Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Sunday, August 31, 2008
More on "Fit & Fat"
Better to Be Fat and Fit Than Skinny and UnfitBy TARA PARKER-POPE
Published: August 18, 2008
The New York Times
Often, a visit to the doctor’s office starts with a weigh-in. But is a person’s weight really a reliable indicator of overall health?
Increasingly, medical research is showing that it isn’t. Despite concerns about an obesity epidemic, there is growing evidence that our obsession about weight as a primary measure of health may be misguided.
Last week a report in The Archives of Internal Medicine compared weight and cardiovascular risk factors among a representative sample of more than 5,400 adults. The data suggest that half of overweight people and one-third of obese people are “metabolically healthy.” That means that despite their excess pounds, many overweight and obese adults have healthy levels of “good” cholesterol, blood pressure, blood glucose and other risks for heart disease.
At the same time, about one out of four slim people — those who fall into the “healthy” weight range — actually have at least two cardiovascular risk factors typically associated with obesity, the study showed.
To be sure, being overweight or obese is linked with numerous health problems, and even in the most recent research, obese people were more likely to have two or more cardiovascular risk factors than slim people. But researchers say it is the proportion of overweight and obese people who are metabolically healthy that is so surprising.
“We use ‘overweight’ almost indiscriminately sometimes,” said MaryFran Sowers, a co-author of the study and professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan. “But there is lots of individual variation within that, and we need to be cognizant of that as we think about what our health messages should be.”
The data follow a report last fall from researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute showing that overweight people appear to have longer life expectancies than so-called normal weight adults.
But many people resist the notion that people who are overweight or obese can be healthy. Several prominent health researchers have criticized the findings from the C.D.C. researchers as misleading, noting that mortality statistics don’t reflect the poor quality of life and suffering obesity can cause. And on the Internet, various blog posters, including readers of the Times’s Well blog, have argued that the data are deceptive, masking the fact that far more overweight and obese people are at higher cardiovascular risk than thin people.
Part of the problem may be our skewed perception of what it means to be overweight. Typically, a person is judged to be of normal weight based on body mass index, or B.M.I., which measures weight relative to height. A normal B.M.I. ranges from 18.5 to 25. Once B.M.I. reaches 25, a person is viewed as overweight. Thirty or higher is considered obese.
“People get confused by the words and the mental image they get,” said Katherine Flegal, senior research scientist at the C.D.C.’s National Center for Health Statistics. “People may think, ‘How could it be that a person who is so huge wouldn’t have health problems?’ But people with B.M.I.’s of 25 are pretty unremarkable.”
Several studies from researchers at the Cooper Institute in Dallas have shown that fitness — determined by how a person performs on a treadmill — is a far better indicator of health than body mass index. In several studies, the researchers have shown that people who are fat but can still keep up on treadmill tests have much lower heart risk than people who are slim and unfit.
In December, a study in The Journal of the American Medical Association looked at death rates among 2,600 adults 60 and older over 12 years. Notably, death rates among the overweight, those with a B.M.I. of 25 to 30, were slightly lower than in normal weight adults. Death rates were highest among those with a B.M.I. of 35 or more.
But the most striking finding was that fitness level, regardless of body mass index, was the strongest predictor of mortality risk. Those with the lowest level of fitness, as measured on treadmill tests, were four times as likely to die during the 12-year study than those with the highest level of fitness. Even those who had just a minimal level of fitness had half the risk of dying compared with those who were least fit.
During the test, the treadmill moved at a brisk walking pace as the grade increased each minute. In the study, it didn’t take much to qualify as fit. For men, it meant staying on the treadmill at least 8 minutes; for women, 5.5 minutes. The people who fell below those levels, whether fat or thin, were at highest risk.
The results were adjusted to control for age, smoking and underlying heart problems and still showed that fitness, not weight, was most important in predicting mortality risk.
Stephen Blair, a co-author of the study and a professor at the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina, said the lesson he took from the study was that instead of focusing only on weight loss, doctors should be talking to all patients about the value of physical activity, regardless of body size.
“Why is it such a stretch of the imagination,” he said, “to consider that someone overweight or obese might actually be healthy and fit?”
Friday, August 15, 2008
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
The Overflowing American Dinner Plate
The New York Times is reporting, that according to the Department of Agriculture, the average Americans' weekly consumption of food has grown by almost two pounds in the last thirty years - WOW!
Concurrently, according to the Centers for Disease Control, the number of obese adults between the ages of 20 and 74 has more than doubled during the same period.
To read the article go to: The Overflowing American Dinner Plate
Concurrently, according to the Centers for Disease Control, the number of obese adults between the ages of 20 and 74 has more than doubled during the same period.
To read the article go to: The Overflowing American Dinner Plate
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Exercise is Key to Keeping Weight Off
Ramp Up Your Workouts to Shed Pounds, Keep Them Off, Study Shows
By Kelley Colihan
WebMD
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
July 28, 2008 -- How much do you have to work out in order to lose weight and keep it off? The answer is hotly debated among people who study weight loss.
A new study says that obese and overweight women need to cut calories and exercise 275 minutes a week more than their baseline physical activity -- or at least 55 minutes a day, five days a week to lose weight and keep it off.
The research was led by John M. Jakicic, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh, and colleagues.
They tracked 201 overweight and obese women over a two-year period; 170 women completed the study.
At the start, all of the participants were sedentary. They were randomly assigned to one of four groups based on how much and how intensely they exercised and how many calories they burned.
The participants were told to eat or drink no more than 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day. Researchers tracked them by talking to them on the phone and having face-to-face talks.
Participants were encouraged to spread the exercise out over five days during a week, done in at least 10-minute chunks. The women were given treadmills to use at home and taught to monitor their own heart rates.
At the end of the two-year study, women who had lost 10% or more of their initial body weight reported that they had done more physical activity compared with those who did not lose as much weight.
After six months, women in all four groups had lost an average of 8% to 10% of their initial body weight. But the hard part was keeping that weight off. Most of them regained the weight.
Nearly 25% of the participants managed to keep 10% or more of their original body weight off over the two years.
But, those women who exercised about 275 minutes a week more over their baseline activity levels were the biggest losers.
They also got the most support, completing the most telephone calls from researchers, and said they participated in more eating behaviors recommended for weight control than those who gained the weight back.
Those who lost and kept off the weight also increased their leisure time physical activity, doing things like taking the stairs and moving about more at home and work.
A couple of limitations the study authors note are that diet alone was not included as one of the options and that the participants themselves reported what physical activity they did and how well they did it.
The study authors conclude that a relatively high level of physical activity is needed to lose weight and keep it off.
These results are likely to add fuel to the debate over how much is needed to lose pounds and keep them from creeping back.
General recommendations are for 30 minutes a day, or 150 minutes a week, of moderately intense activity most days of the week. But the debate rages on over a magic formula for sustaining weight loss.
By Kelley Colihan
WebMD
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
July 28, 2008 -- How much do you have to work out in order to lose weight and keep it off? The answer is hotly debated among people who study weight loss.
A new study says that obese and overweight women need to cut calories and exercise 275 minutes a week more than their baseline physical activity -- or at least 55 minutes a day, five days a week to lose weight and keep it off.
The research was led by John M. Jakicic, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh, and colleagues.
They tracked 201 overweight and obese women over a two-year period; 170 women completed the study.
At the start, all of the participants were sedentary. They were randomly assigned to one of four groups based on how much and how intensely they exercised and how many calories they burned.
The participants were told to eat or drink no more than 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day. Researchers tracked them by talking to them on the phone and having face-to-face talks.
Participants were encouraged to spread the exercise out over five days during a week, done in at least 10-minute chunks. The women were given treadmills to use at home and taught to monitor their own heart rates.
At the end of the two-year study, women who had lost 10% or more of their initial body weight reported that they had done more physical activity compared with those who did not lose as much weight.
After six months, women in all four groups had lost an average of 8% to 10% of their initial body weight. But the hard part was keeping that weight off. Most of them regained the weight.
Nearly 25% of the participants managed to keep 10% or more of their original body weight off over the two years.
But, those women who exercised about 275 minutes a week more over their baseline activity levels were the biggest losers.
They also got the most support, completing the most telephone calls from researchers, and said they participated in more eating behaviors recommended for weight control than those who gained the weight back.
Those who lost and kept off the weight also increased their leisure time physical activity, doing things like taking the stairs and moving about more at home and work.
A couple of limitations the study authors note are that diet alone was not included as one of the options and that the participants themselves reported what physical activity they did and how well they did it.
The study authors conclude that a relatively high level of physical activity is needed to lose weight and keep it off.
These results are likely to add fuel to the debate over how much is needed to lose pounds and keep them from creeping back.
General recommendations are for 30 minutes a day, or 150 minutes a week, of moderately intense activity most days of the week. But the debate rages on over a magic formula for sustaining weight loss.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Friday, July 4, 2008
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Fit and Fat?
A new study questions ''Fit but Fat'' theory
(AP) -- New research challenges the notion that you can be fat and fit, finding that being active can lower but not eliminate heart risks faced by heavy women.
Heart disease risk was 54 percent higher in overweight active women than for normal-weight active women.
"It doesn't take away the risk entirely. Weight still matters," said Dr. Martha Gulati, a heart specialist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
Previous research has gone back and forth on whether exercise or weight has a greater influence on heart disease risks.
The new study involving nearly 39,000 women helps sort out the combined effects of physical activity and body mass on women's chances of developing heart disease, said Gulati, who wasn't involved in the research.
The study by Harvard-affiliated researchers appears in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine.
Participants were women aged 54 on average who filled out a questionnaire at the study's start detailing their height, weight and amount of weekly physical activity in the past year, including walking, jogging, bicycling and swimming. They were then tracked for about 11 years. Overall 948 women developed heart disease.
Women were considered active if they followed government-recommended guidelines and got at least 30 minutes of moderate activity most days of the week, including brisk walking or jogging. Women who got less exercise than that were considered inactive.
Weight was evaluated by body mass index: A BMI between 25 and 29 is considered overweight, while obese is 30 and higher.
Compared with normal-weight active women, the risk for developing heart disease was 54 percent higher in overweight active women and 87 percent higher in obese active women. By contrast, it was 88 percent higher in overweight inactive women; and 2½ times greater in obese inactive women.
About two in five U.S. women at age 50 will eventually develop heart attacks or other cardiovascular problems. Excess weight can raise those odds in many ways, including by increasing blood pressure and risks for diabetes, and by worsening cholesterol. Exercise counteracts all three.
"It is reassuring to see that physical activity really does make an impact," said lead author Dr. Amy Weinstein of Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. However, she added, "If you're overweight or obese, you can't really get back to that lower risk entirely with just physical activity alone."
University of South Carolina obesity expert Steven Blair, a leading proponent of the "fit and fat" theory, said the study is limited by relying on women's self-reporting their activity levels. That method is not as reliable as a more objective fitness evaluation including exercise treadmill tests, Blair said. These tests include heart-rate measures to see how the heart responds to and tolerates exercise.
In Blair's research, overweight people deemed "fit" by treadmill tests did not face increased risks of dying from heart disease.
Dr. Laura Concannon, who specializes in treating overweight patients at Chicago's Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, said the study's message that exercise can help reduce health risks isn't new, but it's important.
"Anything that can motivate the public is useful because heart disease is becoming a bigger and bigger problem as levels of obesity increase," Concannon said.
(AP) -- New research challenges the notion that you can be fat and fit, finding that being active can lower but not eliminate heart risks faced by heavy women.
Heart disease risk was 54 percent higher in overweight active women than for normal-weight active women.
"It doesn't take away the risk entirely. Weight still matters," said Dr. Martha Gulati, a heart specialist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
Previous research has gone back and forth on whether exercise or weight has a greater influence on heart disease risks.
The new study involving nearly 39,000 women helps sort out the combined effects of physical activity and body mass on women's chances of developing heart disease, said Gulati, who wasn't involved in the research.
The study by Harvard-affiliated researchers appears in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine.
Participants were women aged 54 on average who filled out a questionnaire at the study's start detailing their height, weight and amount of weekly physical activity in the past year, including walking, jogging, bicycling and swimming. They were then tracked for about 11 years. Overall 948 women developed heart disease.
Women were considered active if they followed government-recommended guidelines and got at least 30 minutes of moderate activity most days of the week, including brisk walking or jogging. Women who got less exercise than that were considered inactive.
Weight was evaluated by body mass index: A BMI between 25 and 29 is considered overweight, while obese is 30 and higher.
Compared with normal-weight active women, the risk for developing heart disease was 54 percent higher in overweight active women and 87 percent higher in obese active women. By contrast, it was 88 percent higher in overweight inactive women; and 2½ times greater in obese inactive women.
