In a word, yes. Here’s what to do when the drugs you need also put on the pounds.
When you start putting on weight, you look to the usual suspects: the dusty treadmill or that stash of chocolate in your desk drawer.
But for 30-year-old Chelley Thelen, the culprit sat in her medicine cabinet. In six years, Thelen gained 60 pounds from taking prednisone, a steroid used to treat her arthritis.
Thelen is just one of a growing number of women who can blame their excess pounds on the drugs they’re taking for everything from allergies to migraines. The chances of finding yourself on a drug that can lead to weight gain have more than doubled in the last 20 years.
In fact, the number has increased from one in ten to one in four, says George Blackburn, MD, associate director of the Harvard Medical School Division of Nutrition. The problem is so critical that Blackburn teaches a course for physicians on the weight-gain side effects of medications.
“The drugs we’re most concerned about are drugs for chronic diseases, like diabetes and psychiatric problems, because you have to be medicated for life,” Blackburn says. But even innocuous-sounding meds like over-the-counter sleep aids can cause snug-jeans syndrome—some by slowing your metabolism, others by altering the hormones in your body that control your appetite.
And the problem isn’t just affecting women’s waistlines: Some are even choosing not to take drugs critical to their health for weight-control reasons. If you suspect that meds are making you gain weight, check our list below for the most common culprits and expert advice on what to do about it.
Drugs that can pile on pounds
Antihistamines
The fat effect: Allergy drugs containing diphenhydramine (such as Benadryl) have a sedating effect that saps your energy if you take them regularly. You’re not as active, so you’re burning fewer calories, Blackburn says.
What to do: Ask about another antihistamine like Claritin or Zyrtec that doesn’t include sedating ingredients
Antidepressants
The fat effect: Some antidepressants affect neurotransmitters in your brain that control appetite and mood, both of which can make you eat more.
What to do: See a psychiatrist instead of a family physician or internist and ask about antidepressants that don’t typically cause weight gain, such as Wellbutrin or Zyban.
Birth control pills
The fat effect: Birth control pills may add up to five pounds because the estrogen in them can cause you to retain water.
What to do: Ask about a low-estrogen pill like Yasmin, or the progestin-only minipill. Or consider trying the NuvaRing, which releases lower doses of hormones than the birth control pill, or try an intrauterine device.
Sleep aids
The fat effect: You’ll find the same culprit, diphen-hydramine, in over-the-counter sleep aids, such as Tylenol Simply Sleep, Sominex, or Nytol, or “nighttime” versions of cold and pain medicines, like Sudafed PE Nighttime Cold or Excedrin PM.
What to do: Your doctor may prescribe an option like Ambien that’s designed to cut carryover sedating effects.
Migraine meds
The fat effect: Depakote and Depakene, medicines which are sometimes used to prevent recurring migraines, can make you want to eat more, says Harminder Sikand, clinical director of pharm-acy at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego.
What to do: Ask your doctor about Imitrex or other migraine drugs that are less likely to increase your appetite.
Steroids
The fat effect: Prednisone, often used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and chronic inflammation, can make you feel ravenously hungry.
What to do: Your doctor may be able to give you prescription-strength NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen) to help. If you need to stay on steroids, work with a trainer to increase the calories you’re burning.
Showing posts with label Weight Loss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Weight Loss. Show all posts
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Exercise to Lose Weight
If someone told you right now what the absolute best exercise to lose weight was, would you do it? You might when you read this. Drum roll, please …
The best exercise to lose weight is: "the exercise you’ll do," says Timothy Church, MD, MPH, PhD, a professor at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La.
Other experts interviewed by WebMD said much the same thing about weight loss workouts.
"The two things that stop people from losing weight with exercise are either boredom or injury," says physical therapist and strength and conditioning specialist Ben Quist, PhD, NSCA.
The truth is that weight loss is about creating a calorie deficit -- in other words, burning more calories than you take in. So, they say, while running at an 8-minute-mile pace might be a great calorie burner, if you’re not going to do it, it’s not going to help you. Instead, start with something you can do, like walking or working out on an elliptical machine or exercise bike.
The Beef on Strength Training
In all cases, however, you'll burn more calories with cardio (aerobic) exercise than with strength or resistance training.
"Strength training itself will not lead to an appreciable amount of weight loss because it just doesn’t burn enough calories," says Glenn Gaesser, PhD, FACSM, kinesiology professor and department head at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.
But what about all that talk that more muscle mass equates to more calories burned, even when you're at rest?
"It’s a myth. It’s not going to happen," says Gaesser.
The only successful studies to show a significant calorie burn following a weight-lifting workout (afterburn) were done with serious lifters, working out for 60 to 90 minutes at a time and lifting as much as they could on every set.
In fact, Gaesser says, at best, gaining one pound of muscle will help you burn 5 to 10 extra calories a day. You could do that chewing gum.
That's not to say that strength training isn't important for the overall health of the body. But when it comes to burning the most calories, go for cardiovascular exercise. And vary the intensity, says Quist.
"Do aerobic base-building workouts," he says, where you alternate between moderate and higher intensity, either within the same workout or on alternate days.
Quist also recommends cross-training -- that is, doing a range of different activities during your workouts. Not only does this help you keep from getting bored, it’s better for your body. Doing different activities recruits different muscle groups. You're also less likely to develop an injury, says Quist, since doing the same thing day after day creates wear patterns on your joints.
Get creative, says Gaesser, whose graduate students teach an entire class on novel ways to burn calories. For example, he says, if you’re a golfer, ditch the cart and walk with your clubs. You’ll do what you love -- and burn more calories.
The best exercise to lose weight is: "the exercise you’ll do," says Timothy Church, MD, MPH, PhD, a professor at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La.
Other experts interviewed by WebMD said much the same thing about weight loss workouts.
"The two things that stop people from losing weight with exercise are either boredom or injury," says physical therapist and strength and conditioning specialist Ben Quist, PhD, NSCA.
The truth is that weight loss is about creating a calorie deficit -- in other words, burning more calories than you take in. So, they say, while running at an 8-minute-mile pace might be a great calorie burner, if you’re not going to do it, it’s not going to help you. Instead, start with something you can do, like walking or working out on an elliptical machine or exercise bike.
The Beef on Strength Training
In all cases, however, you'll burn more calories with cardio (aerobic) exercise than with strength or resistance training.
"Strength training itself will not lead to an appreciable amount of weight loss because it just doesn’t burn enough calories," says Glenn Gaesser, PhD, FACSM, kinesiology professor and department head at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.
But what about all that talk that more muscle mass equates to more calories burned, even when you're at rest?
"It’s a myth. It’s not going to happen," says Gaesser.
