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I have lost 15 pound in 3 weeks that I could not shed in seven
years through waitlifting and rigorous exercise, by following
a low carb diet. My sense of wellbeing has greatly improved
as well as my mental alertness. I am wondering if you can
suggest low carb treats that I can offer my child, instead
of the high carb stuff offered in the grocery store? (He definitely
has a sweet tooth!)
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Congratulations
on losing 15 pounds in 3 weeks. It's hard work but worthwhile.
Often people do not realize how much better they will feel
by losing weight until they do it. It seems you are convinced
it was the low carbohydrate diet that helped you. As for
your child limiting snacks containing carbohydrates may
not be the best idea. Eating snacks your child likes in
portions that are integrated into his total daily meal plan
helps develop healthy, sensible and sustaining habits.
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I
am one of the lucky girls who gained more than just the freshman
fifteen in college. I went from a size 5 to a size 16 in four
years and gained approximately 70 pounds. I am only 23, just
graduated from college am beginning my career. I have tried
to diet, exercise, etc. I just get burnt out and it is so
easy to eat unhealthy when you are low on time. My new roommate
is a health freak and has started to help me "change
my lifestyle". I am counting calories and (although not
very much) exercising. I am doing really well and have lost
15-20 pounds in the last month. I am just scared that I am
going to get burnt out now but I do know that I am atleast
30 pounds over weight and my self-esteem is going way down,
while my weight is going up. How do I change my lifestyle
and not get burnt out? |
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Firstly,
congratulations on graduating from college and beginning a
career. That is a worthwhile accomplishment and something
to be proud of.
It sounds like your on the right track with respect to your
weight. It is difficult to change food habits but by trying
to change your lifestyle and eating foods that are healthy,
you are on the road to following patterns that will lead to
a happier Crystal. If you can come to understand and replace
the notion of dieting with eating and enjoying eating, then
food will not be experienced as counting calories.
People can use different styles of eating to achieve their
goal. Some people respond better to a structured food plan
of 3 meals a day with 2 snacks while others need the freedom
to only eat when they are hungry, in controlled portions,
of foods they like. Discovering which strategy works for you
is important. Eating a wide variety of foods in moderate amounts
helps prevent feelings that result in weight cycling.
Keep a journal which includes the foods that you have eaten,
the time, your mood and what is going on. This can help you
find clues that are insightful in understanding situations
that trigger eating disturbances. Often if you can figure
out what's eating you, you can find ways to make eating a
normal, healthy part of your life.
Try to walk twice a day for a half hour at a relaxed pace.
This helps regulate your appetite and gives you a chance to
exercise in an unpressured milieu.
You have already demonstrated that you can lose weight by
having lost 15-20 pounds in a month. This is a relatively
short time for this amount of weight. Don't be discouraged
if your weight plateaus as it takes time for your body to
adjust to changes. Focus on how much weight you have lost
and not on how much weight you have left to lose. This should
encourage you to continue and empower you with the feeling
that you can do it. There is no doubt that losing weight is
difficult as it requires discipline and perseverance. From
what you have told me about yourself, it sounds like you have
these qualities. |
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Should
I breast feed or bottle-feed my baby? |
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This
is a very personal decision that should be discussed before
the baby is born. There are advantages to both ways of feeding
and whichever method is chosen should be supported and respected. |
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How
much weight should my baby gain in the first year? |
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At
3 months, your baby should double his/her birth weight and
by 1 year your baby should triple his/her birth weight. |
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When
do I introduce solid foods? |
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The
introduction of solid food to an infant depends on the individual
baby and not on a rigid schedule. The addition of food to
a baby’s diet should be governed by 3 considerations:
•the baby’s nutrient needs
•the baby’s physical readiness to handle different
forms of foods
•the need to detect and control allergic reactions |
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How
can parents help children develop a healthy attitude toward
eating and food? |
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Parents
should avoid teaching children to seek food as a reward, to
expect food as comfort for unhappiness or to associate food
deprivation with punishment.
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How
does the developmental stages of a one year old relate to
food?