About two in five U.S. women at age 50 will eventually develop heart attacks or other cardiovascular problems. Excess weight can raise those odds in many ways, including by increasing blood pressure and risks for diabetes, and by worsening cholesterol. Exercise counteracts all three.
"It is reassuring to see that physical activity really does make an impact," said lead author Dr. Amy Weinstein of Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. However, she added, "If you're overweight or obese, you can't really get back to that lower risk entirely with just physical activity alone."
University of South Carolina obesity expert Steven Blair, a leading proponent of the "fit and fat" theory, said the study is limited by relying on women's self-reporting their activity levels. That method is not as reliable as a more objective fitness evaluation including exercise treadmill tests, Blair said. These tests include heart-rate measures to see how the heart responds to and tolerates exercise.
In Blair's research, overweight people deemed "fit" by treadmill tests did not face increased risks of dying from heart disease.
Dr. Laura Concannon, who specializes in treating overweight patients at Chicago's Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, said the study's message that exercise can help reduce health risks isn't new, but it's important.
"Anything that can motivate the public is useful because heart disease is becoming a bigger and bigger problem as levels of obesity increase," Concannon said.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Being Well
The New York Times recently published a special section, titled “A Guided Tour of Your Body.” It is full of very good and practical information on how to keep your body healthy, and well for many years to come. I am recommending it to all of my subscribers and anyone else interested in taking care of their bodies, and minds as they age.
Go to: www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/05/13/health/20080513_WELLGUIDE.html
Go to: www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/05/13/health/20080513_WELLGUIDE.html
Friday, May 16, 2008
The President's Challenge
WASHINGTON (AP) -- If you didn't get a Presidential Physical Fitness Award in school, the government is giving you another chance to prove you're in shape.An adult fitness test is being introduced Wednesday by the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. It will incorporate several of the exercises that millions of students undertake each year as they aim for a certificate signed by the president.
"What were trying to do is inspire and motivate Americans to move their bodies more," said Melissa Johnson, executive director of the council.
The test involves three basic components: aerobic fitness, muscular strength and flexibility. The test is for people 18 and older who are in good health. It was inspired by scores of baby boomers who kept asking council members whether there was a fitness test available today that was similar to the ones they took as students, Johnson said.
The aerobic component of the tests consists of a one-mile walk or 1.5-mile run. The run is not recommended for those who don't run for at least 20 minutes, three times a week.
Push-ups and half sit-ups make up the strength test. The push-ups are done until failure. The sit-ups are done for one minute.
A stretching exercise called the "sit-and-reach" is used to measure flexibility.
The scores from all four of the fitness tests can be entered online. Other information, such as age, gender, height and weight are also part of the equation.
You won't get a presidential certificate, but the results will then show where you rank among people of the same age. For example, if someone scores in the 75th percentile for push-ups, that means 75 percent of the scores fall below your score.
The fitness test incorporates height and weight to give participants their body mass index. Generally, a BMI score above 25 equates to being overweight. However, for people who do exercise a lot, the BMI score can be high because of their extra muscle mass, not because they have too much fat.
The test will allow people to easily record a baseline that they can work from through their exercise routine.
"The point is to do consistent, regular physical activity and these are good check-in points to see how fit people are," Johnson said.
To take the test go to: www.adultfitnesstest.org
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Student educates himself, loses 180 poundsBy Jackie Adams
CNN
Gathering together for old-fashioned, home-cooked meals was just a way of life for Brandon Hollas, who was raised on his family's farm in Cameron, Texas.
Eating healthy and portion control didn't often make its way into conversations at their dinner table. But Hollas, 25, does remember eating a lot of food.
"Along with great home cooking ... I could drink a six-pack of Dr Pepper," said Hollas. "I would eat snack cakes and for lunch at school, we were allowed to make lunches of Doritos Chili Cheese nachos from the snack bar accompanied with some awesome Grandma's Cookies."
Though he helped with farm work, Brandon's poor eating habits combined with a relatively sedentary lifestyle of homework and video games -- his weight prevented him from taking part in school sports.
"Throughout elementary school I tried playing summer league baseball and basketball," said Hollas. "But [I] was never good because of my weight, which depressed me even more."
Instead, Hollas joined Texas 4-H and other student organizations. Though the activities kept him busy, he said they didn't help him burn the calories he was consuming daily.
By the time he was a freshman in college, he weighed 380 pounds.
"I can remember lying in my dorm room at Texas A&M ... with my large stomach weighing me down in bed," Hollas remembered. "I told myself, 'I have to change and I have to do it now or it won't ever happen.' "
Around the same time, he had another wake-up call. His 11-year-old cousin was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and his grandmother was diagnosed with Type 2, or adult onset diabetes. Their diagnoses combined with a family history of obesity to convince Hollas he had to make a change.
That very same day in 2001, he took the first step toward weight loss by eliminating soft drinks from his diet.
Hollas also joined the recreation center on campus and started riding an exercise bicycle. He lost 50 pounds within six months. The weight loss motivated him to begin learning about health and fitness at the school's library and in men's health magazines.
"I wasn't educated about how to eat right or how to lose weight," Hollas recalled. "I read all about nutrition, how to change meals to make them [healthier]."
He also started eating more lean meats, vegetables, whole grains, fiber and good carbohydrates.
The new diet and fitness regimen transformed his body and gave him the courage to start dating.
Four years later, Hollas had lost 180 pounds -- nearly half of his former weight. His weight now fluctuates around 210 pounds.
Today, weight training has helped him increase his muscle mass and he maintains his weight through a balanced diet and exercise five days a week. However, Hollas said he allows himself an occasional splurge and even meets friends out once a week for "Taco Tuesday."
"You can go out to eat with friends but just make smarter [healthier] choices," said Hollas.
Happier and healthier than ever, Hollas will graduate this month with a master's degree in agriculture economics from Purdue and hopes to land a job in the food industry and marketing.
He's also focused on staying lean and building muscle for perhaps the biggest day of his life -- when he and his college sweetheart tie the knot May 31.
"I have learned that there are no fast, easy ways out of being heavy," said Hollas. "But [with] a lot of simple changes and commitments, it is a rather easy thing to do."
"I know that I don't ever see myself ... getting to that weight again."
Friday, April 25, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Tax Day!
Did you pay your taxes today?
I know, I know... But, like it or not, our government wants our money so they can spend it in all of the ways that you and I appreciate the most...
Having said that, what I like about Tax Day (what's to like you ask?) is it reminds me that summer will be here soon. And that if I haven't been consistent, and focused, about my workouts and my diet, now is the time to start.
So just a little reminder that it's going to get "hot," so get Motivated and get Fit: NOW!
I know, I know... But, like it or not, our government wants our money so they can spend it in all of the ways that you and I appreciate the most...
Having said that, what I like about Tax Day (what's to like you ask?) is it reminds me that summer will be here soon. And that if I haven't been consistent, and focused, about my workouts and my diet, now is the time to start.
So just a little reminder that it's going to get "hot," so get Motivated and get Fit: NOW!
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Local Woman Loses Half of Her Body Weight Without SurgeryBy Kay Quinn
ksdk.com
Weight loss may sometimes seem like an unattainable goal. But a local woman has lost half her body weight!
Here's how she shed the pounds...
When Karen Ebbesmeyer turned 40, she decided to get a check-up that she'd been putting off for years. During that physical, Karen's doctor told her if she didn't lose weight, she wouldn't live to see her youngest daughter graduate from high school.
"The doctor told me that I was basically a walking time bomb," says Ebbesmeyer. "I just went home and cried and cried because I had been on diets, I tried many diets."
She'd tried low-carb and diet meals. Two years ago, Karen weighed 275 pounds. "I've even tried diet pills and knowing the affect that they could have to your heart and nothing worked."
Then, this working mother of four started walking on a treadmill, she immediately felt better and now walks at least three miles a day. She also realized that if she was going to be successful her next step was to start eating healthier.
Her biggest challenge? Giving up soda.
"Yes, it was diet, but I was drinking two to three two liters a day by myself trying to compensate for not eating," says Ebbesmeyer.
Now she drinks only water and eats a lot more vegetables.
"If we opened one can of vegetables a week we were doing good."
In February, she reached her goal weight of 148 pounds. Karen went from a size 24 to a size 6.
"I look at my old clothing, and at old pictures of myself and I think oh my goodness, how did I let myself get to that point. But, it happens it happens to a lot of people."
She also never wants to go back...
But she believes with portion control, losing half your body weight is not an impossible dream. And, she hasn't given up all of her favorite foods. Ebbesmeyer still enjoys pizza and Mexican food. And she still cheats from time to time.
"Nobody's perfect!" says Ebbesmeyer. "We're all going to cheat."
But she sticks to the plan, and to her portion control.
"Now I don't even want to call it a diet," says Ebbesmeyer. "It's just a new lifestyle."
And she hopes to inspire others.
"If I can do it anybody can do it!"
Sunday, March 9, 2008
I Love My New Body...
By Julie Van Rosendaal
At age 7, I started a cupcake company. At 12, I won a chili competition. After college I launched a low-fat cookie business and wrote a bestselling cookbook, One Smart Cookie. But while I knew how to prepare healthy meals, I seldom followed my own advice.
At 330 lbs., I was making a ritual out of punishing myself with strict diets, my whole life, I would start a new diet every Jan. 1st,” she says. If that didn't work, "I would started a new diet every Monday morning, or after my birthday, or after Christmas.
At a New Year’s Eve party in 1997, I caught a glimpse of myself in a full-length bathroom mirror. Mortified, I locked myself in the bathroom for an hour. The next day, I vowed to lose weight. The difference this time: Was I’d do it on my own terms. I realized that instead of finding a new diet to try, I would have to figure out what worked for me.
Moderation became my mantra. I’d have pizza for dinner, but only one piece. I didn’t eliminate any foods from my diet; I just started eating more fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean meats.
And of course I exercised regularly.
My first month, I lost 10 lbs. A year and a half later, I had gone from a size 28 to a size 10. I didn’t know what it was like being thin, but now at 165 lbs stretched over a 5’11” frame, I get a thrill every time I board a plane because I no longer need a seat belt extender.
I love my new body and the way I feel, and I'm going to do everything I can to keep it that way.
Julie Van Rosendaal is the author of: One Smart Cookie, Starting Out: The Essential Guide to Cooking on Your Own, and Grazing: Portable Snacks and Finger Foods for Anytime, Anywhere.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Daily Weigh-Ins Helped Andrew Perry Lose 45 PoundsSize Change: 36 waist jeans to 29
Job: Data analyst for a financial company
Personal: 49 years old, married, and father of twin nine-year-old daughters.
Pounds Lost: 45
Time to do it: 9 years
Maintained Weight: Past two yearsHealthy Habits Added: Running and track. He started out being able to run 100 feet. He's completed two New York City marathons and regularly runs 800 meters in track meets.
Trigger Foods: Chocolate cherry cordials. His kids gave him two boxes, which are now safely tucked out of reach on top of his refrigerator for occasional treats. "Otherwise I'd eat the whole box at once."
Secret Weapons: Weighing himself daily and monitoring body fat; reading food labels and watching portion control. He still measures out cereal, nuts and any other food with concentrated calories and a small portion size. He always has something slightly sweet, such as a cup of tea with a little honey, before leaving the office so that he's not ravenous when he gets home.
What He Can't Live Without: Physical activity, especially running. and... brownies.
Favorite Snacks: Trail mix.
Biggest Struggle: "Controlling myself, especially with stress eating." Also, "It's hard to stop thinking of yourself as a fat person. I am a formerly fat person."
Previous Weight Loss Attempts:"I've read practically every diet book available. And I've tried them all, with no long-term success. Any diet plan that's moderately organized just doesn't work for me."
What Worked This Time: Slowly changing his habits. "I decided not to eat anything from a box and nothing frozen. I lost 10 pounds, then plateaued there and had to take it up a notch. I tend to lose weight in clumps."
What Motivated Him to Succeed: A photo of him celebrating after the Yankees won the 1996 World Series. " I was huge!"
Rewards Along the "Weigh": New running shoes, a jacket and starting blocks for meeting running goals.
Benefits of Weight Loss: "I now eat more fruits and vegetables, and I've been able to stop taking my cholesterol lowering medications."
thewashingtonpost.com
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Does Caffeine Cause Dehydration?
A review of the research by scientists at the University of Connecticut, and others, does not confirm that long-held belief.
They found, that caffeine consumed in moderate amounts had only a mild diuretic effect on the body. And that there was no significant difference in the amount of urine, and the levels of electrolytes lost by the body, after ingesting caffeinated beverages.
So, does that mean that we can drink as much caffeine as we want?
Absolutely Not!