The only successful studies to show a significant calorie burn following a weight-lifting workout (afterburn) were done with serious lifters, working out for 60 to 90 minutes at a time and lifting as much as they could on every set.
In fact, Gaesser says, at best, gaining one pound of muscle will help you burn 5 to 10 extra calories a day. You could do that chewing gum.
That's not to say that strength training isn't important for the overall health of the body. But when it comes to burning the most calories, go for cardiovascular exercise. And vary the intensity, says Quist.
"Do aerobic base-building workouts," he says, where you alternate between moderate and higher intensity, either within the same workout or on alternate days.
Quist also recommends cross-training -- that is, doing a range of different activities during your workouts. Not only does this help you keep from getting bored, it’s better for your body. Doing different activities recruits different muscle groups. You're also less likely to develop an injury, says Quist, since doing the same thing day after day creates wear patterns on your joints.
Get creative, says Gaesser, whose graduate students teach an entire class on novel ways to burn calories. For example, he says, if you’re a golfer, ditch the cart and walk with your clubs. You’ll do what you love -- and burn more calories.
Your Stay-Slim Holiday Survival Plan
Many people have mixed feelings about this time of year. I think it's because the festive season is never just one upbeat note. It's never only happy, only loving, only blazing fires and cherub-cheeked children. The holidays, like life itself, are equally miserable and joyful, filled with both light and shadow. The problem is that we often forget the bad stuff. We forget that last year's family gathering was a semidisaster and believe that this year will be different. We get our hopes up. We enter the holidays with unrealistic expectations of how it's going to be and when it doesn't turn out that way, we often use food to comfort ourselves.
For many years, I led 1-day holiday overeating workshops, listening to people talk about their fears and their joys during the season. I heard what triggered their descent into bingeing and what helped them out of it. Of course, these stories weren't really about food but about how we use it to temporarily help ourselves cope. After the food is gone, whatever causes you to overeat is still there. Food is only pleasurable, only delicious, only satisfying when you are hungry. In every other situation, something besides eating will comfort you and give you peace. Here are four holiday overeating triggers with strategies for surviving with your sanity--and waistline--intact.
Trigger: Going home makes you act like a child
Every time Zoe walks in the door of her mother's house, she stops being an adult and feels about 3 feet tall. "I'm a grown woman, happily married, yet after spending 5 minutes with my older brothers and parents, I feel like the dumb little girl with big buckteeth who always gets left out," Zoe told me. "Then I mindlessly eat anything I can get my hands on. Which is, unfortunately, a lot."
No matter how old you are, your relationships with your parents and siblings may seem like they're set in stone. You're always the nerdy one or the little sister or the "problem child." One way we deal with this is to try to tune out. Or we revert to childhood behaviors or indulge in adult comforts such as overeating.
Remind yourself that you're an adult
At your parents' house, bring along photos, letters, anything that reinforces your connection with your grown-up self. I suggested that Zoe bring a gift from a friend so she could have a concrete, physical object to look at when she felt she was regressing.
Spend time alone with your husband or a friend
Go for a walk or a drive. Sneak into a quiet room and shut the door--but do it with someone from your adult life. This will help keep you grounded in the present.
BYO fresh vegetables
Moms love to have our favorites waiting for us when we arrive home. In Zoe's case, that means piles of cookies, cakes, her mom's special vanilla fudge, and no vegetables--unless you count sweet potatoes with marshmallows. I recommended that she bring her own healthy foods with her. It isn't easy, but by having a plan and following through with it, you can stay securely in the present and avoid sliding into old patterns and old ways of eating.
Trigger: You feel vulnerable about your size
Joan dreaded her family's Christmas dinner because she'd gained nearly 20 pounds since she'd seen them all last year. "I know my Aunt Mary will say something about my weight," Joan explained, "and because she's mostly deaf, she'll do it at the top of her voice. I'll be absolutely mortified--and I'll eat everything that doesn't eat me first."
Joan's weight and her aunt's lack of a social filter are not the real issues. What is: Joan's self-worth is tied up in a number on a scale, a problem that many women share with her. When you or someone else defines you by your dress size, you start believing that if you're heavy, you must not be special, intelligent, or worth the space you take up. Before the visit, Joan was completely focused on her fears about what people would say and what her weight gain meant (i.e., that she'd always be fat, that she was doomed, unlovable, unforgivable). She needed to change her focus.
Understand that you're not what you weigh
The size of your body and your self-worth are simply not the same things. To break that association, you need to disregard the negative self-talk that's going on in your head.
Learn to recognize hunger cues--an empty feeling or rumbling in your stomach. As you become more aware of what your body is telling you, you'll be better able to eat only when you're hungry and stop when you've had enough. Eating then becomes a physical activity, not an emotional one.
Have a retort ready
On a very practical level, Joan had to decide how to respond to her aunt's barbs. She could say in a calm, even voice that she finds comments on her body size unhelpful. Or she could handle the situation with humor and say, "You think this is a weight gain? You should have seen what I looked like 2 months ago!"
Change the focus of the conversation
The least-confrontational and often best approach to fielding a hurtful comment is simply shifting the subject without going into any explanation. If Aunt Mary makes a crack about Joan's size, she could deflect it by immediately asking about her aunt's latest vacation. People love talking about themselves to a good listener.
Trigger: You're surrounded by tempting food
Before Christmas, Oona's office resembles the "big rock candy mountain." Last year she feared it would sink her diet efforts like a torpedo. "I was really taking care of myself," she told me. "I ate only when I was hungry and ate just what my body wanted. But when everyone else started eating treats, I felt incredibly deprived if I didn't join in." Oona also didn't want to seem rude by rejecting the food so lovingly prepared by her coworkers.
Sample only the special stuff
There's a big difference between eating homemade rugalach made by your office mate's Great-Grandmother Sadie and a box of store-bought Santa cookies with sprinkles. Eat what will give you the most satisfaction.
Listen to your body before, during, and after you eat
If a cookie looks good to you, ask yourself: Do I want it because I think it will curb my hunger or because I want to treat myself? If you really are hungry, then eat it. Enjoy the taste, the texture, and the whole experience of devouring it. But be sure to pay attention to how you feel 10 to 15 minutes afterward. If you're tired, spacey, or depressed, it wasn't really a treat, was it?
Oona realized that the holidays are always going to be a dance between tuning in to her body, its hunger, and its fullness and being part of the festivities of food around her. But now, she says, "I'm able to be more choosy about what I eat and also feel like part of the gang."
Trigger: You're supposed to be joyful…but you're not
Last year, Melissa's best friend was killed in a traffic accident right before Thanksgiving. Even though some time has passed, Melissa still doesn't feel much like celebrating. In fact, seasonal images of happy families make her cry--and eat, in an effort to bury her feelings, which seem so out of place in the face of all that "joy to the world."
