Conference rocks::weight_control

    
    I guess it all depends on at what point you're starting off. How tall
    are you? What is your weight now? What is your target?
    
    
    /andy/

I've had problems with this one too, though not as severe as
yours.  I found that even by working out, I would be really
killing myself for 5 or so measly pounds...just wasn't worth it.
I also tried skipping meals, like having a diet soda for lunch,
but found that it didn't work well and besides, I would load up
on "special occasions" (like dinner out, birthdays, etc) enough
to blow the whole thing anyway.

I've been using Ultra Slim-Fast and have had excellent results;
the best yet, with no exercise and only minor hunger pangs.  When
I stick with the diet it works and I lose about 1/2 pound a week;
when I blow it I still maintain something close enough that I can
get back on course with a simple routine.  Great stuff.

>>    I have been dieting for so long that I have induced a metabolic
>>    slowdown that 2 years of healthy eating and constant exercise have not
>>    been able to correct. I can maintain at 1200 calories if I exercise
>>    every day but I still want to lose 25-30lbs. If I cut back just a
>>    little, my body adapts and becomes more efficient.  If I cut back a lot
>>    I can lose pounds but they come right back on when I increase to 800 or
>>    so calories.  I cannot increase my exercise unless I give up my job,
>>    family, etc.
    
    
    As you know, the body reacts to reduced food by becoming more efficient
    (the famine response). This means slowing down (banking the furnaces).
    
    A stronger imperative for the body is survival in dangerous times. If
    the body becomes convinced that it needs to 'fight or flee' on a split
    second's notice, then it can't slow down the systems.
    
    The trick is the type of exercise. Regular exercise that just burns off
    calories doesn't do it. The aerobic type of exercise, where you
    maintain your pulse rate at a pretty high level for a period of time
    does the trick.
    
    15 minutes, three times a week, is sufficient. For example, 5-10
    minutes devoted to rapid calesthenics that raise your pulse rate, and
    exercises that exhaust your leg muscles prepare you.
    
    At this point, you are ready to spend 15 minutes of HIGH effort
    aerobic exercise (jogging, bike riding, rowing, etc.) productively.
    Check your pulse frequently, you'll be surprised how rapid an effort is
    actually required.
    
    If you're really out of shape, you can reach the required pulse rate
    easily, but as your shape improves, the required effort increases
    dramatically.
    
    Convince your body that you have to run for your life frequently, and
    it will respond by keeping your metabolism high, it will become
    inefficient.
    
    The pulse charts are available everywhere.
    
    
                 Good Luck.
    

    Also, go get a thorough exam at your doctor, if you have not already
    done so.  A woman in my Lifesteps class had exactly the same problem.
    If I recall correctly, she had a thyroid problem.  Make sure you
    rule out medical conditions before you suffer starvation too long!
    
    --Louise

    Re .1:
    
    Boy, can I identify with you!!!  I would like to lose about 20 lbs.
    also and eating a well-balanced 1200 calorie diet with aerobic exercise
    every day is not getting me anywhere!  
    
    I'd have to admit that I am a yo-yo dieter which probably helped screw
    up my metabolism (it's getting harder every year to lose weight!!).
    
    Oh well, hang in there....I'm going to.
    
    Nancy

    Please take a few minutes right now and read Note #415, especially
    415.2.  It's all about the destructive effects on your body when you
    have been on too many diets.  You owe it to yourself.  It may give you
    some insight as to why this is happening, and what you can do about it.
    
    Warm Regards,
    Janet
    

    No gimmick to a diet that works

    Dear Dr. Donohue,
    I went on a diet and lost 5 lbs rather quickly, in a week.  I thought
    of it as "water weight," but is that what it was?  If so, why does that
    happen?  I am a woman, 34, and my diet is a sensible one.  I am only 10
    lbs overweight.

    Basic nutrition facts explain the fluid weight loss illusion.  They have
    to do with how the body adjusts to sudden calorie reduction.  As soon
    as the body realizes it's being shortchanged, it turns to stored sugars
    for energy.  Now, when sugars are used for energy, they leave behind
    certain byproducts that take fluid with them when eliminated.  The body
    also sheds some muscle tissue - protein - in dieting, and similarly,
    its residue takes along additional fluid in elimination.

    So the dieter does lose lots of fluid weight early on.  Of course, that
    weight is regained with a few glasses of water.

    Only after the adjustment period is over does the body turn to serious
    weight loss - that is, stored fat.

    Beware fast miracle diets.  Understand that you might end up losing too
    much vital muscle tissue, rather than fat.

    A slower weight loss, although less gratifying, does allow the body to
    adapt properly.

    Forget also all the hype about "healthy" and "sensible" dieting.  Quite
    simply, replace a lot of your fat intake with lean meats, vegetables
    and fruits.  I can guarantee you successful weight loss that endures.  If
    you exercise too, I can offer a "money back" guarantee, because exercise
    keeps metabolism perking during the calorie cutback.