Sugary drinks, fast food to blame for obesity

By Courtney Klemm
courtney.klemm@lee.net

Although sedentary lives have overcome Americans, the solution to the increase in child obesity is twofold, with food taking on a new meaning in children’s lives, local health officials explained.

“It amazes me how much soda consumption has gone up, while milk consumption has gone down,” said Laura Sechrest, director of food and nutrition services at St. Mary’s Hospital. “Twenty years ago, a teen boy drank two times as much milk than soda; that has basically reversed.”

Sugary drinks, such as soft drinks or sugar-packed juices, should be avoided at all costs, said Dr. Mayra Arzon, a local pediatrician.

Fast food is another area that gets people into trouble with weight management.

“We recommend trying to pick meals that don’t exceed 500 calories,” said Bonnie Kruse, food and nutrition manager for St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital in Effingham. “That seems like a lot, but if you can get a whole fast-food meal for under 500, you’ve done pretty good.”

Fast food can be an acceptable option for a meal only if it is not overused and healthy choices are made, Sechrest said. Sit-down restaurants also can be a culprit of weight gain due to the immense portion sizes.

“Limit how much empty-calorie food you have around, and keep it in perspective,” Sechrest said. “Learn how to savor a small slice and make it something special, instead of constantly having it around.”

Getting children to eat a variety of healthy foods is usually easier said than done. It takes 15 attempts for a child older than 4 to try a new food, and 10 attempts when the child is younger than 4, said Etchason, pointing out it is best to introduce new foods to children early in life.

Kruse said the easiest way to get children to try new foods is for parents to set a good example.

“Making your children sit at the table until they finish their plate, those days are gone,” she said. “During meals, all you can do is try to prepare a food in a way that is tasty and offer it to the child to taste. Making a big deal of it is not helpful.”

Involvement from the whole family is important when making lifestyle changes such as nutrition and exercise, said Sechrest.

“Everyone understands the importance and how they’re going to benefit from it, so it’s not just on Mom to make sure everyone is eating the right way,” she said. “If you sit in front of the TV all night, you can’t expect your kids not to scroll through the computer the whole time, too. It’s never too late for a family to sit down and assess changes as a family.”

The Golden Rule for Dieting and successful weight loss in the New Year!

By Julia Havey

I heard the most amazing message recently. It was on Thanksgiving Day.

The message came in the form of a story about a woman who was in the hospital and very ill with cancer. Whenever anyone went to visit this woman, they asked her how she was. Every time that she was asked, she always responded "Great!" Her answer was never followed with a "but" like many of us use when asked how we are. I have caught myself many times say "I'm fine, but my back is sore...or my head aches....or I didn't sleep well last night, or but it's too cold out", etc. She never answered with a "but". Sometimes however, she would answer with an "and", such as "Thanks, I am great, and how are you? Or "and it is a beautiful day".

When asked why she never complained, the woman responded, "because I live my life by a simple rule, the rule is to allow only ONE complaint a day...and I just haven't found anything to complain about yet today!"

Wow. I wish I had met this woman. She really must have been amazing to know.

It got me thinking about weight loss, like all things in life do, and I realized how much more pleasant our journey would be, if we allowed only one complaint a day.

Sometimes we can complain so often, about so many small trivial things that we lose sight of the big picture. So let's end that and get some more clear focus on the solution to our complaints!

One way that is woman did this is that she lived her life with an attitude of gratitude. She was truly thankful for what she had and did not dwell upon that which she did not.

That is something that we can do easily when it comes to losing weight! We can take inventory of all that we have to be thankful for:

• The ability to change our habits, behaviors and health.

• The ability to choose healthy foods over unhealthy foods

• The abundance of healthy food choices

• The ability to prepare food in a healthy manner

• The ability to reverse health problems brought on by obesity

• Hope

• The opportunity to move our body and get some exercise

• The chance to improve upon yesterday and make tomorrow better

• The resources that we need to educated us as to what is healthy

• People who are dedicated to seeing us succeed and supporting our endeavors

• Sewing machines, to take our clothes in as our body loses inches

• Compliments!

