The Proper Attitude

The place to begin is with one’s basic attitude toward dieting and good health. We live in a society in which we are conditioned to expect instant results. Over-the-counter remedies are available for almost every ache and pain. For a headache, an upset stomach, or a runny nose, we simply take a pill. If we are overweight, our response is no different. Where’s that magic solution—the pill that promises to dissolve our unwanted bulges while we sleep? Clearly, the dollars we shell out for such overnight cures would be far better spent on whole, nutritious foods and a pair of walking shoes.

            You cannot keep pounds off your body permanently until you realize that the foods you eat on your “weight-loss program” must be similar to the foods you will choose for the rest of your life. A diet is not temporary; it is a way of living that you maintain on a regular basis. The emphasis needs to be changed from short-term deprivation to long-term change.

            It is necessary to retrain your mind to focus on “eating for life” those foods that cause you to feel good, alive, energetic, young, and positive about yourself. It is an attitude of “what is good for my wonderful body” rather than “what do I have to give up so I can lose ten pounds by Saturday night.”

WEIGHT CONTROL

WEIGHT CONTROL

The sad thing is that too many people ignore the basics in the search for the esoteric.

(COVERT BAILEY)

If we are not careful, middle-age spread can creep up on any of us. After thirty, the body start to change metabolically; muscle tissue decreases, and the body’s basal metabolic rate (BMR), the rate at which we burn calories in sustaining basic life functions, slows down. By some estimates, the BMR decreases about 2 percent each decade, which means by age eighty, we need to take in two hundred fewer calories each day  then we do at midlife. For most women, this will not be enough of a reduction. Because their activity level has also lessened, maintaining the same weight requires further reduction in food intake. There is no way around it: To maintain our weight, we must alter our eating habits and remain physically active.

                Obviously, monitoring your weight throughout your life is better than discovering at menopause that you have a serious problem. Menopause brings enough issues to contend with; you don’t need to compound the situation by having to diet as well. Sometimes I think the best way to maintain your figure is to vow never to buy a larger size in clothes. You may not be eating more than normally do, but your body will tell you the time has come to make adjustments.

                A bathroom scale is not an accurate indicator of fitness or optimum weight. In fact, I suggest you throw out your scale. It does not tell you how your body should look or how healthy you are. Worst of all, it can become a constant source of anxiety and guilt.

                How important is keeping our weight down after fifty? Certainly, a few additional pounds won’t harm most women, but I think the operative word here is few. Studies show that the pounds you put on in midlife may be more harmful than any extra weight you carried in your early years. Women who gain weight later in life are at a higher risk for heart disease than those who have carried the weight all their lives. Being overweight to the point of obesity is extremely high risk and is associated with heart disease, high blood pressure, adult-onset diabetes, and certain types of cancer (notably breast, endometrial, and colon cancers).