European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 13, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse The secret of Success a is in the mind by Jane e. Brody the new York times i f you re an american chances Are you have been on a diet. And chances Are you never reached your weight goal or if you did manage to get into those size 10 jeans you expanded right out of them again. Millions of americans Are Yoyo dieters. Experts believe that As Many As 95 percent of people who succeed in losing weight gain most All or even More of it Back. The problem of Yoyo dieting or weight cycling in professional jargon is far More than a cosmetic Issue. Regaining hard lost pounds is embarrassing and depressing and can be a terrible blow to self esteem. It May also make it physically and psychologically More difficult to lose weight the next time. And now there is evidence that years of weight cycling can damage health and shorten life. According to a recent study of More than 3,000 people followed for three decades Yoyo dieting can As much As double the risk of developing and dying of heart disease. See related Story does this mean it is impossible to lose weight and keep it off maybe not. It May simply mean you tried to diet at the wrong time for the wrong reasons. A growing number of weight control specialists believe that a realistic assessment of your Quot diet readiness Quot can significantly enhance your chances of lasting Success regardless of the weight loss program you follow. Or. Kelly d. Brownell who directed the recent Feudy said that too Many people Rush into diets under circumstances that make lasting Success unlikely a tendency he likens to trying to climb a Mountain in a blizzard Brownell a psychologist and weight control specialist at Yale University said diet readiness involves factors such As the Dieter s state of mind motivation commitment and life circumstances As Well As attitudes toward exercise and the reasons for eating at various times. Selecting the right reason for trying to lose weight May be even More important than choosing a diet. Many if not most dieters decide to diet for a transient or superficial reason such As a desire to impress former classmates at a reunion to be presentable in a swimming suit or to put an end to teasing about those excess pounds but lasting weight control entails an internal commitment to a new you and a lifelong commitment to a new Way of handling food and to regular physical activity. Successful dieting Means abandoning the idea that if you fail to keep the weight off this time you can always go on another diet. Based on Brownell s experience with hundreds of dieters at a Hospital clinic he has devised a test to help dieters assess whether the time is right to try to lose _ weight. A Quot failing Quot score on one or More sections of the test does not necessarily doom a weight control Effort but it May make it much More difficult. Brownell said the test can help identify potential roadblocks to Success so the Dieter can work to improve before trying to diet. He reminded potential dieters that losing weight involves working hard Over a Long period learning to avoid or limit favored snacks learning to eat a predetermined amount a which May mean stopping before you Are full a and committing yourself to regular exercise even when you Are tired bored or have other things to do. By Jane e. Brody the new York times j. Y 6-Yo dieting the cycles of weight loss and weight gain endured by millions of americans including Many who Are not overweight can have serious even fatal health consequences a new study has shown. The results recently published in the new England journal of Medicine reveal that repeated changes in weight irrespective of a person s initial weight Are linked to an increased death rate Overall and much As twice the Chance of dying of heart disease. Or. Kelly d. Brownell a psychologist and weight specialist at Yale University who directed the study said the findings suggest that the harmful effects of weight cycling May be equal to the risks of simply remaining obese a which also doubles the chances of findings Are based on an analysis of weight fluctuations and later health consequences observed Over a 32-year period among 3,130 men and women who participated in the Framingham heart study in Massachusetts. The risk of heart disease death disease and death from All causes was 25 percent to 100 percent higher in the group with the most weight fluctuation regardless of each person s initial weight High goals and attitudes for the first two questions score 1 for not at All 2 slightly 3 somewhat 4 quite 5 extremely. 1. Compared with , How motivated to lose weight Are you this time 2. How certain Are you that you will stay committed to a weight loss program for the time it will take to reach your goal 3. Consider All outside stress in your life work family obligations Etc. To what extent can you tolerate the Effort required to stick to a diet score 1 for cannot 2 can somewhat 3 Uncertain 4 can tolerate Well 5 can easily. 4. Think honestly about How much weight you Hope to lose and How quickly you Hope to lose it. Figuring a weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds per week How realistic is your expectation score 1 for very unrealistic 2 somewhat unrealistic 3 moderately unrealistic 4 somewhat realistic 5 very realistic. For the next two questions score 1 for always 2 frequently 3 occasionally 4 rarely 5 never. 5. While dieting do you fantasize about eating a lot of your favorite foods 6. While dieting do you feel deprived angry and or upset if you scored 6 to 16, it is not a Good time to diet a inadequate motivation and commitment and unrealistic goals can get in your Way. 17 to 23. Think about ways to boost your diet readiness before you begin. 24 to 30, your path is Clear. Hunger cues for the next two questions score 1 never 2 rarely 3 frequently 4 always. 7. When food is mentioned do you want to eat even if not hungry 8. Do you have trouble controlling your eating when your favorite foods Are around the House 9. How often do you eat because of physical hunger score 1 always 2 frequently 3 occasionally 4 rarely 5 never. If you scored 3 to 6, try to control the attitudes that occasionally make you overeat. 7 to 9. Dieting will be easier if you try to resist external cues and eat Only when you Are physically hungry. Control Over eating in the following situations score 1 if you would eat much less 2 if you would eat somewhat less 3 if it would make no difference 4 if you would eat somewhat More and 5 if you would eat much More. 10. Although you planned to skip lunch you Are talked into going out to eat. 11. You go off your diet by eating a fattening forbidden food. 12. After faithfully following your diet you decide to test yourself by eating a if you scored 3 to 7, you recover rapidly from mistakes but should get professional help if you often alternate Between strict dieting and eating out of control. 