99A - Fit and Well Column for November 28th, 2004

TITLE: "Why You Gain Weight"

Dear David and Trish,

I am so frustrated! I lose weight, then gain it back again! I can't tell you how many times this has happened. Every time I fail in my diet, I feel depressed and discouraged. Is there anything I can do to end this struggle?

Ruth in Baltimore

Dear Ruth,

The first step is to surrender! Sounds weird, but absolutely true. There is absolutely no reason to be in constant battle with your body, and the world. There are many principles that, when understood and applied consistently, will allow you to maintain your ideal weight, WITHOUT struggles and hardships! There's even room for ice cream, cheeseburgers, and an occasional order of French Fries!

Let's examine the mistakes, and corrections, regarding weight management.

Five Main Reasons You Gain Weight

Hey, if you're as old as me you may remember the popular TV series, each episode of which ended with the famous line, "There are 8 million stories in the Naked City… this has been one of them." The line comes to mind because there are, undoubtedly, as many "stories" about why people gain and regain weight as there are people. Some of the "stories" are true, but most are at best conjecture.

So here is a list of the five most probable reasons why you seem to be having a life-long struggle with your weight, along with some suggestions and strategies on how to address these problems, and make life-long weight management a natural part of your lifestyle. Imagine… no more diets, obsessions, guilt, and remorse!

1. You constantly try to lose weight by dieting rather than making real lifestyle changes.

If you diet, at some point you stop dieting and revert to your old eating habits… the ones that made you want to diet in the first place.

The only way to effectively take off and keep off excess pounds is to genuinely understand that weight loss requires a complete change in destructive eating habits and improved life-style choices. You need a strategy you can live with for life.

Of course, one of the first steps in this process is to rid yourself of convenient excuses. Things like "I am genetically destined to be chubby", or, "I NEED to overeat in order to deal with the stresses of life", or "food is the only comfort I have in this cruel world".

Sound familiar? They do to me! I used them for years. And believed them sufficiently to sabotage any chance of getting my weight and health under control.

2. You fail to incorporate exercise into your weight-loss strategy.

The National Weight Control Registry (bet you didn't know there was such a thing!), which tracks people who have lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off for at least a year, found that one of the main strategies used by successful dieters is exercise. In fact, exercise is the single best predictor of whether or not people will keep off the weight they’ve lost.

Of course, it is quite a challenge to exercise when you've been sedentary for a long time, AND you are carrying extra pounds in the way of unnecessary fat stores. A double-edged sword!

So, EASY DOES IT, but DO it! Commit to a minimum 30 minutes a day of some kind of moderate aerobic and/or weight lifting exercise every day. You want to target a scenario where you work up to about an hour a day, three or four times a week.

3. You EAT in response to stress.

For many people it is very difficult to differentiate anxiety from hunger. Again, I know this very well. Every time I became anxious, I interpreted these signals to mean that I was hungry. No wonder I ate so many bacon cheeseburgers… I was anxious all the time!

Chronic stress sends signals to the body to refuel, usually with fats and carbohydrates. Plus, people often turn to comfort foods when they haven’t found other ways to sooth themselves in difficult times. The added weight gain only causes more stress and despondency, and the cycle continues.

The solution? It is two-fold.

One is to challenge your interpretation of body signals. Learn to differentiate between anxiety, stress, and true hunger. This is quite difficult to do, but very necessary for long term weight management.

The other is to learn and practice effective stress management techniques. There is a veritable plethora of information available in magazines, books, and on the Internet. So get off of E-Bay for a few minutes, and learn how to relax!

4. You lose muscle mass.

This is a surprise to many people. But if you understand the process, you will realize how valid it is.

The body will slowly lose muscle at the rate of about 5 to 10 pounds per decade, naturally. Less muscle means less fat- and calorie-burning ability, meaning that you need fewer calories at 50 than you did at 40. Your "resting metabolism" is lowered… virtually guaranteeing weight gain. Some sooner… and more later! Couple that with common aches and pains of growing older, more responsibilities and distractions, and a subsequent lowering in the amount of physical activity, and the situation is exacerbated.

The only way to protect against this muscle loss is to "use it or lose it". Yep… it means "pumping some iron", or at least doing some resistance training to engage those muscles!

5. You DO have undiagnosed metabolic issues.

There is always the possibility that there is some physical imbalance or dysfunction that makes controlling your weight difficult, if not impossible. If you feel that this may be the case, the only logical thing to do is discuss this with your health care provider, and undergo whatever tests are necessary to diagnose the problem(s). This is always prudent, if only to allow you to eliminate an "excuse" for your weight gain.

There are many medications available to assist with regaining a proper metabolic balance. Again, discuss this fully with your trusted health care provider.

We are complex, and are all somewhat unique in our makeup and function. But there are a number of truths that we need to learn, accept, and apply in order to live comfortably, and joyfully. There is absolutely no reason, or excuse, to go through life feeling the burden of obesity or constantly engaging in a struggle with body weight. Look around, be brave, and accept help. There IS a solution.

Beware of Food Preservatives! A recent large-scale British study found that four popular artificial food colorings, and a common preservative called sodium benzoate (you'll see that on MANY labels) caused hyperactivity in children. The solution? Choose fresh fruits and additive-free juices and foods whenever possible. Your child will be calmer, more stable, and you might be able to take off your roller-skates, Mom!

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