Caffeine is absorbed through the lining of the stomach, which increases your stomach acid production and may put you at greater risk for developing a stomach ulcer. Caffeine acts as a stimulant for the central nervous system, which can make you hyperactive and restless, alter your heart rate, and may interrupt your sleeping patterns leading to an increase in insomnia. And too much caffeine may increase a pregnant woman’s risk of miscarriage.
Most of us don’t know how much caffeine we consume on a daily basis. Did you know that many over-the-counter medications contain caffeine? Caffeine can also be found in chocolate. And, ever wonder why those very popular “energy” drinks make you feel so good? You guessed it! They are loaded with caffeine and lots and lots of sugar.
So, enjoy a cup or two of coffee with your breakfast in the morning. But, think twice before having another one, or an energy drink before your workout, and try not to eat too much chocolate right before bedtime-try a warm glass of mik instead.
Related Article: Working more, Sleeping less
A review of the research by scientists at the University of Connecticut, and others, does not confirm that long-held belief.
They found, that caffeine consumed in moderate amounts had only a mild diuretic effect on the body. And that there was no significant difference in the amount of urine, and the levels of electrolytes lost by the body, after ingesting caffeinated beverages.
So, does that mean that we can drink as much caffeine as we want?
Absolutely Not!
Caffeine is absorbed through the lining of the stomach, which increases your stomach acid production and may put you at greater risk for developing a stomach ulcer. Caffeine acts as a stimulant for the central nervous system, which can make you hyperactive and restless, alter your heart rate, and may interrupt your sleeping patterns leading to an increase in insomnia. And too much caffeine may increase a pregnant woman’s risk of miscarriage.Most of us don’t know how much caffeine we consume on a daily basis. Did you know that many over-the-counter medications contain caffeine? Caffeine can also be found in chocolate. And, ever wonder why those very popular “energy” drinks make you feel so good? You guessed it! They are loaded with caffeine and lots and lots of sugar.
So, enjoy a cup or two of coffee with your breakfast in the morning. But, think twice before having another one, or an energy drink before your workout, and try not to eat too much chocolate right before bedtime-try a warm glass of mik instead.
Related Article: Working more, Sleeping less
Monday, March 3, 2008
Riding, walking to work builds fitness into day
By Judy Fortin
CNN
Lois Fletcher started taking the subway to work nine months ago to save money. It turned out to be an excellent way for her to lose weight -- more than 30 pounds to be exact.
By walking the mile from the train station to her job, Lois Fletcher has built exercise into her daily routine.
Five mornings a week, the 53-year-old mother of three boards a commuter train in suburban Atlanta, Georgia, and heads downtown. She then walks about a mile to her office at the American Cancer Society, where she works as a computer specialist.
"My doctor has been encouraging me to exercise for quite some time," Fletcher said. "I've never been able to fit it into my schedule. Now it is part of my daily commute."
Like millions of mass transit riders around the United States, Fletcher realizes that leaving her car behind and getting on a train is good for her physical and mental health.
Fletcher acknowledges she's overweight. When she started walking to and from the train station, she weighed close to 300 pounds. She suffers from diabetes and was taking medication for hypertension.
She was surprised to see all that walking was paying off: "At first I started to see changes in the way my clothes fit, and then when I got on the scale I found I had indeed lost weight."
"Here's somebody in her work clothes, granted with tennis shoes on, getting good exercise," observed Fletcher's colleague, Colleen Doyle, director of nutrition and physical activity for the American Cancer Society. Doyle herself makes the same trek from the subway station to the office. Going to a gym isn't the only way to get regular exercise, she said.
Doyle said she sees more and more people who are killing two birds with one stone and meeting daily physical activity recommendations by walking or biking to work.
Doyle said 30 minutes of moderate exercise at least five days a week will not only help people manage their weight and blood sugar levels, but may also help prevent some cancers by controlling hormone levels.
The Cancer Society isn't the only organization encouraging the mass transit exercise trend. The Atlanta Clear Air Campaign is helping commuters such as Fletcher log their progress using an online calculator. The program offered Fletcher added incentive to take mass transit by paying her $3 a day so long as she recorded her daily mileage on the train.
Subway riders from Los Angeles, California, to suburban Washington are getting information on the benefits of taking mass transit and walking to their destinations.
Doyle encourages Fletcher and others to walk faster. Doyle also suggests incorporating strength-training exercises into a workout routine to build strong muscles and bones. She adds eating a healthy diet that includes fruits and vegetables and whole grains goes a long way toward improving overall health.
Now that she's found a way to exercise, Fletcher plans to focus on her diet in order to achieve her goal of dropping 90 more pounds.
She credits her daily walks with changing her life. "It's amazing how a small change in your lifestyle can have huge benefits in my quality of life," she said. "I feel better and now I can see how I can drop the rest of the weight."
By Judy Fortin
CNN
Lois Fletcher started taking the subway to work nine months ago to save money. It turned out to be an excellent way for her to lose weight -- more than 30 pounds to be exact.By walking the mile from the train station to her job, Lois Fletcher has built exercise into her daily routine.
Five mornings a week, the 53-year-old mother of three boards a commuter train in suburban Atlanta, Georgia, and heads downtown. She then walks about a mile to her office at the American Cancer Society, where she works as a computer specialist.
"My doctor has been encouraging me to exercise for quite some time," Fletcher said. "I've never been able to fit it into my schedule. Now it is part of my daily commute."
Like millions of mass transit riders around the United States, Fletcher realizes that leaving her car behind and getting on a train is good for her physical and mental health.
Fletcher acknowledges she's overweight. When she started walking to and from the train station, she weighed close to 300 pounds. She suffers from diabetes and was taking medication for hypertension.
She was surprised to see all that walking was paying off: "At first I started to see changes in the way my clothes fit, and then when I got on the scale I found I had indeed lost weight."
"Here's somebody in her work clothes, granted with tennis shoes on, getting good exercise," observed Fletcher's colleague, Colleen Doyle, director of nutrition and physical activity for the American Cancer Society. Doyle herself makes the same trek from the subway station to the office. Going to a gym isn't the only way to get regular exercise, she said.
Doyle said she sees more and more people who are killing two birds with one stone and meeting daily physical activity recommendations by walking or biking to work.
Doyle said 30 minutes of moderate exercise at least five days a week will not only help people manage their weight and blood sugar levels, but may also help prevent some cancers by controlling hormone levels.
The Cancer Society isn't the only organization encouraging the mass transit exercise trend. The Atlanta Clear Air Campaign is helping commuters such as Fletcher log their progress using an online calculator. The program offered Fletcher added incentive to take mass transit by paying her $3 a day so long as she recorded her daily mileage on the train.
Subway riders from Los Angeles, California, to suburban Washington are getting information on the benefits of taking mass transit and walking to their destinations.
Doyle encourages Fletcher and others to walk faster. Doyle also suggests incorporating strength-training exercises into a workout routine to build strong muscles and bones. She adds eating a healthy diet that includes fruits and vegetables and whole grains goes a long way toward improving overall health.
Now that she's found a way to exercise, Fletcher plans to focus on her diet in order to achieve her goal of dropping 90 more pounds.
She credits her daily walks with changing her life. "It's amazing how a small change in your lifestyle can have huge benefits in my quality of life," she said. "I feel better and now I can see how I can drop the rest of the weight."
Sunday, March 2, 2008
This is a great companion piece to "Is Your Dedication to Exercise..."
Not all of us have eating disorders, but many of us engage in activities
that are contrary to our ultimate goal of being healthy and fit individuals.
Starving Themselves, Cocktail in Hand
By SARAH KERSHAW
Published: March 2, 2008
The New York Times
Manorexia, Orthorexia, Diabulimia, Binge Eating Disorder.
All are dangerous variations on the eating disorders anorexia and bulimia, and have become buzzwords that are popping up on Web sites and blogs, on television and in newspaper articles. As celebrity magazines chronicle the glamorous and the suffering, therapists and a growing number of researchers are trying to treat and understand the conditions.
The latest entry in the lexicon of food-related ills is drunkorexia, shorthand for a disturbing blend of behaviors: self-imposed starvation or bingeing and purging, combined with alcohol abuse.
Drunkorexia is not an official medical term. But it hints at a troubling phenomenon in addiction and eating disorders. Among those who are described as drunkorexics are college-age binge drinkers, typically women, who starve all day to offset the calories in the alcohol they consume. The term is also associated with serious eating disorders, particularly bulimia, which often involve behavior like bingeing on food — and alcohol — and then purging.
Anorexics, because they severely restrict their calorie intake, tend to avoid alcohol. But some drink to calm down before eating or to ease the anxiety of having indulged in a meal. Others consume alcohol as their only sustenance. Still others use drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine to suppress their appetites.
“There are women who are afraid to put a grape in their mouth but have no problem drinking a beer,” said Douglas Bunnell, the director of outpatient clinical services for the Renfrew Center, based in Philadelphia.
The center, like a small but growing number of eating-disorder and addiction-treatment facilities, most on the West Coast, offers a dual focus on substance abuse and eating disorders.
Dr. Bunnell, the past president of the National Eating Disorders Association, said the obsession with being skinny and the social acceptance of drinking and using drugs — along with the sense, lately, that among celebrities, checking into rehab is almost a given, if not downright chic — are partly to blame.
“Both disorders are behaviors that are glorified and reinforced,” Dr. Bunnell said. “Binge drinking is almost cool and hip, and losing weight and being thin is a cultural imperative for young women in America. Mixing both is not surprising, and it has reached a tipping point in terms of public awareness.”
Psychologists say that eating disorders, like other addictions, are often rooted in the need to numb emotional pain with substances or the rush provided by bingeing and purging. The disorders are often driven by childhood trauma like sexual abuse, neglect and other sources of mental anguish.
Manorexia is the male version of anorexia. Orthorexia is an obsession with what is perceived as healthy food — eliminating fats and preservatives, for example. But people with this condition can dangerously deprive themselves of needed nutrients.
Diabulimia refers to diabetics who avoid taking insulin, which can cause weight gain, in order to control their weight. Despite the name, the disorder does not typically involve purging.
Binge Eating Disorder refers to obsessive overeating, especially of foods high in salt and sugar, that does not involve excessive exercise or purging to compensate for the high caloric intake.
Judy Van De Veen, 36, who lives in Gillette, N.J., became anorexic at 24. She said she starved herself, meting out small bites of low-calorie food for two months. Then she began bingeing and purging, throwing up entire boxes of cereal, whole pizzas and fast food from drive-throughs that sometimes cost her $80 a day.
She went into treatment, both inpatient and outpatient, for her eating disorder for several years in the late 1990s, with mixed results. In 2001, still struggling with bulimia, she took up drinking. If she ate while drinking, she said, she would purge, but then consume more alcohol to make up for the loss, because she wanted to remain drunk.
Many bulimics who drink use alcohol to vomit, experts on eating disorders say, because liquid is easier to purge. They also tend to vomit because they often drink on empty stomachs.
“In the beginning of my eating disorder I wouldn’t touch alcohol because it is so high in calories,” said Ms. Van De Veen, who later found herself regularly hospitalized for dehydration. “But I have the disease of more: I just want more no matter what it is.”
Two years into her drinking problem, she joined a 12-step program. She spent the next two years in and out of six residential rehab programs, spending about $25,000 of her own money because she didn’t have health insurance. But none of the programs were equipped to address eating disorders, so she binged and purged and her eating disorder raged.
Ms. Van De Veen said she has been sober for three years, but is still struggling with bulimia. She now has a 14-month-old daughter, Cheyenne, and she said that her pregnancy and support groups had helped her make progress on her eating disorder.
“I had an excuse to eat,” she said of being pregnant. “I didn’t care and I loved it.”
But she said the temptation to binge and purge is haunting her again.
Trish, 27, who has had an eating disorder for the last 10 years, recently checked into Renfrew, her fifth stint in a treatment center or hospital.
Like Ms. Van De Veen, Trish, who agreed to be interviewed on the condition that only her first name be used to protect her privacy, struggled with anorexia first and then found alcohol. Before she was admitted to Renfrew, she said she was blacking out from lack of food and suffering from excruciating stomach pain.
Trish, a nurse who lives in Ohio and works with cardiac patients, said she would starve herself through her 8- or 12-hour shifts, staring at the clock and fixating on when she could have her first drink. Drinking, she said, relaxed her when she had to eat in front of other people, a huge source of stress.
“Drinking helped me be less anxious,” she said. “It helped me be more of Trish. The two go together: If I drink more, I’m more into my eating disorder and vice versa.”
Studies show that binge drinking and alcohol abuse are on the rise among women, who are also more prone than men to eating disorders.
About 25 to 33 percent of bulimics also struggle with alcohol or drugs, according to a study published last year in the journal Biological Psychiatry. Between 20 and 25 percent of anorexics have substance abuse problems, the study found.