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One
year olds are at a stage where exploring and experimenting
are desirable and normal behaviors. They are developing a
sense of autonomy that can provide the foundation for later
confidence and effectiveness. At this stage, they should be
learning to sit at mealtime, and gradually learning to feed
themselves. A one year old will get enough to eat if he lets
his own hunger be his guide. Appetite decreases markedly around
the age of one year, in line with the great reduction in growth
rate. |
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How
come babies prefer sweets? |
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Baby’s
are born with a natural inborn preference for sweets. |
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My
one year old wants to poke his/her fingers in food. What should
I do? |
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One
year olds can learn from feeling the texture of different
foods. When they are ready they will graduate to a spoon. |
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What
strategies can be used to encourage healthful eating? |
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Variety,
moderation and balance - Eat a wide variety of foods, consume
moderate sized portions and balance intake with exercise.
•Mealtimes should be relaxed and leisurely
•Children should learn to eat slowly
•Children should stop eating when they are full
•Children should not be forced to finish their food
•Children should not be forced to eat when they are not
hungry |
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What
can be done to help overweight children? |
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It
is easier to help children learn good food habits early on
to help avoid the problems associated with being overweight.
Children should be encouraged to maintain their weight and
increase their physical activity. Healthy eating can be encouraged.
The nutrient content of food can be discussed, with emphasis
placed on learning about the role food has in contributing
to health. Snacking on high calorie foods should be discouraged.
Dieting is not recommended for children between the ages of
5-12. The best way children learn to eat well-balanced and
healthy meals is by watching moms and dads. |
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My
14 year old daughter is slightly overweight. She is on a fad
diet. How can we help her lose weight sensibly? |
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There are so many diet books on the market that are
endorsed by well known personalities that impressionable teenagers
tend to gravitate to these unreliable authorities. Most often
teenagers learn the nutrient and calorie content of food.
They feel that their lives will be different if they are thinner.
Work with your teenager to understand that fad dieting leads
to weight cycling and that these diets result in weight gain
because the diet cannot be followed for a long time. Often
fad diets leave out a food group so that there is a quick
weight loss but once this nutrient is reintroduced the dieter
regains the lost weight. Teenagers have difficulty looking
at the long-term consequences of habitual dieting. |
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What
is anorexia nervosa? |
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Anorexia
nervosa is an extreme preoccupation with weight loss that
seriously endangers the health and life of the dieter. It
is a self-imposed state of starvation that rules the dieter’s
life. Its victims seem to be reacting to the cultural values
that emphasize fashion and material success over personal
actualization and self esteem. Whatever its cause, it serves
as but one of the many possible examples of the ways teenagers
feel pressured and the ways they react to those problems. |
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What
is bulimia or bulimarexia? |
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Bulimia
is binge-eating known more popularly as “pigging out”.
It is often followed by self-induced vomiting or the taking
of laxatives. Bulimics are characterised by periodic binge
eating alternating with intervals of dieting and self-starvation.
The binge eater typically ingests a large amount of food in
an episode which he /she deems uncontrollable. The foods are
usually sweet or starchy, require little chewing and are high
in calories. The binge ends when it would hurt to eat any
more or when the person goes to sleep, induces vomiting or
is interrupted. This form of eating behavior is called the
binge-purge syndrome or bulimarexia. It is also known as bulimia
nervosa and dietary chaos syndrome. It describes the habitual
behavior of gorging, purging and is considered a learned behavior.
Though bulimia is seldom life threatening, it can be physically
damaging. It is highly desirable for binge eaters to learn
to see food and themselves in a more positive light. All dieters
should come to accept a realistic weight goal for themselves. |
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What
is aerobic nervosa? |
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Aerobic nervosa is the obsessive pursuit of thinness
via fitness. Like dieting, it has become another weapon in
the arsenal of rigid weight control. |
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Anorexia
nervosa, bulimia and aerobic nervosa are prevalent amongst
teenagers. What can parents do to try to prevent these extreme
behaviors?
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Awareness
that dieting and distorted body image play havoc with psyches
is a start. Building self-esteem, encouraging independence
and self-reliance are life long skills that parents can encourage
to help their teens develop and avoid the control issues surrounding
eating disorders. |