It's not unusual to have what are called anniversary reactions around the time of a loss. Nor is it uncommon to feel blue during the holidays because of family dramas and societal pressures to be happy. In both cases, you experience a disconnect between what you think you should be feeling and what you actually feel. Despite your grief, there are a number of steps you can take to get through--and even find meaning in--the holidays.
Take time for tears
Losing someone you love is huge, and the feelings need to be honored and given space. I told Melissa that her job was to allow herself to feel the loss. She agreed to set a timer for 10 minutes, three times a day--and just lie on her bed and weep. "It's a relief to be able to express my feelings, as big and sad as they are," she told me. "Putting a time limit on them also lets me pay attention to the rest of my life."
Find activities you can enjoy
Melissa knows she doesn't want to do anything that feels "holiday-ish," but there are other ways to keep busy and make sure she isn't spending all her time mourning. A few suggestions: going cross-country skiing, seeing a movie, or heading to a day spa for pampering.
Socialize on a small scale
In discussing her plans with me, Melissa realized that being with a big group made her feel lonely (and when she felt lonely, she ate more). She decided that it was best for her to be with one person at a time, so instead of making the party rounds, Melissa celebrated by having quiet dinners with close friends and family members. By paying attention to her own needs for contact, Melissa is able to feel her grief and honor her loss, but not become so swamped by sadness that she turns to food for solace.
For many years, I led 1-day holiday overeating workshops, listening to people talk about their fears and their joys during the season. I heard what triggered their descent into bingeing and what helped them out of it. Of course, these stories weren't really about food but about how we use it to temporarily help ourselves cope. After the food is gone, whatever causes you to overeat is still there. Food is only pleasurable, only delicious, only satisfying when you are hungry. In every other situation, something besides eating will comfort you and give you peace. Here are four holiday overeating triggers with strategies for surviving with your sanity--and waistline--intact.
Trigger: Going home makes you act like a child
Every time Zoe walks in the door of her mother's house, she stops being an adult and feels about 3 feet tall. "I'm a grown woman, happily married, yet after spending 5 minutes with my older brothers and parents, I feel like the dumb little girl with big buckteeth who always gets left out," Zoe told me. "Then I mindlessly eat anything I can get my hands on. Which is, unfortunately, a lot."
No matter how old you are, your relationships with your parents and siblings may seem like they're set in stone. You're always the nerdy one or the little sister or the "problem child." One way we deal with this is to try to tune out. Or we revert to childhood behaviors or indulge in adult comforts such as overeating.
Remind yourself that you're an adult
At your parents' house, bring along photos, letters, anything that reinforces your connection with your grown-up self. I suggested that Zoe bring a gift from a friend so she could have a concrete, physical object to look at when she felt she was regressing.
Spend time alone with your husband or a friend
Go for a walk or a drive. Sneak into a quiet room and shut the door--but do it with someone from your adult life. This will help keep you grounded in the present.
BYO fresh vegetables
Moms love to have our favorites waiting for us when we arrive home. In Zoe's case, that means piles of cookies, cakes, her mom's special vanilla fudge, and no vegetables--unless you count sweet potatoes with marshmallows. I recommended that she bring her own healthy foods with her. It isn't easy, but by having a plan and following through with it, you can stay securely in the present and avoid sliding into old patterns and old ways of eating.
Trigger: You feel vulnerable about your size
Joan dreaded her family's Christmas dinner because she'd gained nearly 20 pounds since she'd seen them all last year. "I know my Aunt Mary will say something about my weight," Joan explained, "and because she's mostly deaf, she'll do it at the top of her voice. I'll be absolutely mortified--and I'll eat everything that doesn't eat me first."
Joan's weight and her aunt's lack of a social filter are not the real issues. What is: Joan's self-worth is tied up in a number on a scale, a problem that many women share with her. When you or someone else defines you by your dress size, you start believing that if you're heavy, you must not be special, intelligent, or worth the space you take up. Before the visit, Joan was completely focused on her fears about what people would say and what her weight gain meant (i.e., that she'd always be fat, that she was doomed, unlovable, unforgivable). She needed to change her focus.
Understand that you're not what you weigh
The size of your body and your self-worth are simply not the same things. To break that association, you need to disregard the negative self-talk that's going on in your head.
Learn to recognize hunger cues--an empty feeling or rumbling in your stomach. As you become more aware of what your body is telling you, you'll be better able to eat only when you're hungry and stop when you've had enough. Eating then becomes a physical activity, not an emotional one.
Have a retort ready
On a very practical level, Joan had to decide how to respond to her aunt's barbs. She could say in a calm, even voice that she finds comments on her body size unhelpful. Or she could handle the situation with humor and say, "You think this is a weight gain? You should have seen what I looked like 2 months ago!"
Change the focus of the conversation
The least-confrontational and often best approach to fielding a hurtful comment is simply shifting the subject without going into any explanation. If Aunt Mary makes a crack about Joan's size, she could deflect it by immediately asking about her aunt's latest vacation. People love talking about themselves to a good listener.
Trigger: You're surrounded by tempting food
Before Christmas, Oona's office resembles the "big rock candy mountain." Last year she feared it would sink her diet efforts like a torpedo. "I was really taking care of myself," she told me. "I ate only when I was hungry and ate just what my body wanted. But when everyone else started eating treats, I felt incredibly deprived if I didn't join in." Oona also didn't want to seem rude by rejecting the food so lovingly prepared by her coworkers.
Sample only the special stuff
There's a big difference between eating homemade rugalach made by your office mate's Great-Grandmother Sadie and a box of store-bought Santa cookies with sprinkles. Eat what will give you the most satisfaction.
Listen to your body before, during, and after you eat
If a cookie looks good to you, ask yourself: Do I want it because I think it will curb my hunger or because I want to treat myself? If you really are hungry, then eat it. Enjoy the taste, the texture, and the whole experience of devouring it. But be sure to pay attention to how you feel 10 to 15 minutes afterward. If you're tired, spacey, or depressed, it wasn't really a treat, was it?
Oona realized that the holidays are always going to be a dance between tuning in to her body, its hunger, and its fullness and being part of the festivities of food around her. But now, she says, "I'm able to be more choosy about what I eat and also feel like part of the gang."
Trigger: You're supposed to be joyful…but you're not
Last year, Melissa's best friend was killed in a traffic accident right before Thanksgiving. Even though some time has passed, Melissa still doesn't feel much like celebrating. In fact, seasonal images of happy families make her cry--and eat, in an effort to bury her feelings, which seem so out of place in the face of all that "joy to the world."