A growing number of researchers are examining the psychological and neurological links between eating disorders and substance abuse: Does eating a chocolate bar, or bingeing and purging, stimulate the same pleasure centers in the brain as drugs or alcohol?
Suzette M. Evans, a professor of clinical neuroscience at Columbia, recently began a study of the connection between bulimia and substance abuse, a field she said has been neglected.
“People are finally beginning to realize that food can function in the same way as drugs and alcohol,” Dr. Evans said.
As more patients seek treatment for both eating disorders and substance abuse, a complicated set of mixed messages can arise. The response to addiction is abstinence; but quitting food is not an option.
“We’re trying to get our patients to find effective behaviors and life skills,” said Dr. Kevin Wandler, the vice president for medical services at Remuda Ranch, which addresses both eating disorders and addiction at its facilities in Arizona and Virginia.
“Eating normally would be an effective behavior, but it’s easier to give up alcohol and drugs because you never need it again,” Dr. Wandler said. “If your drug is food, that’s a challenge.”
Trish left Renfrew on Feb. 22, after her second time in treatment there. She was determined, she said, to break her obsessions with weight, food and alcohol. Before she checked in, “I didn’t even have the energy to laugh,” she said. But as she prepared to go home, she had more hope than she has had in years.
“I will not live my life like this,” she said. “I’ve learned this time not to be ashamed. I want to love myself and I want to forgive myself.”
www.nationaleatingdisorders.org
Not all of us have eating disorders, but many of us engage in activities
that are contrary to our ultimate goal of being healthy and fit individuals.
Starving Themselves, Cocktail in Hand
By SARAH KERSHAW
Published: March 2, 2008
The New York Times
Manorexia, Orthorexia, Diabulimia, Binge Eating Disorder.
All are dangerous variations on the eating disorders anorexia and bulimia, and have become buzzwords that are popping up on Web sites and blogs, on television and in newspaper articles. As celebrity magazines chronicle the glamorous and the suffering, therapists and a growing number of researchers are trying to treat and understand the conditions.
The latest entry in the lexicon of food-related ills is drunkorexia, shorthand for a disturbing blend of behaviors: self-imposed starvation or bingeing and purging, combined with alcohol abuse.
Drunkorexia is not an official medical term. But it hints at a troubling phenomenon in addiction and eating disorders. Among those who are described as drunkorexics are college-age binge drinkers, typically women, who starve all day to offset the calories in the alcohol they consume. The term is also associated with serious eating disorders, particularly bulimia, which often involve behavior like bingeing on food — and alcohol — and then purging.
Anorexics, because they severely restrict their calorie intake, tend to avoid alcohol. But some drink to calm down before eating or to ease the anxiety of having indulged in a meal. Others consume alcohol as their only sustenance. Still others use drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine to suppress their appetites.
“There are women who are afraid to put a grape in their mouth but have no problem drinking a beer,” said Douglas Bunnell, the director of outpatient clinical services for the Renfrew Center, based in Philadelphia.
The center, like a small but growing number of eating-disorder and addiction-treatment facilities, most on the West Coast, offers a dual focus on substance abuse and eating disorders.
Dr. Bunnell, the past president of the National Eating Disorders Association, said the obsession with being skinny and the social acceptance of drinking and using drugs — along with the sense, lately, that among celebrities, checking into rehab is almost a given, if not downright chic — are partly to blame.
“Both disorders are behaviors that are glorified and reinforced,” Dr. Bunnell said. “Binge drinking is almost cool and hip, and losing weight and being thin is a cultural imperative for young women in America. Mixing both is not surprising, and it has reached a tipping point in terms of public awareness.”
Psychologists say that eating disorders, like other addictions, are often rooted in the need to numb emotional pain with substances or the rush provided by bingeing and purging. The disorders are often driven by childhood trauma like sexual abuse, neglect and other sources of mental anguish.
Manorexia is the male version of anorexia. Orthorexia is an obsession with what is perceived as healthy food — eliminating fats and preservatives, for example. But people with this condition can dangerously deprive themselves of needed nutrients.
Diabulimia refers to diabetics who avoid taking insulin, which can cause weight gain, in order to control their weight. Despite the name, the disorder does not typically involve purging.
Binge Eating Disorder refers to obsessive overeating, especially of foods high in salt and sugar, that does not involve excessive exercise or purging to compensate for the high caloric intake.
Judy Van De Veen, 36, who lives in Gillette, N.J., became anorexic at 24. She said she starved herself, meting out small bites of low-calorie food for two months. Then she began bingeing and purging, throwing up entire boxes of cereal, whole pizzas and fast food from drive-throughs that sometimes cost her $80 a day.
She went into treatment, both inpatient and outpatient, for her eating disorder for several years in the late 1990s, with mixed results. In 2001, still struggling with bulimia, she took up drinking. If she ate while drinking, she said, she would purge, but then consume more alcohol to make up for the loss, because she wanted to remain drunk.
Many bulimics who drink use alcohol to vomit, experts on eating disorders say, because liquid is easier to purge. They also tend to vomit because they often drink on empty stomachs.
“In the beginning of my eating disorder I wouldn’t touch alcohol because it is so high in calories,” said Ms. Van De Veen, who later found herself regularly hospitalized for dehydration. “But I have the disease of more: I just want more no matter what it is.”
Two years into her drinking problem, she joined a 12-step program. She spent the next two years in and out of six residential rehab programs, spending about $25,000 of her own money because she didn’t have health insurance. But none of the programs were equipped to address eating disorders, so she binged and purged and her eating disorder raged.
Ms. Van De Veen said she has been sober for three years, but is still struggling with bulimia. She now has a 14-month-old daughter, Cheyenne, and she said that her pregnancy and support groups had helped her make progress on her eating disorder.
“I had an excuse to eat,” she said of being pregnant. “I didn’t care and I loved it.”
But she said the temptation to binge and purge is haunting her again.
Trish, 27, who has had an eating disorder for the last 10 years, recently checked into Renfrew, her fifth stint in a treatment center or hospital.
Like Ms. Van De Veen, Trish, who agreed to be interviewed on the condition that only her first name be used to protect her privacy, struggled with anorexia first and then found alcohol. Before she was admitted to Renfrew, she said she was blacking out from lack of food and suffering from excruciating stomach pain.
Trish, a nurse who lives in Ohio and works with cardiac patients, said she would starve herself through her 8- or 12-hour shifts, staring at the clock and fixating on when she could have her first drink. Drinking, she said, relaxed her when she had to eat in front of other people, a huge source of stress.
“Drinking helped me be less anxious,” she said. “It helped me be more of Trish. The two go together: If I drink more, I’m more into my eating disorder and vice versa.”
Studies show that binge drinking and alcohol abuse are on the rise among women, who are also more prone than men to eating disorders.
About 25 to 33 percent of bulimics also struggle with alcohol or drugs, according to a study published last year in the journal Biological Psychiatry. Between 20 and 25 percent of anorexics have substance abuse problems, the study found.
A growing number of researchers are examining the psychological and neurological links between eating disorders and substance abuse: Does eating a chocolate bar, or bingeing and purging, stimulate the same pleasure centers in the brain as drugs or alcohol?
Suzette M. Evans, a professor of clinical neuroscience at Columbia, recently began a study of the connection between bulimia and substance abuse, a field she said has been neglected.
“People are finally beginning to realize that food can function in the same way as drugs and alcohol,” Dr. Evans said.
As more patients seek treatment for both eating disorders and substance abuse, a complicated set of mixed messages can arise. The response to addiction is abstinence; but quitting food is not an option.
“We’re trying to get our patients to find effective behaviors and life skills,” said Dr. Kevin Wandler, the vice president for medical services at Remuda Ranch, which addresses both eating disorders and addiction at its facilities in Arizona and Virginia.
“Eating normally would be an effective behavior, but it’s easier to give up alcohol and drugs because you never need it again,” Dr. Wandler said. “If your drug is food, that’s a challenge.”
Trish left Renfrew on Feb. 22, after her second time in treatment there. She was determined, she said, to break her obsessions with weight, food and alcohol. Before she checked in, “I didn’t even have the energy to laugh,” she said. But as she prepared to go home, she had more hope than she has had in years.
“I will not live my life like this,” she said. “I’ve learned this time not to be ashamed. I want to love myself and I want to forgive myself.”
www.nationaleatingdisorders.org
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Is Your Dedication to Exercise Making You Less Fit?Activity Disorder: Too Much/Little Of A Good Thing
From "The Eating Disorders Source Book"
WebMD
Accompanying the steady increase in the number of people with eating disorders has been a rise in the number of people with exercise disorders: people who are controlling their bodies, altering their moods, and defining themselves through their over-involvement in exercise activity, to the point where instead of choosing to participate in their activity, they have become "addicted" to it, continuing to engage in it despite adverse consequences. If dieting taken to the extreme becomes an eating disorder, exercise activity taken to the same extreme may be viewed as an activity disorder, a term used by Alayne Yates in her book Compulsive Exercise and the Eating Disorders (1991).
In our society, exercise is increasingly being sought, less for the pursuit of fitness or pleasure and more for the means to a thinner body or sense of control and accomplishment. Female exercisers are particularly vulnerable to problems arising when restriction of food intake is combined with intense physical activity. A female who loses too much weight or body fat will stop menstruating and ovulating and will become increasingly susceptible to stress fractures and osteoporosis. Yet, similar to individuals with eating disorders, those with an activity disorder are not deterred from their behaviors by medical complications and consequences.
People who continue to overexercise in spite of medical and/or other consequences feel as if they can't stop and that participating in their activity is no longer an option. These people have been referred to as obligatory or compulsive exercisers because they seem unable to "not exercise," even when injured, exhausted, and begged or threatened by others to stop. The terms pathogenic exercise and exercise addiction have been used to describe individuals who are consumed by the need for physical activity to the exclusion of everything else and to the point of damage or danger to their lives.
The term anorexia athletica has been used to describe a sub-clinical eating disorder for athletes who engage in at least one unhealthy method of weight control, including fasting, vomiting, diet pills, laxatives, or diuretics. For the rest of this chapter, the term activity disorder will be used to describe the overexercising syndrome as this term seems most appropriate for comparison with the more traditional eating disorders.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF ACTIVITY DISORDER
The signs and symptoms of activity disorder often, but not always, include those seen in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Obsessive concerns about being fat, body dissatisfaction, binge eating, and a whole variety of dieting and purging behaviors are often present in activity disordered individuals. Furthermore, it is well established that obsessive exercise is a common feature seen in anorexics and bulimics; in fact, some studies have reported that as many as 75 percent use excessive exercise as a method of purging and/or reducing anxiety. Therefore, activity disorder can be found as a component of anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa or, although there is yet no DSM diagnosis for it, as a separate disorder altogether.
There are many individuals with the salient features of an activity disorder who do not meet the diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. The overriding feature of an activity disorder is the presence of excessive, purposeless, physical activity that goes beyond any usual training regimen and ends up being a detriment rather than an asset to the individual's health and well-being.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Girls' Self-Image May Affect Future Weight
CHICAGO, Illinois (AP)
Where a teenage girl sees herself on her school's social ladder may sway her future weight, a study of more than 4,000 girls finds.
Those who believed they were unpopular gained more weight over a two-year period than girls who viewed themselves as more popular. Researchers said the study showed how a girl's view of her social status has broader health consequences.
The girls in the study were still growing -- their average age was 15 -- and all of them gained some weight. However, those who rated themselves low in popularity were 69 percent more likely than other girls to increase their body mass index by two units, the equivalent of gaining about 11 excess pounds. (The body mass index, or BMI, is a calculation based on height and weight.)
Girls who put themselves on the higher rungs of popularity also gained some excess weight, but less -- about 6 pounds.
Both groups, on average, fell within ranges considered normal. But a gain of two BMI units over two years is more than the typical weight gain for adolescent girls, the researchers said.
"How girls feel about themselves should be part of all obesity-prevention strategies," said the study's lead author, Adina Lemeshow, who began the study as a Harvard School of Public Health graduate student. She now works at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
The research, appearing in January's Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, used data from an ongoing study used frequently by scientists studying childhood obesity.
Weight and height data were reported by the girls themselves rather than getting weighed and measured by doctors; that's a weakness in the study that the researchers acknowledged.
The researchers took into account the girls' weight and BMI at the start of the study, along with their diet, household income, race/ethnicity and whether they'd reached puberty -- and still found the link.
In the study, perceived popularity was measured in 1999 by how the girls reacted to a question next to a picture of a 10-rung ladder: "At the top of the ladder are the people in your school with the most respect and the highest standing. At the bottom are the people who no one respects and no one wants to hang around with. Where would you place yourself on the ladder?"