8 to 11, you have a flexible balanced program that is not disrupted by unplanned eating. 12 to 15, your reaction to problem causing eating events can be improved. Binding and purging. 13. Have you Ever eaten a lot of food rapidly and Felt the eating was excessive and out of control score 2 for yes 0 for no. 14. If yes How often Over the last year score 1 for less than once a month 2 about once a month 3 a few times a month 4 about once a week 5 about three times a week 6 daily. 15. Have you Ever purged to control your weight by using laxatives diuretics or induced vomiting score 5 for yes 0 for no. 16. If yes How often during the last year score 1 for less than once a month 2 about once a month 3 a few times a month 4 about once a week 5 about three times a week 6 daily. A if you scored 0 to 1, Binge eating and purging Are not your problem. 2 to 11, get professional help if these eating patterns arise More often. 12 to 19, your potentially serious eating problem needs immediate professional attention. Emotional eating for each of the next three questions score 1 never 2 rarely 3 occasionally 4 frequently 5 always. 17. Do you overeat when you fee anxious blood pressure smoking habits cholesterol level and level of physical activity. In another Souciy not yet published David Williamson a nutrition specialist at the Federal centers for disease control in Atlanta found that people who repeatedly lose and regain More than 25 pounds have a higher risk of dying prematurely than people who smoke cigarettes. Based on these and related findings or. George Blackburn an obesity specialist at Harvard medical school said he believed that Quot current Federal guidelines telling everyone who is fat to get unfit. Should go Back to the drawing boards because 95 percent of dieters Are unable to keep the weight Brownell said in an interview a the pressure in this society to be thin at All costs May be exacting a serious toll Quot he said the Yale findings indicate that weight cycling is Quot potentially a very serious Public health Issue because it affects such Large numbers of at any Given time about 50 percent of american women and 25 percent of men Are on diets to lose weight he abide that half the dieting women Are not overweight in the first place. Yet in his study the risks of Yoyo dieting were seen at All weight categories thin As Well As obese. Quot it May be equally bad to lose the same 5 pounds 10 times As to lose 50 pounds and regain it once Quot the psychologist said. Depressed angry or lonely 18. Do you celebrate feeling Good by overeating 19. When things done to go Well with others or on your Job do you eat More than you would like if you scored 3 to 8, you Don t seem to let emotions affect your eating. 9 to 11, Monitor your occasional tendency to eat in response to emotional highs and Low and find alternative activities. 12 to 15, you need to find other ways than eating to express your feelings. Exercise 20. How often do you exercise score 1 for never 2 rarely 3 occasionally 4 somewhat 5 frequently. 21. How confident Are you that you can exercise regularly score 1 for not at All 2 slightly 3 somewhat 4 highly 5 completely. 22. Do you have a negative or positive picture about exercise in your mind score 1 for completely negative 2 somewhat negative 3 Neutral 4 somewhat positive 5 completely positive. 23. How sure Are you that you can work regular exercise into your daily schedule score 1 for not at All 2 slightly 3 somewhat 4 quite 5 extremely. If you scored 4 to 10, change attitudes that Are blocking your Way to regular exercise. 11 to 16, to feel More positive about exercise think of ways that Are fun and fit your lifestyle. 17 to 20, your path is Clear to a More Active life too Many americans still overweight by William Booth the Washington Post americans Are just As Likely to to overweight today As they were in the 1960s, according to a recent report lion the Federal centers for disease control. Neither jogging nor lean cuisine nor health spas nor Jane Fonda nor Quot Lite Quot Beer nor two decades of nagging from the Federal health agencies appears to have done much to reduce the National prevalence of fat. Today about 24 percent of men and 27 women Are Quot significantly overweight Quot according to the cd which concluded the Levels Quot were virtually unchanged from the Early 1960s.�?� moreover obesity continues to plague minorities and the poor in disproportionate numbers. While 25 percent of White women were technically fat 44 percent of Black women were overweight. Also the lower the socioeconomic status the greater the percentage who Are overweight a mainly because the poor rely More on High calorie foods the cd defines As Quot significantly overweight Quot a person weighing 20 percent More than his or her Quot desired Quot weight which is tabulated for height and based on a system known As the Quot body mass according to the. Cd definition Lor example a person would be technically overweight if his desired weight were 145 pounds and he tipped the scale at 174 pounds health and nutrition experts say the health craze of the 1980s appears to have involved Only a limited subset of americans who did All the aerobics and ate All the leaner Quot Lite Quot foods while the rest of the country appears to have Sal around watching the tube and eating hamburgers and Ding Dongs. Quot certain segments of society got into spas and exercise and certain groups got into lower calorie foods but the changes did not permeate society Quot said Faye Wong chief of the Field services Branch in the nutrition division at cd. Many americans for example continue to live sedentary lifestyles. In Oklahoma and new York for instance More than two thirds of All adults fail to exercise Lor at least 20 minutes three limes a week As recommended by fitness gurus. The findings were part of report card on american health tabulated by Federal health officials. In 1979 the government set 17 goals for the nation to Racli by 1990. Rea Progress was made on Only six. While the country improved its Overall cholesterol Levels and did a better Job at Labelling food it made no measurable Progress in losing weigh or cutting Oul Salt. There was also Little Progress on eradicating Iron deficiency anaemia in pregnant women and in educating people about Good nutrition and weight loss. Page 14 a the stars and stripes tuesday August 13,1991 the stars and stripes a Page 15