It's not unusual to have what are called anniversary reactions around the time of a loss. Nor is it uncommon to feel blue during the holidays because of family dramas and societal pressures to be happy. In both cases, you experience a disconnect between what you think you should be feeling and what you actually feel. Despite your grief, there are a number of steps you can take to get through--and even find meaning in--the holidays.
Take time for tears
Losing someone you love is huge, and the feelings need to be honored and given space. I told Melissa that her job was to allow herself to feel the loss. She agreed to set a timer for 10 minutes, three times a day--and just lie on her bed and weep. "It's a relief to be able to express my feelings, as big and sad as they are," she told me. "Putting a time limit on them also lets me pay attention to the rest of my life."
Find activities you can enjoy
Melissa knows she doesn't want to do anything that feels "holiday-ish," but there are other ways to keep busy and make sure she isn't spending all her time mourning. A few suggestions: going cross-country skiing, seeing a movie, or heading to a day spa for pampering.
Socialize on a small scale
In discussing her plans with me, Melissa realized that being with a big group made her feel lonely (and when she felt lonely, she ate more). She decided that it was best for her to be with one person at a time, so instead of making the party rounds, Melissa celebrated by having quiet dinners with close friends and family members. By paying attention to her own needs for contact, Melissa is able to feel her grief and honor her loss, but not become so swamped by sadness that she turns to food for solace.
Obese Older Adults Develop More Disabilities, Study Shows
Here's yet another reason to maintain a healthy weight as you age: Obesity and disability are linked. Older adults who are obese develop more disabilities that interfere with daily living than older adults who are normal weight or slightly overweight, according to a new study.
For some types of disabilities, the risk among obese people is twice as great as among normal-weight people.
"It's not just that obese people have a higher risk [of these disabilities] than normal-weight people," says researcher Dawn Alley, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health and Society Scholars Program at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. "What is new about this research is that the risk is actually increasing in obese people over time."
Adults aged 60 and over who are slightly overweight did not have much of an increased risk of impairment, Alley says. But in those who were obese, the risk rose at a rate she considers "concerning." The more obese, the greater the risk, she found.
While previous research has suggested that the effect of obesity on disability remained constant over time, with disability rising in both the obese and the non-obese, the new study, published in the Nov. 7 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association, suggests otherwise.
Alley and co-researcher Virginia W. Chang, MD, PhD, looked at the association between obesity and disability by analyzing data from a large national survey at two different time points. They looked at the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys for 1988 to 1994 and for 1999 to 2004. In all, they evaluated the obesity-disability association for nearly 10,000 adults aged 60 and older.
Obesity became more common over time. While 23.5% of participants in the first survey were obese, 31.7% of those in the second survey were.
Participants were classified as having a functional limitation if they had much difficulty or an inability to perform any of six everyday activities. These included walking a quarter mile, walking up 10 steps without resting, lifting or carrying 10 pounds, walking between rooms on the same floor, standing up from an armless chair, and the actions of stooping, crouching, and kneeling.
They also evaluated each participant's limitations in activities of daily living and classified them as limited if they had much difficulty or couldn't perform any of three tasks: getting in and out of bed, dressing themselves, and eating.
"At time point 1, obese older people were only 50% more likely than normal-weight people to be functionally impaired," says Alley. "At time point 2, they were 98% more likely to be functionally impaired than normal-weight people."
"The risk of functional impairment among obese elderly increased 24% over time," she tells WebMD.
During the first survey, the risk of having a limitation in daily living activities wasn't significantly different between obese and normal-weight participants. But by the second survey, the risk of having such difficulty was twice as great for obese people.
Study Interpretations
The increases are concerning for a couple of reasons, Alley says.
"One is, it means obese people are experiencing more potentially preventable impairments," she tells WebMD. "Second is that it means in the future, if this trend continues, increasing obesity rates are likely to slow health improvements in the elderly," such as better cardiovascular health due to better treatment.
"The change over time [in increased disability] is what is really surprising," Alley says.
The more obese, the higher the disability risk, the researchers also found. They classified the obese people in three segments:
Those with a body mass index of BMI of 30 to 34.9
Those with a BMI of 35 to 39.9
Those with a BMI of 40 and above
A 5-foot 8-inch person who weighs 164 has a BMI of 24.9 (the top of the healthy range). A person the same height who weighs 197 has a BMI of 30; one who weights 263 has a BMI of 40.
More Obese People Becoming Disabled
"We've seen evidence for a while that obesity relates to disability," says Edward W. Gregg, PhD, an epidemiologist at the CDC's Division of Diabetes Translation, who co-authored an editorial to accompany the study. What the new study shows, however, is that more obese people are disabled than in the past.
That may be due, Gregg, Alley, and her co-researcher believe, to the fact that the people studied in the second time period have spent more years being obese than those studied in the first time period when obesity was not as common. In effect, the years of obesity have caught up with them.
That explanation makes sense to Roland Sturm, PhD, senior economist at the Rand Corp. in Santa Monica, Calif., who has published predictions about obesity causing more disability. "It's long been known than obesity has a lot do to with disability," he tells WebMD after reviewing the new study. "The new wrinkle here is, the effect of obesity on disability may have increased."
He adds: "The effects of obesity, just like the effects of smoking, only show up after a while."
For some types of disabilities, the risk among obese people is twice as great as among normal-weight people.
"It's not just that obese people have a higher risk [of these disabilities] than normal-weight people," says researcher Dawn Alley, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health and Society Scholars Program at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. "What is new about this research is that the risk is actually increasing in obese people over time."
Adults aged 60 and over who are slightly overweight did not have much of an increased risk of impairment, Alley says. But in those who were obese, the risk rose at a rate she considers "concerning." The more obese, the greater the risk, she found.
While previous research has suggested that the effect of obesity on disability remained constant over time, with disability rising in both the obese and the non-obese, the new study, published in the Nov. 7 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association, suggests otherwise.
Alley and co-researcher Virginia W. Chang, MD, PhD, looked at the association between obesity and disability by analyzing data from a large national survey at two different time points. They looked at the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys for 1988 to 1994 and for 1999 to 2004. In all, they evaluated the obesity-disability association for nearly 10,000 adults aged 60 and older.
Obesity became more common over time. While 23.5% of participants in the first survey were obese, 31.7% of those in the second survey were.
Participants were classified as having a functional limitation if they had much difficulty or an inability to perform any of six everyday activities. These included walking a quarter mile, walking up 10 steps without resting, lifting or carrying 10 pounds, walking between rooms on the same floor, standing up from an armless chair, and the actions of stooping, crouching, and kneeling.
They also evaluated each participant's limitations in activities of daily living and classified them as limited if they had much difficulty or couldn't perform any of three tasks: getting in and out of bed, dressing themselves, and eating.