The researchers put the girls into two groups: the 4,264 who said they were on rung 5 or above, and the 182 who said they were on rung 4 or below. The weight gain link was based on those two groups.
Clea McNeely of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health called the study strong. She said she wanted to know more about the 4 percent of girls who rated themselves below average in popularity, particularly whether they already were gaining weight faster before they rated themselves as unpopular.
"The reason this paper is so important is it has broader implications beyond weight gain," said McNeely, who was not involved in the research but wrote an accompanying editorial. "Subjective social status is not just an uncomfortable experience you grow out of, but can have important health consequences."
Experts know little about how to intervene in teenagers' peer groups to improve health, McNeely said, but when adults set standards in schools, students treat one another with more respect.
Teenagers may give grown-ups "bored looks," she said, but "adults are still the most important influential figures in their lives."
The study was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.
CHICAGO, Illinois (AP)
Where a teenage girl sees herself on her school's social ladder may sway her future weight, a study of more than 4,000 girls finds.
Those who believed they were unpopular gained more weight over a two-year period than girls who viewed themselves as more popular. Researchers said the study showed how a girl's view of her social status has broader health consequences.
The girls in the study were still growing -- their average age was 15 -- and all of them gained some weight. However, those who rated themselves low in popularity were 69 percent more likely than other girls to increase their body mass index by two units, the equivalent of gaining about 11 excess pounds. (The body mass index, or BMI, is a calculation based on height and weight.)
Girls who put themselves on the higher rungs of popularity also gained some excess weight, but less -- about 6 pounds.
Both groups, on average, fell within ranges considered normal. But a gain of two BMI units over two years is more than the typical weight gain for adolescent girls, the researchers said.
"How girls feel about themselves should be part of all obesity-prevention strategies," said the study's lead author, Adina Lemeshow, who began the study as a Harvard School of Public Health graduate student. She now works at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
The research, appearing in January's Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, used data from an ongoing study used frequently by scientists studying childhood obesity.
Weight and height data were reported by the girls themselves rather than getting weighed and measured by doctors; that's a weakness in the study that the researchers acknowledged.
The researchers took into account the girls' weight and BMI at the start of the study, along with their diet, household income, race/ethnicity and whether they'd reached puberty -- and still found the link.
In the study, perceived popularity was measured in 1999 by how the girls reacted to a question next to a picture of a 10-rung ladder: "At the top of the ladder are the people in your school with the most respect and the highest standing. At the bottom are the people who no one respects and no one wants to hang around with. Where would you place yourself on the ladder?"
The researchers put the girls into two groups: the 4,264 who said they were on rung 5 or above, and the 182 who said they were on rung 4 or below. The weight gain link was based on those two groups.
Clea McNeely of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health called the study strong. She said she wanted to know more about the 4 percent of girls who rated themselves below average in popularity, particularly whether they already were gaining weight faster before they rated themselves as unpopular.
"The reason this paper is so important is it has broader implications beyond weight gain," said McNeely, who was not involved in the research but wrote an accompanying editorial. "Subjective social status is not just an uncomfortable experience you grow out of, but can have important health consequences."
Experts know little about how to intervene in teenagers' peer groups to improve health, McNeely said, but when adults set standards in schools, students treat one another with more respect.
Teenagers may give grown-ups "bored looks," she said, but "adults are still the most important influential figures in their lives."
The study was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Moderate Fitness Also Cuts Women's Stroke Risk
NEW YORK (AP) -- Being merely moderately fit -- walking briskly half an hour a day -- can lower the risk of having a stroke, according to a new study whose findings apply to women as well as men.
Physical activity can help prevent blood clots and the buildup of artery-clogging plaque.
Much of the previous research on stroke and fitness has been on men and relied on participants to report their physical activity, said Steven Hooker, who heads the University of South Carolina's Prevention Research Center in Columbia and led the study. About a quarter of those in the new study were women, and everyone had a treadmill test to measure his or her fitness level.
"It seems that benefits we've been observing in men for many years ... are also observed in women," Hooker said.
He said even those who were moderately fit had a lower risk of stroke. Most people can reach that fitness range by walking briskly for 30 minutes a day, five times a week, said Hooker, who presented the findings Thursday at the International Stroke Conference in New Orleans.
Stroke is the nation's third-leading cause of death. It occurs when blood flow to the brain is stopped when a blood vessel is blocked by a clot or bursts. Hooker said physical activity can help prevent blood clots and the buildup of artery-clogging plaque.
For their research, Hooker and his colleagues used data from a study of more than 61,000 adults at the Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas, Texas. After taking a treadmill test, the participants periodically answered health surveys. The latest research divided the group into four levels of fitness and looked at how many of them had strokes, following them an average of 18 years.
Overall, there were 692 strokes in men and 171 in women.
The study found that men in the most fit group had a 40 percent lower risk of stroke than the least fit men. The most fit women had a 43 percent reduction in their risk of stroke compared with women in the least fit group.
For moderate levels of fitness, the risk reduction ranged from 15 to 30 percent for men and 23 to 57 percent in women.
The lower risks held true even when taking into account other risk factors for stroke such as smoking, weight, high blood pressure, diabetes and family history.
Fitness is "a strong predictor of stroke risk all by itself," Hooker said.
In its stroke prevention guidelines, the American Stroke Association recommends at least 30 minutes of physical activity of moderate intensity on most days of the week. The new study "is certainly consistent with all of the recommendations that we already have in place," said Dr. Larry Goldstein, a spokesman for the group and director of the Stroke Center at Duke University.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Being merely moderately fit -- walking briskly half an hour a day -- can lower the risk of having a stroke, according to a new study whose findings apply to women as well as men.
Physical activity can help prevent blood clots and the buildup of artery-clogging plaque.
Much of the previous research on stroke and fitness has been on men and relied on participants to report their physical activity, said Steven Hooker, who heads the University of South Carolina's Prevention Research Center in Columbia and led the study. About a quarter of those in the new study were women, and everyone had a treadmill test to measure his or her fitness level.
"It seems that benefits we've been observing in men for many years ... are also observed in women," Hooker said.
He said even those who were moderately fit had a lower risk of stroke. Most people can reach that fitness range by walking briskly for 30 minutes a day, five times a week, said Hooker, who presented the findings Thursday at the International Stroke Conference in New Orleans.
Stroke is the nation's third-leading cause of death. It occurs when blood flow to the brain is stopped when a blood vessel is blocked by a clot or bursts. Hooker said physical activity can help prevent blood clots and the buildup of artery-clogging plaque.
For their research, Hooker and his colleagues used data from a study of more than 61,000 adults at the Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas, Texas. After taking a treadmill test, the participants periodically answered health surveys. The latest research divided the group into four levels of fitness and looked at how many of them had strokes, following them an average of 18 years.
Overall, there were 692 strokes in men and 171 in women.
The study found that men in the most fit group had a 40 percent lower risk of stroke than the least fit men. The most fit women had a 43 percent reduction in their risk of stroke compared with women in the least fit group.
For moderate levels of fitness, the risk reduction ranged from 15 to 30 percent for men and 23 to 57 percent in women.
The lower risks held true even when taking into account other risk factors for stroke such as smoking, weight, high blood pressure, diabetes and family history.
Fitness is "a strong predictor of stroke risk all by itself," Hooker said.
In its stroke prevention guidelines, the American Stroke Association recommends at least 30 minutes of physical activity of moderate intensity on most days of the week. The new study "is certainly consistent with all of the recommendations that we already have in place," said Dr. Larry Goldstein, a spokesman for the group and director of the Stroke Center at Duke University.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Teaching Myself to Love Exercise
By Jackie Adams
CNN
Hardly a day that goes by that you won't find Tracey Wygal working out at the gym. Tracey Wygal weighed 295 pounds before starting a "clean diet," keeping a food journal and exercising.
The 30-year-old middle-school teacher does cardio exercise, strength trains and follows what she calls a "clean diet."
That's quite a change for a woman who tipped the scales eight years ago at 295 pounds.
Wygal first started gaining weight in her early teens. A fast-food diet and little to no exercise helped her pack on the pounds, and her weight ballooned to over 200 pounds.
"It was my first year out of college, and that number, along with being diagnosed as morbidly obese, was very frightening," remembers Wygal. "I went to several doctors, trying to get them to prescribe a weight-loss pill."
But none of her doctors would give her the quick fix she was looking for. Instead, a physician handed her a 1,600-calorie-a-day diet and told her to start moving.
At first, Wygal was shocked and refused to begin a diet that she thought was too restrictive. Even though her weight was rapidly approaching 300 pounds, she believed she had a pretty good diet and an active lifestyle.
As her weight crept up, Wygal grew more frustrated, and eventually she decided it was time to gain control of her life.
She started by keeping track of her daily calorie intake in a food diary and soon realized that her eating was worse than she thought.
"I was amazed by how many calories I was eating," Wygal said. "The food diary showed me that I really needed to get my food intake under control and helped me maintain my diet realistically."
She also started exercising.
At first, Wygal says, she was too embarrassed to go to a gym, so she bought an elliptical machine and started working out 15 minutes a day in her apartment.
"It was all I could do at first. I didn't give up, though," she said. "Gradually, my endurance improved. After losing about 30 pounds, I decided to join a small gym."
Several months later, Wygal was ready to take the next step. She hired a trainer and began a short strength-training program.
That's when something clicked.
Instead of feeling intimidated, Wygal started to love her workouts and the physical changes taking shape with her body. Ready to take the next step, she joined a larger gym, began researching different workouts and got into weight training.
Over the next three years, she lost 120 pounds and dropped seven dress sizes. Wygal, who's 5 feet 10 inches tall, says the fear of gaining weight motivates her to stick to her diet and exercise regimen because she never wants to look like she did at 295 pounds.
Now comfortable with her weight, which she says fluctuates between 170 and 180 pounds, Wygal works out at least five to six days a week. She says the key to losing weight and keeping it off is being honest about what you eat, writing it down and staying consistent. She wants people to know they can do it, but there are no quick fixes or easy outs -- just hard work.
"It won't happen overnight," Wygal advises. "Know that it will take time but it is worth it in the end."
By Jackie Adams
CNN
Hardly a day that goes by that you won't find Tracey Wygal working out at the gym. Tracey Wygal weighed 295 pounds before starting a "clean diet," keeping a food journal and exercising.
The 30-year-old middle-school teacher does cardio exercise, strength trains and follows what she calls a "clean diet."
That's quite a change for a woman who tipped the scales eight years ago at 295 pounds.
Wygal first started gaining weight in her early teens. A fast-food diet and little to no exercise helped her pack on the pounds, and her weight ballooned to over 200 pounds.
"It was my first year out of college, and that number, along with being diagnosed as morbidly obese, was very frightening," remembers Wygal. "I went to several doctors, trying to get them to prescribe a weight-loss pill."
But none of her doctors would give her the quick fix she was looking for. Instead, a physician handed her a 1,600-calorie-a-day diet and told her to start moving.
At first, Wygal was shocked and refused to begin a diet that she thought was too restrictive. Even though her weight was rapidly approaching 300 pounds, she believed she had a pretty good diet and an active lifestyle.
As her weight crept up, Wygal grew more frustrated, and eventually she decided it was time to gain control of her life.
She started by keeping track of her daily calorie intake in a food diary and soon realized that her eating was worse than she thought.
"I was amazed by how many calories I was eating," Wygal said. "The food diary showed me that I really needed to get my food intake under control and helped me maintain my diet realistically."
She also started exercising.
At first, Wygal says, she was too embarrassed to go to a gym, so she bought an elliptical machine and started working out 15 minutes a day in her apartment.
"It was all I could do at first. I didn't give up, though," she said. "Gradually, my endurance improved. After losing about 30 pounds, I decided to join a small gym."
Several months later, Wygal was ready to take the next step. She hired a trainer and began a short strength-training program.
That's when something clicked.
Instead of feeling intimidated, Wygal started to love her workouts and the physical changes taking shape with her body. Ready to take the next step, she joined a larger gym, began researching different workouts and got into weight training.
Over the next three years, she lost 120 pounds and dropped seven dress sizes. Wygal, who's 5 feet 10 inches tall, says the fear of gaining weight motivates her to stick to her diet and exercise regimen because she never wants to look like she did at 295 pounds.
Now comfortable with her weight, which she says fluctuates between 170 and 180 pounds, Wygal works out at least five to six days a week. She says the key to losing weight and keeping it off is being honest about what you eat, writing it down and staying consistent. She wants people to know they can do it, but there are no quick fixes or easy outs -- just hard work.
"It won't happen overnight," Wygal advises. "Know that it will take time but it is worth it in the end."
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
NEW YORK (CNN) -- The New York City Board of Health voted unanimously on Tuesday, to require all city chain restaurants to post calorie data on their menus. The order requiring New York chain restaurants to post calories on their menus comes after months of litigation.
