since weight normally varies slightly with changes in general health, activity, hormone levels, and the time of day).


Of course, that doesn't mean that any weight is healthy. If your weight relative to your height—your body mass index—is too high (see the nearby table), you should consider trimming down to stay healthy.


Gauging Your Natural Weight
To determine your current natural weight range, consider the following factors.


Your personal weight history. Try to remember the lowest weight range you have successfully maintained as an adult, without dieting, for a period of a year or more. That is your baseline natural weight range.


Your family. Make a mental picture of family members when they were about the age you are now. Because genetics is a powerful variable in terms of size and shape, family resemblance can help define your natural weight. (Remember, however, that even if you come from a long line of very heavy people, if your weight seems dangerously high, it's wise to check with your doctor about the need to shed some pounds.)


Your exercise habits. Think back to that period when you maintained your lowest-ever weight. If you exercised regularly then and don't do it now, you may need to add several pounds to your baseline weight range—or start exercising again.


Strategies for Successful Weight Loss
Once you have determined your natural weight range, what do you do with the information? If your weight is excessive for your height, you should try to lose weight gradually by adopting a low-fat, moderate-calorie, healthful diet and boosting your exercise level. Crash diets are definitely not the answer. Though they can quickly strip off the unwanted pounds, nine times out of 10 the excess weight returns.


Prescription and over-the-counter weight-loss drugs are not magic bullets either. The loss tends to be temporary and all drugs carry the risk of side effects. Clinical guidelines released by the National Institutes of Health recommend that weight-loss drugs be reserved for patients with a BMI greater than 30 or a BMI greater than 27 if they also have risk factors for a chronic disease such as hypertension or diabetes.


Most weight-loss drugs work by suppressing the appetite. Options in this category include the prescription medications Adipex-P, Fastin, Ionamin, and the newer diet drug Meridia. All can be habit-forming if they're abused. There's also one medication that works by preventing the absorption of fat. Named Xenical, it blocks uptake of up to one-third of dietary fat when used along with a low-fat diet. It can, however, cause unpleasant side effects.


When giving any of these drugs a try, don't expect results unless you also diet and exercise. And remember that unless you make some permanent changes in your eating habits, the excess pounds are likely to return.


From a weight-loss standpoint, a low-fat diet is ideal because it minimizes the amount of fat readily available for your body to store. But how low is low? The American Heart Association, the National Academy of Science, the American Cancer Society, and many other groups recommend that we get a maximum of 30 percent of our calories from fat (with no more than 10 percent of total calories from saturated fats). Another body of nutrition experts, including Nathan Pritikin and Dr. Dean Ornish, suggest that even lower levels of fat (10 to 20 percent of total calories) are much better than 30%, and can, among other things, actually reverse existing heart disease.


Calories Still Count
Your body needs a certain number of calories per day to maintain bodily functions—referred to as your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). You can estimate your BMR by multiplying your current weight (in pounds) by 10 for women, 11 for men. For example, a woman who weighs 120 pounds would require about 1,200 calories per day just to maintain her bodily functions. You'll also need some percentage of calories above your BMR to provide energy for your daily activities; the percentage will vary widely based on your metabolism and activity level. A moderately fit and active person might need 30 to 50 percent more calories than the BMR to maintain current weight. Example: A 120-pound woman would need approximately 1,680 calories per day . A person who is very fit and exercises frequently might burn as much as 100 to 200 percent more than his or her BMR.


If your goal is to lose weight, you'll need to take in fewer calories than you use up, or burn off extra calories through exercise, or both. If you choose to decrease calories, aim for the amount needed daily to maintain your target weight, not your current weight. Most experts recommend that women take in a minimum of 1,200 calories and men a minimum of 1,600 per day. Lower calorie levels are unlikely to supply all the essential nutrients you need, and may slow down your metabolism, making weight loss even more difficult. For gradual weight loss, some professionals recommend a daily calorie target of 10 times your weight. At this level, they say, you can expect to lose half a pound per week.


(I have not posted the whole article, you can find the rest of it here: http://www.pdrhealth.com/content/lifelong_health/chapters/fgac03.shtml)

~IslandGirl



::: Jump for Joy ::: Summer's Here :::


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iVillage Member
Registered: 12-04-2003
Thu, 08-18-2005 - 12:46pm

Thanks for the article IG, there were some great tips in there.