"At time point 1, obese older people were only 50% more likely than normal-weight people to be functionally impaired," says Alley. "At time point 2, they were 98% more likely to be functionally impaired than normal-weight people."
"The risk of functional impairment among obese elderly increased 24% over time," she tells WebMD.
During the first survey, the risk of having a limitation in daily living activities wasn't significantly different between obese and normal-weight participants. But by the second survey, the risk of having such difficulty was twice as great for obese people.
Study Interpretations
The increases are concerning for a couple of reasons, Alley says.
"One is, it means obese people are experiencing more potentially preventable impairments," she tells WebMD. "Second is that it means in the future, if this trend continues, increasing obesity rates are likely to slow health improvements in the elderly," such as better cardiovascular health due to better treatment.
"The change over time [in increased disability] is what is really surprising," Alley says.
The more obese, the higher the disability risk, the researchers also found. They classified the obese people in three segments:
Those with a body mass index of BMI of 30 to 34.9
Those with a BMI of 35 to 39.9
Those with a BMI of 40 and above
A 5-foot 8-inch person who weighs 164 has a BMI of 24.9 (the top of the healthy range). A person the same height who weighs 197 has a BMI of 30; one who weights 263 has a BMI of 40.
More Obese People Becoming Disabled
"We've seen evidence for a while that obesity relates to disability," says Edward W. Gregg, PhD, an epidemiologist at the CDC's Division of Diabetes Translation, who co-authored an editorial to accompany the study. What the new study shows, however, is that more obese people are disabled than in the past.
That may be due, Gregg, Alley, and her co-researcher believe, to the fact that the people studied in the second time period have spent more years being obese than those studied in the first time period when obesity was not as common. In effect, the years of obesity have caught up with them.
That explanation makes sense to Roland Sturm, PhD, senior economist at the Rand Corp. in Santa Monica, Calif., who has published predictions about obesity causing more disability. "It's long been known than obesity has a lot do to with disability," he tells WebMD after reviewing the new study. "The new wrinkle here is, the effect of obesity on disability may have increased."
He adds: "The effects of obesity, just like the effects of smoking, only show up after a while."
Healthy ways to satisfy your sweets desire. Plus, recipes that are light on sugar, heavy on flavor.
Got a sweet tooth? Blame it on Mother Nature.
Babies are born with a preference for sweet tastes, most likely a survival impulse passed down through the ages. Breast milk, rich in fat and other nutrients necessary for fueling an infant's rapid growth, is mildly sweet. (So is infant formula.) This desire doesn't end in early childhood, however. Most people continue to love sugary fare, reinforcing their inborn craving.
Beyond enticing newborns to eat, sugar provides calories. Whether the sugar is from an apple or a candy bar, the body quickly converts it to glucose, a simple sugar found in the blood that helps energize your cells.
So why all the scorn for sugar? It could be the company it keeps. Most sweetened fare --- cookies, cakes, and candy --- is also high in fat and packed with calories that contribute to unhealthy weight gain. Even fat-free sugar-filled foods, such as jelly beans, provide little more than calories. Foods rich in natural sugars --- including fruit and certain vegetables such as peas and corn --- are better for you because they supply nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and fiber while satisfying your sweet tooth.
How much sugar is OK to eat? The World Health Organization suggests that healthy people limit added sugar intake to 10% of total daily calories. On a 2,000-calorie diet, that translates into a maximum 50 grams of added sugar a day (12 ounces of regular soda supplies 35 grams; one teaspoon of table sugar contains 4).
Your sugar allowance includes the added sweeteners in processed foods that don't seem sweet, including bread and cereal. Knowing your sugar allotment helps with label reading. You'll find that the sugar content (most often added sugar) of processed foods is listed under "carbohydrate" in the food label's Nutrition Facts panel.
Once you cut back on the sweet stuff, you may be able to get by with even less. Try these strategies for giving sugar the slip:
Make your own. Skip store-bought flavored yogurts in favor of mixing 8 ounces of plain low-fat yogurt with fruit, a teaspoon of low-sugar fruit preserves, honey, or molasses. Wean yourself and your child off higher-sugar brands by mixing low-sugar selections into the same size bowl. Aim for no more than 4 grams of sugar per serving of cereal.
Go whole. Indulge in whole-grain graham crackers and fig bars instead of store-bought chocolate chip and cream-filled sandwich cookies.
Use less. Use one-quarter to one-third less sugar in quick bread and muffin recipes.
Make the switch. Consider substituting artificial sweeteners for some sugar, but don't go overboard. Baked goods and candy with the likes of aspartame and sucralose are not calorie-free.
As those of you who consider dessert a primary food group know all too well, balancing healthy foods with a desire for sweets is challenging. The following recipes offer nutritious ways to get your sugar fix.
No-Cook Nut Butter Crunchies Makes 16 one-inch balls (8 servings)
A cross between candy and cookie, these crunchy delights serve up sweetness and heart-healthy fat.
1/2 cup smooth almond, peanut, or soy nut butter
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup nonfat powdered milk
2/3 cup crispy rice cereal
(such as Rice Krispies)
In a large bowl, blend together the nut butter, honey, and vanilla. Add the powdered milk and the cereal. Blend well. Form into balls.
Per serving (made with peanut butter): 197 calories, 7 g protein, 27 g carbohydrate, 8 g fat, 1.6 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 145 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 36%.
Blueberry Crisp Makes 12 servings
This recipe calls for just a half-cup of brown sugar for 12 servings. Rolled oats and wheat germ add the goodness of grains.
Filling:
5 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (don't thaw before using)
Topping:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup rolled oats, uncooked
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened but not melted
Preheat oven to 375? F. Place the fruit in a 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Combine the brown sugar, oats, wheat germ, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Cut in the margarine with a fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the top of the blueberries. Bake for 25 minutes or until the fruit is tender. Cool before serving.
Per serving (made with margarine): 152 calories, 3 g protein, 22 g carbohydrate, 7 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 3 g fiber, 68 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 41%.
Chocolate-Kissed Strawberries Makes 4 servings
Strawberries and dark chocolate supply disease-busting phytonutrients.
2 ounces 60% bittersweet chocolate
1 pint strawberries
Rinse fruit well. Do not remove stems. Blot dry with a paper towel and set aside. Melt chocolate in the top of a double boiler, stirring constantly. When chocolate has melted, remove top portion of the double boiler.
To coat strawberries, hold one at a time by the top and dip into chocolate. Coat completely except for stem area. Let cool.
Per serving (1/4 recipe): 123 calories, 2 g protein, 19 g carbohydrate, 5 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 1 mg cholesterol, 4 g fiber, 3 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 36 %.