Some restaurants already make the calorie counts of menu items available, but beginning March 31 they will have to put the numbers on menu boards and menus.
The change will affect restaurants with 15 or more outlets -- roughly 10 percent of all city restaurants, according to a news release from the city's health department.
The Department of Health argued in October that "calorie information provided at the time of food selection would enable New Yorkers to make more informed, healthier choices."
The expectation is that the information will help combat obesity in New York, a city in which 54 percent of adults are overweight or obese, according to a 2005 Community Health Survey.
"Today, the Board of Health passed a regulation that will help New Yorkers make healthier choices about what to eat; living longer, healthier lives as a result," said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, New York City's health commissioner.
Some restaurants already make the calorie counts of menu items available, but beginning March 31 they will have to put the numbers on menu boards and menus.
The change will affect restaurants with 15 or more outlets -- roughly 10 percent of all city restaurants, according to a news release from the city's health department.
The Department of Health argued in October that "calorie information provided at the time of food selection would enable New Yorkers to make more informed, healthier choices."
The expectation is that the information will help combat obesity in New York, a city in which 54 percent of adults are overweight or obese, according to a 2005 Community Health Survey.
"Today, the Board of Health passed a regulation that will help New Yorkers make healthier choices about what to eat; living longer, healthier lives as a result," said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, New York City's health commissioner.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
I Blogged My Weight Off
By Jackie Adams
CNN
She was never really skinny or terribly overweight. Lynn Bering weighed 296 pounds and wore a size 30 in 2004. She now weighs 129 pounds and wears a size 4.
But Lynn Bering knew something wasn't right when she realized she'd gained more than 100 pounds in just four years.
Doctors blamed a sluggish thyroid but Bering said that was only part of the problem. She also admitted to bad eating habits, which included a lot of carbohydrates.
Wearing a size 30/32 and weighing nearly 300 pounds, Bering said it became difficult to move around and she felt tired and run down.
Even though her husband and family were supportive, Bering said she often passed on social events and work assignments out of embarrassment.
"I was the features editor at the local newspaper [and] getting increasingly uncomfortable with how I looked," Bering recalled. "I was increasingly giving up stories to interns so I didn't have to be out in public as much."
So, when a local antiques store went up for sale, Bering jumped at the chance to switch careers, but for the wrong reasons.
"I had no self-esteem. I was still me inside. I just didn't like how I looked," Bering admitted.
Ashamed of her looks, the store acted as a fortress for Bering, who said she became a hermit for nearly four years. The weight also was starting to take a physical toll.
"My antique store had 19 stairs and they were hard to climb. ... I would be out of breath," Bering said. "I thought, 'What if I got sick? How would they get me down those stairs?' "
Even though doctors told Bering the weight wasn't good for her health, it was the stairs that helped motivate her to change.
"I was 296 pounds at my highest weight and I'd had enough," Bering said. "I was tired of being fat, tired of not taking care of myself."
In February 2005, Bering was finally ready to do something about it. Never one to join a club or like big crowds, she started walking at the track at a local university and also joined an online weight loss program. At first, she walked a mile and then a mile and a half, two miles and eventually she completed a 5K in 38 minutes.
But Bering said the one thing that's helped her most is her blog.
Writing down her thoughts and feelings about why she ate helped Bering do the inner work, which she believes is necessary before anyone can do the outer work and lose the weight for good.
"Gaining weight has as much to do with emotional well-being than physical," Bering said. "You don't just get to 200 pounds because you're eating bad food. You're eating bad food for a reason."
Initially, she started "Lynn's Weight Loss Journey" to keep herself accountable and update her sister and friends on how she was doing. It wasn't until she started receiving comments from people she didn't know -- thanking her for sharing her story -- that Bering began to realize she might empower others.
As she blogged, the pounds melted off.
Today, Bering, who's 5 feet 5 inches tall, has dropped 13 dress sizes and weighs about 129 pounds. She eats a mostly vegetarian diet, works out five days a week and maintains her weight loss through a network of friends she's met online via discussion boards.
"Being thin makes me feel good physically. ... I can move around, lift my granddaughter," she said. "I like the way I look and the way exercise has shaped my body."
Even her husband, Larry, who's one of her biggest supporters, has lost 25 pounds and kept it off for three years.
Bering said the weight loss has taught her to respect her body and live in the moment. She's traded in the antique shop for freelance writing and spends more time with her family and a wider circle of friends.
"I can love and appreciate that woman who [was] 300 pounds but I don't want to go back there," Bering said.
"It's taken a lot of work to get where I am, but I love that feeling."
By Jackie Adams
CNN
She was never really skinny or terribly overweight. Lynn Bering weighed 296 pounds and wore a size 30 in 2004. She now weighs 129 pounds and wears a size 4.
But Lynn Bering knew something wasn't right when she realized she'd gained more than 100 pounds in just four years.
Doctors blamed a sluggish thyroid but Bering said that was only part of the problem. She also admitted to bad eating habits, which included a lot of carbohydrates.
Wearing a size 30/32 and weighing nearly 300 pounds, Bering said it became difficult to move around and she felt tired and run down.
Even though her husband and family were supportive, Bering said she often passed on social events and work assignments out of embarrassment.
"I was the features editor at the local newspaper [and] getting increasingly uncomfortable with how I looked," Bering recalled. "I was increasingly giving up stories to interns so I didn't have to be out in public as much."
So, when a local antiques store went up for sale, Bering jumped at the chance to switch careers, but for the wrong reasons.
"I had no self-esteem. I was still me inside. I just didn't like how I looked," Bering admitted.
Ashamed of her looks, the store acted as a fortress for Bering, who said she became a hermit for nearly four years. The weight also was starting to take a physical toll.
"My antique store had 19 stairs and they were hard to climb. ... I would be out of breath," Bering said. "I thought, 'What if I got sick? How would they get me down those stairs?' "
Even though doctors told Bering the weight wasn't good for her health, it was the stairs that helped motivate her to change.
"I was 296 pounds at my highest weight and I'd had enough," Bering said. "I was tired of being fat, tired of not taking care of myself."
In February 2005, Bering was finally ready to do something about it. Never one to join a club or like big crowds, she started walking at the track at a local university and also joined an online weight loss program. At first, she walked a mile and then a mile and a half, two miles and eventually she completed a 5K in 38 minutes.
But Bering said the one thing that's helped her most is her blog.
Writing down her thoughts and feelings about why she ate helped Bering do the inner work, which she believes is necessary before anyone can do the outer work and lose the weight for good.
"Gaining weight has as much to do with emotional well-being than physical," Bering said. "You don't just get to 200 pounds because you're eating bad food. You're eating bad food for a reason."
Initially, she started "Lynn's Weight Loss Journey" to keep herself accountable and update her sister and friends on how she was doing. It wasn't until she started receiving comments from people she didn't know -- thanking her for sharing her story -- that Bering began to realize she might empower others.
As she blogged, the pounds melted off.
Today, Bering, who's 5 feet 5 inches tall, has dropped 13 dress sizes and weighs about 129 pounds. She eats a mostly vegetarian diet, works out five days a week and maintains her weight loss through a network of friends she's met online via discussion boards.
"Being thin makes me feel good physically. ... I can move around, lift my granddaughter," she said. "I like the way I look and the way exercise has shaped my body."
Even her husband, Larry, who's one of her biggest supporters, has lost 25 pounds and kept it off for three years.
Bering said the weight loss has taught her to respect her body and live in the moment. She's traded in the antique shop for freelance writing and spends more time with her family and a wider circle of friends.
"I can love and appreciate that woman who [was] 300 pounds but I don't want to go back there," Bering said.
"It's taken a lot of work to get where I am, but I love that feeling."
Monday, February 4, 2008
He's Half the Man He Used to Be
By Jackie Adams
CNN
Two years ago, Phill Novak weighed 387 pounds. After losing 192 pounds, Phill Novak, 41, says he feels there's nothing he can't do.
He wasn't happy with his weight and neither were his doctors. In addition to taking medication for high blood pressure and cholesterol -- his physician warned him that he was on track to become a diabetic.
Reality hit in January 2006 at a Pittsburgh Steelers game. Novak had gone to smoke a cigarette.
"We were walking back up to our seats, and I started getting winded," says Novak. "I didn't feel right, I started sweating. I didn't think I would make it back up. My heart [was] beating a million times a minute; I thought I was having a heart attack."
Novak stood against a cold wall for 20 minutes to catch his breath. Fortunately, he wasn't having a heart attack but he was so frightened that thoughts of his family began to race through his mind.
"A lot of things went through my head, about saying goodbye to my kids," says Novak choking back his tears. "I told my friend, 'This is it, I'm not going to live like this no more.' "
Novak, who was approaching his 40th birthday, made it through the football game. As he ate two double-cheeseburgers and a milkshake, he began to think about the limitations of obesity and how it was keeping him from living a full life.
Novak said the extra weight kept him from riding bikes with his kids. He dreaded doing anything physical like mowing the grass, shoveling snow or just moving -- period. Novak says even sleeping became difficult.
"When I was big, I could only sleep one way ... so I could support my belly," says Novak. "My back always hurt ... I could barely sleep and I remember always being tired."
The next day, Novak devised his own game plan and started his weight-loss journey.
He began simply by walking -- one mile a day and started eating healthier.
"I walked off my first 100 pounds," he says. "Walked it off, an hour a day. I lost 100 pounds in seven months."
Novak continued to lose weight and as he built up his endurance he started jogging. Even though he had never belonged to a gym, he wanted to incorporate strength training. But the first time he went to the gym, he was intimidated by the loud music and weight lifters. He says he quickly "scampered" out and tried a few other places until he finally found a club where he felt comfortable. Watch more on how Phill Novak got motivated to lose weight. »
Two years later, Novak has lost a total of 192 pounds. Today, he runs 30 to 40 miles a week, works out two to three hours a day, does yoga in the morning and squeezes in a push-up whenever he gets a chance at work.
Now maintaining his weight at 195 pounds, Novak says he's made a lifestyle change and rarely takes a day off from exercise.
Still, he doesn't take all of the credit for his weight loss. Novak says he couldn't have done it without the support of his family -- which he thanks for allowing him to be selfish.
"I am so proud of myself ... for the first time in my life," beams Novak. "Besides my kids, [this is] the first time I'm proud of myself."
Novak says losing weight has boosted his confidence and made him realize that he can do anything he sets his mind to. He says people also treat him differently and no longer stare at him. In fact, he enjoys the fact that people, who haven't seen him in a while, recognize only his Pittsburgh accent.
When he looks back at pictures of himself at nearly 400 pounds, he says it's hard to believe he treated his body that way.
Would he ever go back to being heavy?
"No way! Ain't going back there ... won't do it, can't do it," says Novak.
"I've never been happier in my life!"
Matt Sloane contributed to this discussion.
By Jackie Adams
CNN
Two years ago, Phill Novak weighed 387 pounds. After losing 192 pounds, Phill Novak, 41, says he feels there's nothing he can't do.
He wasn't happy with his weight and neither were his doctors. In addition to taking medication for high blood pressure and cholesterol -- his physician warned him that he was on track to become a diabetic.
Reality hit in January 2006 at a Pittsburgh Steelers game. Novak had gone to smoke a cigarette.
"We were walking back up to our seats, and I started getting winded," says Novak. "I didn't feel right, I started sweating. I didn't think I would make it back up. My heart [was] beating a million times a minute; I thought I was having a heart attack."
Novak stood against a cold wall for 20 minutes to catch his breath. Fortunately, he wasn't having a heart attack but he was so frightened that thoughts of his family began to race through his mind.
"A lot of things went through my head, about saying goodbye to my kids," says Novak choking back his tears. "I told my friend, 'This is it, I'm not going to live like this no more.' "
Novak, who was approaching his 40th birthday, made it through the football game. As he ate two double-cheeseburgers and a milkshake, he began to think about the limitations of obesity and how it was keeping him from living a full life.
Novak said the extra weight kept him from riding bikes with his kids. He dreaded doing anything physical like mowing the grass, shoveling snow or just moving -- period. Novak says even sleeping became difficult.
"When I was big, I could only sleep one way ... so I could support my belly," says Novak. "My back always hurt ... I could barely sleep and I remember always being tired."
The next day, Novak devised his own game plan and started his weight-loss journey.
He began simply by walking -- one mile a day and started eating healthier.
"I walked off my first 100 pounds," he says. "Walked it off, an hour a day. I lost 100 pounds in seven months."