• No longer feeling despair over HOW to lose weight

• No longer yo-yo dieting

• That we are no longer depriving ourselves of optimal health


I am sure there are so many things that I am missing from this list....add to it, won't you. Tell me what you are thankful for!

Isn't that a whole lot better than focusing on the Twinkies that you won't be eating and complaining over it! An attitude adjustment may be just what you need to realize your attitude of gratitude!

Carpe Diet!
Julia

Low calorie diet may lead to bone loss

Weight loss through calorie restriction, but not exercise, may lead to bone loss, according to a new study.


Men and women who lose weight by cutting calories also may be losing bone density, but weight loss through exercise does not seem to produce the same effect, according to a report in the December issue of JAMA.

The primary treatment obesity is lifestyle modification, including exercise and low-calorie diets. However, decreasing body weight is associated with decreased bone mineral density, which increases the risk for osteoporosis (weakening of the bones) and hip fractures in older men and women.

At the start of the study and after six months and 12 months, blood samples were taken to test for hormones and chemical markers that show whether bone tissue is being absorbed and regenerated.

Forty-six of the participants completed the study. After one year, those in the calorie restriction group lost an average of 8.2 kilograms or 18.1 pounds, those in the exercise intervention group lost 6.7 kilograms or 14.8 pounds and those in the healthy lifestyle group maintained their weight. Individuals in the calorie-restriction group also lost an average of 2.2 percent of their bone density in the lower spine, 2.2 percent at the hip and 2.1 percent at the top end of the femur-all high-risk fracture sites.

There were no significant changes in bone mineral density in the exercise or healthy lifestyle groups. In both weight-loss groups, bone turnover-which occurs when old bone is broken down-increased, as indicated by the markers of bone turnover in the blood.

"A common explanation given for the bone loss induced by weight loss is reduction in mechanical stress on the weight-bearing skeleton (i.e., hip and spine)," the authors write.

"Accordingly, the preservation of bone mineral density in the exercise group could be mediated through exercise-induced bone loading." In addition, although both weight-loss groups experienced an increase in bone turnover, this was only detrimental to the calorie restriction group.

Muscles pulling on bones during exercise is thought to produce strains in the skeleton that stimulate new bone production. "Our results are consistent with an osteoprotective effect of exercise-induced mechanical strain on the skeleton and consequent increase in bone turnover," the authors continue.

"These findings have important implications in designing an appropriate weight-loss therapy program in middle-aged adults, particularly in the subset of patients who may already be at increased risk for bone fracture," they conclude. (ANI)

Weight-loss method doesn't matter in fending off diabetes

Linda Searing
Washington Post

The question: Losing weight often can help reduce the likelihood of developing diabetes. Does risk depend on whether the pounds come off as a result of cutting calories or of exercising more?

This study randomly assigned 46 people in their 50s, generally sedentary and overweight but not obese, to one of two weight-loss groups or a healthy lifestyle maintenance group.

People in one weight-loss group exercised 60 to 90 minutes a day, increasing energy expenditure by up to 20 percent, but did not change their diet; the people in the other weight-loss group restricted calories consumed by up to 20 percent but did not change exercise patterns.

Those in the maintenance group were offered advice on healthful eating and free yoga classes, but few accepted.

After a year, both the exercisers and calorie-cutters had lost an average of seven to eight pounds; weight was unchanged in the maintenance group. Those who lost weight also showed improvements on blood tests that indicate how effectively the body uses insulin, considered indicators of diabetes risk.

There was virtually no difference between the exercisers and calorie-cutters; blood tests of the maintenance group registered no changes.

Who may be affected by these findings? Overweight people who want to reduce the risk of diabetes. In the past 15 years, the number of people in the United States found to have diabetes has more than doubled, to nearly 15 million. An estimated 6 million more have the disease but do not know it.

Caveats: Whether greater benefit would be achieved by combining exercise and calorie restriction was not tested. Also, the study included a small number of participants.

Find this study in the November issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition; abstract available at www.ajcn.org.

Learn more about diabetes at ndep.nih.gov and www.diabetes.org.