Cherry Vanilla Smoothie Makes 2 servings
Fruit supplies natural sweetness and beneficial fiber and phytonutrients.
1 medium frozen banana
1/2 cup frozen sweet cherries
3/4 cup plain low fat yogurt
Sugar or artificial sweetener to taste, if desired
In a food processor or blender, process banana until smooth. Add cherries and yogurt. Process until well blended. Serve immediately.
Per serving (without added sugar or artificial sweetener): 155 calories, 5 g protein, 35 g carbohydrate, 2 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 4 mg cholesterol, 3 g fiber, 114 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 11%.
Babies are born with a preference for sweet tastes, most likely a survival impulse passed down through the ages. Breast milk, rich in fat and other nutrients necessary for fueling an infant's rapid growth, is mildly sweet. (So is infant formula.) This desire doesn't end in early childhood, however. Most people continue to love sugary fare, reinforcing their inborn craving.
Beyond enticing newborns to eat, sugar provides calories. Whether the sugar is from an apple or a candy bar, the body quickly converts it to glucose, a simple sugar found in the blood that helps energize your cells.
So why all the scorn for sugar? It could be the company it keeps. Most sweetened fare --- cookies, cakes, and candy --- is also high in fat and packed with calories that contribute to unhealthy weight gain. Even fat-free sugar-filled foods, such as jelly beans, provide little more than calories. Foods rich in natural sugars --- including fruit and certain vegetables such as peas and corn --- are better for you because they supply nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and fiber while satisfying your sweet tooth.
How much sugar is OK to eat? The World Health Organization suggests that healthy people limit added sugar intake to 10% of total daily calories. On a 2,000-calorie diet, that translates into a maximum 50 grams of added sugar a day (12 ounces of regular soda supplies 35 grams; one teaspoon of table sugar contains 4).
Your sugar allowance includes the added sweeteners in processed foods that don't seem sweet, including bread and cereal. Knowing your sugar allotment helps with label reading. You'll find that the sugar content (most often added sugar) of processed foods is listed under "carbohydrate" in the food label's Nutrition Facts panel.
Once you cut back on the sweet stuff, you may be able to get by with even less. Try these strategies for giving sugar the slip:
Make your own. Skip store-bought flavored yogurts in favor of mixing 8 ounces of plain low-fat yogurt with fruit, a teaspoon of low-sugar fruit preserves, honey, or molasses. Wean yourself and your child off higher-sugar brands by mixing low-sugar selections into the same size bowl. Aim for no more than 4 grams of sugar per serving of cereal.
Go whole. Indulge in whole-grain graham crackers and fig bars instead of store-bought chocolate chip and cream-filled sandwich cookies.
Use less. Use one-quarter to one-third less sugar in quick bread and muffin recipes.
Make the switch. Consider substituting artificial sweeteners for some sugar, but don't go overboard. Baked goods and candy with the likes of aspartame and sucralose are not calorie-free.
As those of you who consider dessert a primary food group know all too well, balancing healthy foods with a desire for sweets is challenging. The following recipes offer nutritious ways to get your sugar fix.
No-Cook Nut Butter Crunchies Makes 16 one-inch balls (8 servings)
A cross between candy and cookie, these crunchy delights serve up sweetness and heart-healthy fat.
1/2 cup smooth almond, peanut, or soy nut butter
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup nonfat powdered milk
2/3 cup crispy rice cereal
(such as Rice Krispies)
In a large bowl, blend together the nut butter, honey, and vanilla. Add the powdered milk and the cereal. Blend well. Form into balls.
Per serving (made with peanut butter): 197 calories, 7 g protein, 27 g carbohydrate, 8 g fat, 1.6 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 145 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 36%.
Blueberry Crisp Makes 12 servings
This recipe calls for just a half-cup of brown sugar for 12 servings. Rolled oats and wheat germ add the goodness of grains.
Filling:
5 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (don't thaw before using)
Topping:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup rolled oats, uncooked
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened but not melted
Preheat oven to 375? F. Place the fruit in a 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Combine the brown sugar, oats, wheat germ, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Cut in the margarine with a fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the top of the blueberries. Bake for 25 minutes or until the fruit is tender. Cool before serving.
Per serving (made with margarine): 152 calories, 3 g protein, 22 g carbohydrate, 7 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 3 g fiber, 68 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 41%.
Chocolate-Kissed Strawberries Makes 4 servings
Strawberries and dark chocolate supply disease-busting phytonutrients.
2 ounces 60% bittersweet chocolate
1 pint strawberries
Rinse fruit well. Do not remove stems. Blot dry with a paper towel and set aside. Melt chocolate in the top of a double boiler, stirring constantly. When chocolate has melted, remove top portion of the double boiler.
To coat strawberries, hold one at a time by the top and dip into chocolate. Coat completely except for stem area. Let cool.
Per serving (1/4 recipe): 123 calories, 2 g protein, 19 g carbohydrate, 5 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 1 mg cholesterol, 4 g fiber, 3 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 36 %.
Cherry Vanilla Smoothie Makes 2 servings
Fruit supplies natural sweetness and beneficial fiber and phytonutrients.
1 medium frozen banana
1/2 cup frozen sweet cherries
3/4 cup plain low fat yogurt
Sugar or artificial sweetener to taste, if desired
In a food processor or blender, process banana until smooth. Add cherries and yogurt. Process until well blended. Serve immediately.
Per serving (without added sugar or artificial sweetener): 155 calories, 5 g protein, 35 g carbohydrate, 2 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 4 mg cholesterol, 3 g fiber, 114 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 11%.
Lose 21 Pounds in 21 Days: The Martha's Vineyard Diet Detox
What It Is
Lose 21 Pounds in 21 Days: The Martha’s Vineyard Diet Detox is not a traditional diet, but a detoxification program designed both to "cleanse" the body and cause weight loss. Author Roni DeLuz, a registered nurse and naturopathic doctor (not to be confused with a medical doctor) says she created the liquid diet when she was trying to heal herself.Â
Dieters are supposed to cleanse their bodies by drinking liquids every two hours. They choose from a limited number of options including water, homemade soups, juices made from fruits and vegetables, and powdered antioxidant berry and green drinks available from the author’s web site.
In theory, once free of toxins, your body functions better and your metabolism soars so you can shed those extra pounds. According to the author, this "is not a so-called weight loss diet; it is a safe, 100% natural healthy detox that … allows you to safely lose 21 pounds in 21 days."Â
The Lose 21 Pounds in 21 Days plan is based on three principles: rest, reduce, and rebuild. "Rest comes from not chewing and ingesting nutrients in liquid form. Eliminating toxins, resting the body and engaging in elimination therapy, you cleanse and rebuild the body so it can shed weight," says DiLuz.