Novak continued to lose weight and as he built up his endurance he started jogging. Even though he had never belonged to a gym, he wanted to incorporate strength training. But the first time he went to the gym, he was intimidated by the loud music and weight lifters. He says he quickly "scampered" out and tried a few other places until he finally found a club where he felt comfortable. Watch more on how Phill Novak got motivated to lose weight. »
Two years later, Novak has lost a total of 192 pounds. Today, he runs 30 to 40 miles a week, works out two to three hours a day, does yoga in the morning and squeezes in a push-up whenever he gets a chance at work.
Now maintaining his weight at 195 pounds, Novak says he's made a lifestyle change and rarely takes a day off from exercise.
Still, he doesn't take all of the credit for his weight loss. Novak says he couldn't have done it without the support of his family -- which he thanks for allowing him to be selfish.
"I am so proud of myself ... for the first time in my life," beams Novak. "Besides my kids, [this is] the first time I'm proud of myself."
Novak says losing weight has boosted his confidence and made him realize that he can do anything he sets his mind to. He says people also treat him differently and no longer stare at him. In fact, he enjoys the fact that people, who haven't seen him in a while, recognize only his Pittsburgh accent.
When he looks back at pictures of himself at nearly 400 pounds, he says it's hard to believe he treated his body that way.
Would he ever go back to being heavy?
"No way! Ain't going back there ... won't do it, can't do it," says Novak.
"I've never been happier in my life!"
Matt Sloane contributed to this discussion.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Bringing Home the Bacon, and Keeping Off the Weight
As told to Patricia R. Olsen
Published: January 27, 2008
The New York Times
WHETHER their workplaces are superhealthy or stocked with candy at every turn, employees who are struggling to lose weight must deal with challenges at the office. Three workers tell of their battles, temptations and successes.
Steve Madden, editor-in-chief of Bicycling and Mountain Bike magazines, pauses for a moment on his bike in his driveway before working out on January 5, 2008.
Going for the Burrito
Steve Madden, 44, is editor in chief of Bicycling and Mountain Bike magazines at Rodale in Emmaus, Pa.
People assume that the editor of magazines relating to health and fitness is going to be perfectly healthy and fit. Someone who meets me at a work event will look at me and say, “I thought you’d be. ...” “A little skinnier?” I say. And he’ll say, “Well, yeah.” People are always telling me I need to lose weight. Right now I weigh 198 pounds and am 5-foot-10, which is big for a serious cyclist. I’d like to weigh 180-something.
It’s the life space I’m in. I have a long commute and three young children who keep me busy. I eat late at night, and I love wine. I have a terrible sweet tooth, too.
It’s a constant struggle to lose weight, even though I rode 4,451 miles last year. It seems to be something in my physiology. It’s something you’re born with. Lance Armstrong chose his parents wisely.
At lunch, I ride with cycling champions from a training center near our building, and they are constant reminders of my weight. Our associate publisher, Joao Correia, lost 50 pounds recently in his quest to make the Portuguese Olympic team. (He has dual citizenship.) He wants to keep his weight down to perform well on rides. I can’t make the sacrifices. I’d rather have cookies at night and not ride as fast.
The Rodale cafeteria has only healthy food. I have a salad and a bottle of seltzer for lunch. But I’m enough of a contrarian that if we go out and everyone else has a salad, I want the burrito.
It’s all relative. When I’m in this building, I’m the fat kid. When I take my children to the pool in my town, I look like Tarzan. My weight has become part of my shtick. The shorts my colleagues and I wear have “www.bicycling.com” printed on the back. I joke that my shorts are so big they could say “www.bicycling.com with the editor.”
Apple Slices, Not Doughnuts
Kathy Burkleo, 59, is a customer service representative at Logos Software Company in Bellingham, Wash.
Last June my doctor told me I had high blood pressure and had to lose weight. I decided to start the exercising and go on a diet. I didn’t say anything to anyone at work initially. As of mid-January, I had lost 49 pounds.
We have a corporate culture of food. Someone brings in doughnuts about three days a week, or we might get an e-mail announcement that there are treats in the executive kitchen. Every other month or so we have a cook-off, with chili one month, curry another and soup another. In December, there’s a holiday bake-off. When we have a salsa competition, people taste all 20 varieties, which means that anyone judging will eat at least 20 tortilla chips.
I love tortilla chips. I love dark chocolate, too. I just love food. But I’m determined. My co-workers noticed when I lost 10 pounds, which was an incentive to keep going. The company buys lunch for us a lot, and often it’s pizza. When I first started losing weight, I just ate the topping and my salad from home. The last time we had it, I ate an entire slice. But I paid for it: I plateaued for a couple of days.
I don’t deprive myself totally. There’s usually a candy jar in my area, and I grab a piece occasionally. But losing weight is so rewarding that I resist temptation more often than not. I feel better now.
There are 29 steps on the stairs to our department on the second floor. I used to have to stop halfway and catch my breath. Now I can run up. As I lose weight and my clothes are too big, I get rid of them.
Some co-workers ask how I did it, as if there’s an easy answer. They have to want to lose weight. One morning, a guy in his 20s had eight doughnuts. He said he would never gain weight. I told him that someday it would catch up to him. Then I ate my apple slices and a couple of almonds and string cheese.
Planning to Lose 25 Pounds
Marcelo Aller, 34, is national athletics account manager at Polar in Lake Success, N.Y.
We manufacture and sell heart rate monitors and other physical fitness performance products. Before I started this job two and a half years ago, I was always active. I played college football, and I’ve worked as a personal trainer and managed health clubs. Now I’m in front of a PC much of the day, or I visit schools and talk to students. I can’t always get to a health club.
My colleagues think I look fine, but it’s become more of a challenge to become lean. I’m 5-foot-8 and weigh 218, and I want to lose 25 pounds. I’m not an endurance athlete, like a small cyclist or a runner. I have a typical, square football-player build. Sometimes it’s more difficult to regain a hard body; my metabolism has changed with age.
I have a degree in physical education, so I know about the human body. My problem is not eating regularly. If I don’t eat every three to four hours, I don’t get my metabolism going and I have a tendency to overeat later in the day.
I think everyone has that problem. I try to eat a balanced diet of protein, carbs and fats. I also limit starches and eat complex grains instead of simple grains. But I need to be better about serving size.
People tend to rationalize why they can’t lose weight. I tell them, first, figure out your fitness goal. Next, determine where you are now. Then measure your body fat.
As I work toward my goal, I hope to lose 10 or 12 pounds of fat in the first six to eight weeks and gain some muscle. I plan to work out three or four times a week. I’ll use a heart rate monitor to make sure I’m working at the intensity I need to burn enough calories. For cardiovascular work, I’m going to run and bike.
I work out with athletes who have an advantage over me because of my build. They humor me on their recovery days, when they go slower. On those days I can keep up with them.
Friday, January 25, 2008
My Transformation
By Jackie Adams
CNN
Growing up, Heather Davis wasn't the kind of kid people would have called fat or even chubby.
Heather Davis weighed 250 pounds and wore a size 22 at her heaviest. She lost 110 pounds and now wears a size 4.
Like many children, Heather studied hard, did her homework and played sports after school. During elementary school, she remembers being thin -- but things started to change as she approached adolescence.
"My bad eating habits began during my 'latchkey kid' years," says Davis. "In high school and middle school, I played sports, but with a diet of Doritos and soda for lunch ... large family dinners ... I became overweight."
During her senior year in high school, Davis, who is 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighed 200 pounds.
"We had a meat-and-potatoes family. We had dessert every night and I was a member of the 'clean your plate club,' remembers Davis. "It caught up with me."
By the time she was 22 and attending graduate school, Davis' weight had ballooned to 250 pounds. Davis says her weight gain was caused by major life transitions -- triggered by emotional eating, a junk-food diet and lack of exercise.
Davis dreaded shopping for clothes and said she found it hard to find stylish, age-appropriate clothing for her bigger body. She says it was a struggle to look neat and put together as most of her shirts "hugged every roll." Looser-fitting clothing, she says, made her feel as if she were wearing a tent.
The additional weight also began to take a physical toll. Everyday tasks such as walking up stairs or in the shopping mall started to become difficult. Davis says she was constantly hot and any physical exertion would cause her to sweat, even in below-freezing temperatures.
Life became a constant struggle.
"I would get hot a lot because of the extra weight I was carrying. Picture yourself with a 100-pound backpack on," says Davis. "That was what it was like climbing the escalator. My knees hurt. My back [and] shoulders hurt a lot."
Davis, who lives in Washington, says she had tried everything to lose weight, such as low-carb and low-fat diets and even starvation. But one day, something clicked.
"I was on the campus shuttle and saw the Gold's Gym," Davis says, "And, I said 'I can go down into the Metro and go home and eat my Ben & Jerry's [ice cream]. Or, I can go over there and really do this. Just do this!'" Watch Davis' dramatic weight loss transformation
Heather Davis' tips
1. Never let anyone tell you "You can't." Yes, you can.
2. Get as much social support as possible. Going to the gym with others is fun and motivating.
3. You will not be the biggest person in the gym and everyone will not be staring at you.
4. Some thin people in the gym used to be really heavy and they will applaud you.
5. Lose weight for you. Not because someone else tells you to. Also, know when to stop losing.
6. If you lose your way (fall off your diet), get right back into the saddle and try again.
7. Keep a calendar. Mark off every day you exercise and eat right. You will see the days rack up, and it will make you proud.
8. When you do lose weight, save one item from your heaviest weight. Look at it when you feel discouraged and you'll see how far you've come.
9. Don't let friends or family derail you. If you don't want to eat something, it is OK to politely decline, but don't go crazy. You don't want to be "that person" at the lunch table.
10. If you want cheesecake or a sweet treat -- eat it in moderation. Don't deprive yourself of anything or you will get discouraged.
Davis remembered her grandmother -- with whom she'd been extremely close -- who had died from heart failure brought on by years of unhealthy eating and lack of exercise.
"She will never get to see my wedding, children or experience other joys in her life," Davis says.
Davis says there wasn't any defining experience or "lightbulb" moment that forced her to make a change. It was the realization that after years of failed diets and the physical toll of obesity, she'd had enough.
During her first visit to the gym, Davis says she could barely handle 15 minutes on the treadmill. But she stayed on track by reminding herself that weight loss was going to be hard work and there was no easy way out.
She did cardio exercise for two weeks and began modifying her diet by cutting out starches, ice cream and pizza. Within the first two weeks, she had lost 8 pounds. She was motivated by the positive results and gradually increased her cardio, incorporated weight training and continued to change her diet.
Davis remained determined, and over the next 12 months, with the support of her family and regular check-ins with a gym trainer, she lost 110 pounds.
She went from wearing a plus-size 22 to wearing a size 4 or 6. The weight loss and healthier lifestyle boosted the 31-year-old's self-confidence and gave her access to a richer, fuller life.
"My days of treating my body badly are over," says Davis. "I focus on things I enjoy such as European travel, language classes and beach vacations."
Staying healthy for Davis means eating in moderation and incorporating fun forms of exercise into her daily life. She no longer owns a vehicle and enjoys long walks in downtown Washington.
She's also set another goal for herself -- a second graduate degree -- which she hopes will allow her to help others.
"I'm working on my master's in public health because all of this health awareness has made me want to help other people," Davis says. "Obesity is reaching epidemic proportions and I will take pleasure using both experience and scientific knowledge toward planning and evaluating programs designed to help people incorporate healthy behaviors into their lives."
Davis is training to run a half-marathon and is running up to 6 miles. She says even though she's lost 110 pounds, she's still the same person -- outgoing, and more importantly -- happy.
She's also become an inspiration for people who desperately want to lose weight.
"If I can do it, anybody can do it," says Davis.
By Jackie Adams
CNN
Growing up, Heather Davis wasn't the kind of kid people would have called fat or even chubby.
Heather Davis weighed 250 pounds and wore a size 22 at her heaviest. She lost 110 pounds and now wears a size 4.
Like many children, Heather studied hard, did her homework and played sports after school. During elementary school, she remembers being thin -- but things started to change as she approached adolescence.
"My bad eating habits began during my 'latchkey kid' years," says Davis. "In high school and middle school, I played sports, but with a diet of Doritos and soda for lunch ... large family dinners ... I became overweight."
During her senior year in high school, Davis, who is 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighed 200 pounds.
"We had a meat-and-potatoes family. We had dessert every night and I was a member of the 'clean your plate club,' remembers Davis. "It caught up with me."
By the time she was 22 and attending graduate school, Davis' weight had ballooned to 250 pounds. Davis says her weight gain was caused by major life transitions -- triggered by emotional eating, a junk-food diet and lack of exercise.
Davis dreaded shopping for clothes and said she found it hard to find stylish, age-appropriate clothing for her bigger body. She says it was a struggle to look neat and put together as most of her shirts "hugged every roll." Looser-fitting clothing, she says, made her feel as if she were wearing a tent.
