Dieting
Dieting
Deprivation Doesn't Work
You remember how it's done: Mom was always dieting, especially as she got older. So just like Mom used to do, you head for the kitchen, humming all the way . . .
One big, juicy slab of iceberg lettuce. Top it with a little scoop of cottage cheese. How about half a canned peach? Hmm, let's see. What else? Of course! Melba toast. Take three; they're small. Hey, this isn't so bad--is it? Now add a little artificial sweetener to the coffee, and you're all set. Dig in.
Suddenly, you don't feel like humming anymore.
Diets don't work. Sure, you might lose some weight at first. But eventually, when you're so hungry that you could eat your slippers, you'll go off the diet with a vengeance. And you'll usually regain more weight than you lost, says John Foreyt, Ph.D., director of the Nutrition Research Clinic at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
Who hasn't thought that "if I can lose just these last ten pounds, I'll look younger"? But the sad truth is that the net gain of body fat resulting from this cycle of lose and gain puts a tremendous strain on your body. You see it in your skin as wrinkles and sagging, says George Blackburn, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School and chief of the Nutrition/Metabolism Laboratory at New England Deaconess Hospital, both in Boston.
But what you don't see is the aging on the inside--organs and systems that get old before their time.
Yo-Yo Illogic
A lifetime of dieting may take a toll on your heart. Research done by Kelly Brownell, Ph.D., a psychologist and obesity researcher at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, found that repeated dieting can set you up for heart disease. Dr. Brownell's studies showed that people with big weight fluctuations have a 75 percent greater risk of dying from heart disease than people whose weights stay relatively steady. "A lot of weight fluctuation is required to put you in this category--not five pounds now and then," says Dr. Brownell.
Yo-yo dieting may also cause high blood pressure and redistribute fat to areas of the body where it does more damage, such as from your bottom to your belly. People with lots of abdominal fat, for instance, are more likely to develop heart disease, say experts.
Dieting also makes it impossible for you to reap the full benefits of physical activity. A study at Arizona State University in Tempe found that women who had been on at least four different diets in the previous year used fewer calories during exercise than nondieters. They also weighed more and had more body fat than the nondieting women.
The Diet Pill Question
Do diet pills really work, or do they offer only false hope? "Some antidepressants can help people who have serious weight problems that include binge eating caused by behavioral or psychiatric disorders," says David Schlundt, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and assistant professor of psychology at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. "But be sure to combine them with some form of psychotherapy." What about over-the-counter diet pills? Most experts don't recommend them. Their active ingredient, phenylpropanolamine hydrochloride (PPA), is an adrenaline-like stimulant. "For people who aren't that healthy in the first place--who have high blood pressure, heart disease, asthma or diabetes--PPA can cause real problems," says Dr. Schlundt. Even low doses can raise blood pressure and increase heart rate. And large doses can cause anxiety, sleeplessness, even convulsions. PPA also has the potential for abuse, Dr. Schlundt points out. It causes a "high" similar to that of speed or amphetamines that can become addictive. For seriously overweight people, there may be a promising "fat blocker" pill on the horizon, says John Foreyt, Ph.D., director of the Nutrition Research Clinic at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. It's called orlistat (Xenical), and it's being tested in the United States and Europe. "Orlistat is not for someone who needs to lose five or ten pounds but for moderate to severe obesity," he says. The drug works by blocking fat absorption. "But no pill is a magic bullet," Dr. Foreyt says. "Even with orlistat, you still have to follow a low-fat diet and a sensible exercise program." |
Listen for the Quacks
The ads trumpet "Lose a Pound a Day!" "I Lost 100 Pounds in Three Months!" "Miracle Weight Loss Pill!" "Mystery Food Melts Pounds Away!" "Low-Carbohydrate Diet!" "High-Protein Diet!"
Sound familiar? Quick weight loss diets simply don't work. You may lose weight rapidly at first, but most of that is water. The moment you stop starving yourself, you'll gain it all right back--plus extra fat.
Here's how to identify a legitimate weight control program as opposed to just another dumb diet plan.
Fast is false. Don't fall prey to weight loss schemes that promise speed, says Dr. Blackburn. The greatest virtue for successful weight loss is patience, because the only way to lose weight is slowly. One-half to one pound a week is best, he says.
Never say never. Deprivation doesn't work, but lifestyle changes can, says Janet Polivy, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine. A good eating plan--one that is geared toward health, not toward weight loss--doesn't forbid occasional indulgences in high-fat favorites, she says. "If you're told to never eat fried foods, you'll feel terrible when you have some--which is inevitable--and you'll give up good eating because you'll feel like a failure."
Forget about fad food diets. "This concept is hogwash," Dr. Blackburn says. "There are no magical foods that cancel other calories consumed, such as grapefruit."
Don't trust testimonials. "Testimonials are a major approach of bogus weight loss schemes," says Terrence Kuske, M.D., a nutritionist and professor of medicine at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. A typical testimonial might look something like this: "I lost 30 pounds in one month with Diet Dynamite! J. Smith, New York City." Chances are good that J. Smith doesn't exist--or, if she does, that she is related to the owner of the company selling this diet scheme. Weight control programs that work are backed up by scientific studies, not by testimonials.