Dieters choose between a two-day weekend plan, a seven-day plan, or the full 21-day plan, all with a similar schedule of drinking every two hours. DiLuz recommends a 21-day detox yearly, a seven-day cleanup each calendar season, and a weekend detox each week.
Supplements including enzyme capsules, an herb cleansing formula, and aloe vera, as well as services like lymph drainage massages, cellulite treatment, liver flushes, kidney cleanses, body wraps, detoxifying baths, and weekly coffee enemas and colonics are part of the plan.
Exercise is included, as long as it can be tolerated and is approved by your doctor. But the recommended physical activity is limited to walking, yoga, a chi machine (a so-called "passive aerobic exerciser"), or jumping on a trampoline, which is encouraged for lymphatic draining to help your body "oxygenate," according to DiLuz.
After 21 days, dieters go off the detox plan carefully, because their cleaned bodies will "no longer tolerate processed and junk foods, which will cause weight gain," explains DiLuz. The author recommends slowly awakening the digestive system with a daily protein powder supplement along with vegetables, soy milk, 3-4 ounces of salmon, and 1 cup nonfat yogurt. More nutritious foods are then added. Nutritional supplements (green drinks, berry drink, and protein shakes) continue to be recommended in smaller doses.Â
What You Can Eat
Every two hours, you drink a designated liquid. And at the end of the day, you've consumed 40-48 ounces of water, 32-40 ounces of herbal tea, 16 ounces of vegetable-based soup, and 32 ounces of either a green drink made from vegetables, vegetable juice, or a berry drink.
The plan provides approximately 1,000 calories and about 20 grams of protein per day, depending on your choices," says American Dietetic Association spokeswoman Amy Jamieson-Petonic, MEd, RD.
There are plenty of fruits and vegetables on theLose 21 Pounds in 21 Days plan that are either juiced, pureed, cooked, or come in a powdered form. But there's very little else. Allowed foods include garlic, beans, carrots, cucumbers, celery, collard greens, kale, beets, sweet potatoes, summer squashes, most green vegetables, tomatoes, and purple cabbage.
Nutritionists are quick to point out that the Lose 21 Pounds in 21 Days plan is lacking in essential protein, fat, and fiber, which could be dangerous.
"Diet plans deficient in protein can lead to muscle wasting, and when you don’t ingest enough essential fatty acids from fat, you also risk compromising your immune function," says nutrition and fitness expert Pamela Peeke, MD.Â
This plan makes it almost impossible to go out to eat, unless you take along your drink. Be prepared to give up coffee, which experts point out can result in headaches. Alcohol is also on the extensive list of foods and beverages to avoid until the maintenance stage, and even then it is very limited.
How It Works
"When you're trying to lose weight, your body is not metabolizing or eliminating correctly, so if you put back natural nutrition into your body, you will lose weight," says the author. She blames the "toxins" in the foods and beverages we consume for causing us to be unhealthy and gain weight.
Liquid foods are recommended in the Lose 21 Pounds in 21 Days planbecause they allow rest from chewing and are better absorbed in the body.
Not so, says Peeke. There is no advantage to consuming foods in liquid form. In fact, it works against you. She says whole foods -- not pureed or juiced -- are the best form to eat.
"Your body needs whole foods to chew, digest, absorb to keep the gastrointestinal tract functioning well," Peeke says. "Every part of the intestine is designed to extract nutrients, so there is no advantage in liquefying them."
DiLuz thinks everyone needs to detox, and says that unless you have a medical condition, there are no consequences to the cleansing and detoxifying 21 day plan."
The Lose 21 Pounds in 21 Days plan would be difficult for anyone who is working or traveling to follow, Jamieson points out.
"It is unrealistic to follow the plan unless you are at home," says Jamieson. She also thinks it is expensive, with all the recommended treatments, supplements, and the need for a juicer not found in most home kitchens.
A 21-day program plus nine-day maintenance pack is available online for $199 from the author. The web site estimates that the plan costs around $12 per day, but does not indicate what that amount includes.
What the Experts Say
Yes, you can lose weight rapidly with Lose 21 Pounds in 21 Days: The Martha’s Vineyard Diet Detox. But experts say this is more likely a result of severe caloric restriction, rather than detoxification.
Peeke warns that this kind of 21-day detox can actually make you fatter in the end.
"You might lose weight because you are taking in so few calories, but most of the lost weight will be fluids and muscle," she says. "In the absence of adequate protein, your body has to get protein from some source, so it burns up its own muscle mass. And at the end of the fast, the dieter will weigh less -- but their body composition will be higher in fat and lower in muscle."
The principle of detoxification raises a red flag, says Michelle May, MD, author of Am I Hungry.
"The suggestion that we are filled with toxins creates fear that drives book and product sales," she says. "But in truth, our bodies naturally rid themselves of undesirable substances without any human intervention whatsoever."
Says Holly Wyatt, MD, an obesity expert with the University of Colorado: "If anything is important to weight loss, it is getting plenty of liquids and staying well hydrated so the liver and kidneys can function optimally, do their jobs, and rid the body of any toxins."
The detox diet is deficient in protein, fiber, essential fatty acids, fat-soluble vitamins, and certain minerals, experts say.
"The only positive thing to say about this plan is that it encourages plenty of fruits and vegetables, which most people don’t get enough of in their diets," says Jamieson-Petonic.
Experts agree there is no credible science to substantiate the claims this plan is built upon, such as the need for detoxification, lymphatic draining, liquid nutrition, and frequent bowel cleansing. There are no studies available to document that dieters will lose 21 pounds in 21 days. Instead, this claim is based on testimonials from the author’s clinic and her co-author’s personal experience.
Unless you have a problem associated with your lymph system, this system does not need any help. "If you are concerned about your lymph system, the best thing you can do is get plenty of exercise and drink lots of water -- but you don’t need to jump on trampolines or get lymphatic massages," says Peeke.
Another problem is that the Lose 21 Pounds in 21 Days plan is likely to leave you hungry. "When you drink most of your calories, you usually don’t get the same satiety value as eating solid foods. So dieters may feel very hungry on this plan," says Jamieson.
And what happens when the 21-day period is over? "When using enemas and fasting techniques, the fluids you lose come back almost immediately when you reintroduce food and stop the unusual behavior," says Wyatt.
Wyatt cautions that this plan could leave dieters feeling dizzy, dehydrated, and light-headed. This, she says, is the result of an inadequate diet -- not as a result of feeling sick as your body dumps toxic residues as the author explains.
Food for Thought
While the plan may sound like a scientific approach to weight loss, it lacks the fundamentals that dietitians, doctors, and health authorities know are essential for good health. Further, drinking excessive amounts of liquids that are inadequate in many needed nutrients, along with taking such measures as enemas and lymphatic draining, could be unsafe.
