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One of the major obstacles to successful weight control is
lack of understanding. In plain terms, ignorance may be bliss
but it certainly does not lead to shedding of excess pounds.
Glandular Problems
For example, many overweight people claim that their problem
is due to their "glands". They believe that they
have some kind of metabolic disease that causes them to pile
on the weight. In fact, only occasionally is this so. In a
very small proportion of overweight people a simple blood
test, arranged by a GP, may show that the thyroid gland is
under active. In such a case thyroid hormone replacements
may help the weight problem. But I must stress that thyroid
problems are rarely the cause of excess weight.
Diabetes and Excess Weight
A much more common link between excess weight and metabolic
disease is Diabetes. Middle-aged and elderly people who are
overweight are far more likely to develop type 2, which is
non-insulin dependent, diabetes. Often, merely shedding the
excess weight leads to good control of the disease. Diabetes
is a serious condition, which significantly increases the
risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.
Excess weight and obesity are major health problems. In the
UK, one in three adults are overweight, and one in six adults
are obese - which means they carry surplus body weight of
20% or more.
But Why Are You Overweight?
One of the most common remarks I hear from overweight clients
is: "But doctor, I hardly eat anything at all. My weight
has nothing to do with the food I eat." Ridiculous as
such a comment may sound, there is a grain of truth in it.
Since the end of World War Two, the amount of food we eat
has actually lessened, whilst at the same time our average
body weight has risen. Whilst this may seem a puzzle, there
is a very simple explanation.
During the past few decades we have watched more and more
television, we spend more time in front of computers, we use
cars where before we used our feet or bicycles, and we use
elevators and escalators instead of stairs. We have become
less active. So, although we consume fewer calories now than
a few years ago, we also burn up far fewer calories than before.
What we weigh depends on a simple balance: the calories we
consume against the calories we burn. Or, put more simply,
food versus exercise. Yes, we may not seem to eat very much,
but if we are couch potatoes we still end up piling on the
weight.
This is one example of poor public knowledge about excess
weight. Another has to do with the best way to shed those
excess pounds. Ask most people and they will tell you: "Diet".
Again, there is some truth in the answer, but it is far from
complete.
And What Can You Do About It?
For a start, most people's idea of "diet" is to
go on some kind of masochistic hunger-driven eating plan,
which forbids all of their favorite foods. Yes, as long as
you stick to such a program you will probably lose weight,
but at what cost? Anyone who has followed such a regime knows
that it is impossible to stick to it for long, and when the
diet is eventually abandoned all those pounds come tumbling
back on even faster than they went away.
With experience, and with professional guidance, some people
eventually learn that the only way to diet sensibly is to
follow a healthy, balanced diet with lots of fresh fruit and
vegetables, not much fat, and moderation in all things.
This approach, providing it is combined with regular moderate
exercise -- such as walking for 30 minutes 4 days a week and
weightlifting 3 days a week -- does in fact, yield results.
Note the important features: a healthy balanced diet and
exercise. Without exercise it is virtually impossible to lose
weight and, even more importantly, to maintain a healthy weight.
Which brings us on to another area of ignorance. Maintaining
weight is the name of the game. Almost anyone can lose weight.
The trick is to keep it off.
The tendency to be overweight is a lifelong condition. Like
diabetes or high blood pressure, you don't "cure"
it - you aim only to "control" it. Unless you continue
to work at it, excess weight has an unpleasant habit of coming
back. But the process really does not have to be unpleasant.
Good healthy food in moderation and reasonable exercise help
to shape a fitter and more energetic body, which makes for
a more enjoyable lifestyle.
Don't Believe the Hype
Finally, one more common piece of ignorance. Many like to
believe that you can "cure" excess weight and obesity
with pills. Sadly, no magic bullet is yet available, nor is
it likely to be for many years to come. The answer for the
foreseeable future will remain the same: eat less and exercise
more. Don't allow yourself to believe the common points of
ignorance to do with obesity. Instead, arm yourself with knowledge.
If you need extra help, see your doctor, practice nurse or
local slimming club.
Losing weight is simple, which is not to say that it is necessarily
easy. But don't make it even more difficult by believing that
which is not true.
By Michael Spira
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