The additional weight also began to take a physical toll. Everyday tasks such as walking up stairs or in the shopping mall started to become difficult. Davis says she was constantly hot and any physical exertion would cause her to sweat, even in below-freezing temperatures.
Life became a constant struggle.
"I would get hot a lot because of the extra weight I was carrying. Picture yourself with a 100-pound backpack on," says Davis. "That was what it was like climbing the escalator. My knees hurt. My back [and] shoulders hurt a lot."
Davis, who lives in Washington, says she had tried everything to lose weight, such as low-carb and low-fat diets and even starvation. But one day, something clicked.
"I was on the campus shuttle and saw the Gold's Gym," Davis says, "And, I said 'I can go down into the Metro and go home and eat my Ben & Jerry's [ice cream]. Or, I can go over there and really do this. Just do this!'" Watch Davis' dramatic weight loss transformation
Heather Davis' tips
1. Never let anyone tell you "You can't." Yes, you can.
2. Get as much social support as possible. Going to the gym with others is fun and motivating.
3. You will not be the biggest person in the gym and everyone will not be staring at you.
4. Some thin people in the gym used to be really heavy and they will applaud you.
5. Lose weight for you. Not because someone else tells you to. Also, know when to stop losing.
6. If you lose your way (fall off your diet), get right back into the saddle and try again.
7. Keep a calendar. Mark off every day you exercise and eat right. You will see the days rack up, and it will make you proud.
8. When you do lose weight, save one item from your heaviest weight. Look at it when you feel discouraged and you'll see how far you've come.
9. Don't let friends or family derail you. If you don't want to eat something, it is OK to politely decline, but don't go crazy. You don't want to be "that person" at the lunch table.
10. If you want cheesecake or a sweet treat -- eat it in moderation. Don't deprive yourself of anything or you will get discouraged.
Davis remembered her grandmother -- with whom she'd been extremely close -- who had died from heart failure brought on by years of unhealthy eating and lack of exercise.
"She will never get to see my wedding, children or experience other joys in her life," Davis says.
Davis says there wasn't any defining experience or "lightbulb" moment that forced her to make a change. It was the realization that after years of failed diets and the physical toll of obesity, she'd had enough.
During her first visit to the gym, Davis says she could barely handle 15 minutes on the treadmill. But she stayed on track by reminding herself that weight loss was going to be hard work and there was no easy way out.
She did cardio exercise for two weeks and began modifying her diet by cutting out starches, ice cream and pizza. Within the first two weeks, she had lost 8 pounds. She was motivated by the positive results and gradually increased her cardio, incorporated weight training and continued to change her diet.
Davis remained determined, and over the next 12 months, with the support of her family and regular check-ins with a gym trainer, she lost 110 pounds.
She went from wearing a plus-size 22 to wearing a size 4 or 6. The weight loss and healthier lifestyle boosted the 31-year-old's self-confidence and gave her access to a richer, fuller life.
"My days of treating my body badly are over," says Davis. "I focus on things I enjoy such as European travel, language classes and beach vacations."
Staying healthy for Davis means eating in moderation and incorporating fun forms of exercise into her daily life. She no longer owns a vehicle and enjoys long walks in downtown Washington.
She's also set another goal for herself -- a second graduate degree -- which she hopes will allow her to help others.
"I'm working on my master's in public health because all of this health awareness has made me want to help other people," Davis says. "Obesity is reaching epidemic proportions and I will take pleasure using both experience and scientific knowledge toward planning and evaluating programs designed to help people incorporate healthy behaviors into their lives."
Davis is training to run a half-marathon and is running up to 6 miles. She says even though she's lost 110 pounds, she's still the same person -- outgoing, and more importantly -- happy.
She's also become an inspiration for people who desperately want to lose weight.
"If I can do it, anybody can do it," says Davis.
Fat to Fit
By Jackie Adams
CNN
Two years ago, Tim Lenczowski dreaded walking from the parking lot into his office.
Tim Lenczowski had heart problems before losing 128 pounds in Operation Boot Camp.
Weighing 335 pounds, Lenczowski suffered constantly from pain in his knees and ankles. Everyday activities such as walking and even traveling on an airplane had become difficult.
At the age of 39, he was diagnosed with a heart condition and hypertension (high blood pressure). He knew it was time to make a change and his doctor agreed.
"It was a chore to get to work. I had to park and then walk," says Lenczowski. "By the time I got to work I was sweating and I would have to time things so I could cool off before I had a meeting."
The extra weight not only took a toll on his physical health, but also was chipping away at his self-esteem. Lenczowski, who worked as a fundraiser for a nonprofit health organization, felt like a hypocrite. Watch Tim's incredible weight loss success story »
"People would see me then ... they didn't respect me," remembers Lenczowski. "How could I ask for money to support [the foundation] without practicing what I preached?"
Tim's weight loss tips:
Find a plan that works for you
Try different programs to find the one that works for you. Take time to talk to the instructors and students to get a feel for the program and if it is right for you. Don't be afraid to change if it's not working for you.
Build a support system
You should not go at this alone. Rely on your friends and family to help support you every step of the way. Make sure your physician is part of your support team. Another great support system can come from a group workout program.
Set goals
Keep yourself accountable and track your successes. This will motivate you as you see how far you've come and set new goals. Celebrate every success along the way!
Keep yourself challenged
Once you get moving, make sure to keep pushing yourself to try new things, whether it's running your first race or taking a yoga class. Get out of your comfort zone and try something new.
Get your mind in the game
Losing weight and getting fit is a mental workout as much as a physical one. Make sure your mind is in the game and work to overcome the mental obstacles that come your way. Challenge the little voice inside you to keep pushing your body.
Have fun
My success was possible by making a lifestyle change and sticking to it. Making the workouts fun and enjoying the foods you eat will be much more enjoyable and help you stick with it in the long run.
Lenczowski struggled with weight for most of his life. He tried just about "every diet imaginable" and though he lost weight on some, he would always gain it back. A sedentary lifestyle and fast-food diet had caught up with him and as his 40th birthday approached, he'd become fed up and realized he didn't want to live out the next half of his life as a fat person.
Not knowing where to start, Lenczowski started walking because it was low impact. He walked a marathon and though it took him nine hours to complete, Lenczowski says he made some great friends in the process. After the race, the same friends asked him to try kickboxing.
"The thought of going to a gym was intimidating enough, but kickboxing?" Lenczowski recalls. "My friends kept on me until I caved and reluctantly decided to try it."
The first time he went to the class, Lenczowski says he sat in the parking lot for a while trying to muster up enough courage to walk into the gym. But once inside, he says everyone welcomed him. In eight months of kickboxing, fat burning classes and watching his diet -- he'd lost 60 pounds.
Lenczowski says he was ecstatic and his friends began pushing him to take the next step to get in shape -- boot camp.
"They pushed me into boot camp and I loved it," Lenczowski says. "It's the hardest thing I've done."
Lenczowski joined Operation Boot Camp which offers a one month program to increase fitness through exercise and proper diet. With the support of his friends and by pushing and challenging himself each month to move from the back of the class to the front, he started to see results.
"When I went to boot camp, I couldn't run a mile. I set that goal for myself and the instructors helped," Lenczowski says. "I thought, 'If I can run a mile, can I run a half-marathon?' "
Eight months later he had lost a total of 120 pounds. To date, Lenczowski has run five full marathons and 12 half-marathons, accomplishments he would have thought impossible five years ago.
How has his life changed?
Achieving various fitness goals was a tremendous boost to Lenczowski's self-confidence. The physical accomplishments began to have a positive affect on other aspects of his life as he realized he could do anything he set his mind to. Since losing weight, he's become more outgoing, happier, moved closer to a park, changed jobs and become a fitness instructor. He recently bought his own boot camp franchise.
"I encourage people to take that first step. I know it's hard, but you have to find the right program," Lenczowski says.
The dramatic weight loss and healthier lifestyle has also improved Lenczowski's physical health. He's no longer on heart medication and his doctor has greatly reduced his blood pressure medicines.
Lenczowski says the biggest key to his success was his network of support from friends, doctors and fitness instructors. As he approaches his goal weight, he's set a new goal of passing his experience on to others who want to lose weight.
"I meet new people and they don't look at the old Tim. They look at the person sitting here now -- more confident, funny, loves to give back and that's what I want to be remembered for."
By Jackie Adams
CNN
Two years ago, Tim Lenczowski dreaded walking from the parking lot into his office.
Tim Lenczowski had heart problems before losing 128 pounds in Operation Boot Camp.
Weighing 335 pounds, Lenczowski suffered constantly from pain in his knees and ankles. Everyday activities such as walking and even traveling on an airplane had become difficult.
At the age of 39, he was diagnosed with a heart condition and hypertension (high blood pressure). He knew it was time to make a change and his doctor agreed.
"It was a chore to get to work. I had to park and then walk," says Lenczowski. "By the time I got to work I was sweating and I would have to time things so I could cool off before I had a meeting."
The extra weight not only took a toll on his physical health, but also was chipping away at his self-esteem. Lenczowski, who worked as a fundraiser for a nonprofit health organization, felt like a hypocrite. Watch Tim's incredible weight loss success story »
"People would see me then ... they didn't respect me," remembers Lenczowski. "How could I ask for money to support [the foundation] without practicing what I preached?"
Tim's weight loss tips:
Find a plan that works for you
Try different programs to find the one that works for you. Take time to talk to the instructors and students to get a feel for the program and if it is right for you. Don't be afraid to change if it's not working for you.
Build a support system
You should not go at this alone. Rely on your friends and family to help support you every step of the way. Make sure your physician is part of your support team. Another great support system can come from a group workout program.
Set goals
Keep yourself accountable and track your successes. This will motivate you as you see how far you've come and set new goals. Celebrate every success along the way!
Keep yourself challenged
Once you get moving, make sure to keep pushing yourself to try new things, whether it's running your first race or taking a yoga class. Get out of your comfort zone and try something new.
Get your mind in the game
Losing weight and getting fit is a mental workout as much as a physical one. Make sure your mind is in the game and work to overcome the mental obstacles that come your way. Challenge the little voice inside you to keep pushing your body.
Have fun
My success was possible by making a lifestyle change and sticking to it. Making the workouts fun and enjoying the foods you eat will be much more enjoyable and help you stick with it in the long run.
Lenczowski struggled with weight for most of his life. He tried just about "every diet imaginable" and though he lost weight on some, he would always gain it back. A sedentary lifestyle and fast-food diet had caught up with him and as his 40th birthday approached, he'd become fed up and realized he didn't want to live out the next half of his life as a fat person.
Not knowing where to start, Lenczowski started walking because it was low impact. He walked a marathon and though it took him nine hours to complete, Lenczowski says he made some great friends in the process. After the race, the same friends asked him to try kickboxing.
"The thought of going to a gym was intimidating enough, but kickboxing?" Lenczowski recalls. "My friends kept on me until I caved and reluctantly decided to try it."
The first time he went to the class, Lenczowski says he sat in the parking lot for a while trying to muster up enough courage to walk into the gym. But once inside, he says everyone welcomed him. In eight months of kickboxing, fat burning classes and watching his diet -- he'd lost 60 pounds.
Lenczowski says he was ecstatic and his friends began pushing him to take the next step to get in shape -- boot camp.
"They pushed me into boot camp and I loved it," Lenczowski says. "It's the hardest thing I've done."
Lenczowski joined Operation Boot Camp which offers a one month program to increase fitness through exercise and proper diet. With the support of his friends and by pushing and challenging himself each month to move from the back of the class to the front, he started to see results.
"When I went to boot camp, I couldn't run a mile. I set that goal for myself and the instructors helped," Lenczowski says. "I thought, 'If I can run a mile, can I run a half-marathon?' "
Eight months later he had lost a total of 120 pounds. To date, Lenczowski has run five full marathons and 12 half-marathons, accomplishments he would have thought impossible five years ago.
How has his life changed?
Achieving various fitness goals was a tremendous boost to Lenczowski's self-confidence. The physical accomplishments began to have a positive affect on other aspects of his life as he realized he could do anything he set his mind to. Since losing weight, he's become more outgoing, happier, moved closer to a park, changed jobs and become a fitness instructor. He recently bought his own boot camp franchise.
"I encourage people to take that first step. I know it's hard, but you have to find the right program," Lenczowski says.
The dramatic weight loss and healthier lifestyle has also improved Lenczowski's physical health. He's no longer on heart medication and his doctor has greatly reduced his blood pressure medicines.
Lenczowski says the biggest key to his success was his network of support from friends, doctors and fitness instructors. As he approaches his goal weight, he's set a new goal of passing his experience on to others who want to lose weight.
"I meet new people and they don't look at the old Tim. They look at the person sitting here now -- more confident, funny, loves to give back and that's what I want to be remembered for."
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