If you want to lose weight safely and naturally and keep it off, find a plan you can stick with long term -- one that includes regular physical activity and a well-balanced diet.
Lose 21 Pounds in 21 Days: The Martha’s Vineyard Diet Detox is not a traditional diet, but a detoxification program designed both to "cleanse" the body and cause weight loss. Author Roni DeLuz, a registered nurse and naturopathic doctor (not to be confused with a medical doctor) says she created the liquid diet when she was trying to heal herself.Â
Dieters are supposed to cleanse their bodies by drinking liquids every two hours. They choose from a limited number of options including water, homemade soups, juices made from fruits and vegetables, and powdered antioxidant berry and green drinks available from the author’s web site.
In theory, once free of toxins, your body functions better and your metabolism soars so you can shed those extra pounds. According to the author, this "is not a so-called weight loss diet; it is a safe, 100% natural healthy detox that … allows you to safely lose 21 pounds in 21 days."Â
The Lose 21 Pounds in 21 Days plan is based on three principles: rest, reduce, and rebuild. "Rest comes from not chewing and ingesting nutrients in liquid form. Eliminating toxins, resting the body and engaging in elimination therapy, you cleanse and rebuild the body so it can shed weight," says DiLuz.
Dieters choose between a two-day weekend plan, a seven-day plan, or the full 21-day plan, all with a similar schedule of drinking every two hours. DiLuz recommends a 21-day detox yearly, a seven-day cleanup each calendar season, and a weekend detox each week.
Supplements including enzyme capsules, an herb cleansing formula, and aloe vera, as well as services like lymph drainage massages, cellulite treatment, liver flushes, kidney cleanses, body wraps, detoxifying baths, and weekly coffee enemas and colonics are part of the plan.
Exercise is included, as long as it can be tolerated and is approved by your doctor. But the recommended physical activity is limited to walking, yoga, a chi machine (a so-called "passive aerobic exerciser"), or jumping on a trampoline, which is encouraged for lymphatic draining to help your body "oxygenate," according to DiLuz.
After 21 days, dieters go off the detox plan carefully, because their cleaned bodies will "no longer tolerate processed and junk foods, which will cause weight gain," explains DiLuz. The author recommends slowly awakening the digestive system with a daily protein powder supplement along with vegetables, soy milk, 3-4 ounces of salmon, and 1 cup nonfat yogurt. More nutritious foods are then added. Nutritional supplements (green drinks, berry drink, and protein shakes) continue to be recommended in smaller doses.Â
What You Can Eat
Every two hours, you drink a designated liquid. And at the end of the day, you've consumed 40-48 ounces of water, 32-40 ounces of herbal tea, 16 ounces of vegetable-based soup, and 32 ounces of either a green drink made from vegetables, vegetable juice, or a berry drink.
The plan provides approximately 1,000 calories and about 20 grams of protein per day, depending on your choices," says American Dietetic Association spokeswoman Amy Jamieson-Petonic, MEd, RD.
There are plenty of fruits and vegetables on theLose 21 Pounds in 21 Days plan that are either juiced, pureed, cooked, or come in a powdered form. But there's very little else. Allowed foods include garlic, beans, carrots, cucumbers, celery, collard greens, kale, beets, sweet potatoes, summer squashes, most green vegetables, tomatoes, and purple cabbage.
Nutritionists are quick to point out that the Lose 21 Pounds in 21 Days plan is lacking in essential protein, fat, and fiber, which could be dangerous.
"Diet plans deficient in protein can lead to muscle wasting, and when you don’t ingest enough essential fatty acids from fat, you also risk compromising your immune function," says nutrition and fitness expert Pamela Peeke, MD.Â
This plan makes it almost impossible to go out to eat, unless you take along your drink. Be prepared to give up coffee, which experts point out can result in headaches. Alcohol is also on the extensive list of foods and beverages to avoid until the maintenance stage, and even then it is very limited.
How It Works
"When you're trying to lose weight, your body is not metabolizing or eliminating correctly, so if you put back natural nutrition into your body, you will lose weight," says the author. She blames the "toxins" in the foods and beverages we consume for causing us to be unhealthy and gain weight.
Liquid foods are recommended in the Lose 21 Pounds in 21 Days planbecause they allow rest from chewing and are better absorbed in the body.
Not so, says Peeke. There is no advantage to consuming foods in liquid form. In fact, it works against you. She says whole foods -- not pureed or juiced -- are the best form to eat.
"Your body needs whole foods to chew, digest, absorb to keep the gastrointestinal tract functioning well," Peeke says. "Every part of the intestine is designed to extract nutrients, so there is no advantage in liquefying them."
DiLuz thinks everyone needs to detox, and says that unless you have a medical condition, there are no consequences to the cleansing and detoxifying 21 day plan."
The Lose 21 Pounds in 21 Days plan would be difficult for anyone who is working or traveling to follow, Jamieson points out.
"It is unrealistic to follow the plan unless you are at home," says Jamieson. She also thinks it is expensive, with all the recommended treatments, supplements, and the need for a juicer not found in most home kitchens.
A 21-day program plus nine-day maintenance pack is available online for $199 from the author. The web site estimates that the plan costs around $12 per day, but does not indicate what that amount includes.
What the Experts Say
Yes, you can lose weight rapidly with Lose 21 Pounds in 21 Days: The Martha’s Vineyard Diet Detox. But experts say this is more likely a result of severe caloric restriction, rather than detoxification.
Peeke warns that this kind of 21-day detox can actually make you fatter in the end.
"You might lose weight because you are taking in so few calories, but most of the lost weight will be fluids and muscle," she says. "In the absence of adequate protein, your body has to get protein from some source, so it burns up its own muscle mass. And at the end of the fast, the dieter will weigh less -- but their body composition will be higher in fat and lower in muscle."
The principle of detoxification raises a red flag, says Michelle May, MD, author of Am I Hungry.
"The suggestion that we are filled with toxins creates fear that drives book and product sales," she says. "But in truth, our bodies naturally rid themselves of undesirable substances without any human intervention whatsoever."
Says Holly Wyatt, MD, an obesity expert with the University of Colorado: "If anything is important to weight loss, it is getting plenty of liquids and staying well hydrated so the liver and kidneys can function optimally, do their jobs, and rid the body of any toxins."
The detox diet is deficient in protein, fiber, essential fatty acids, fat-soluble vitamins, and certain minerals, experts say.
"The only positive thing to say about this plan is that it encourages plenty of fruits and vegetables, which most people don’t get enough of in their diets," says Jamieson-Petonic.
Experts agree there is no credible science to substantiate the claims this plan is built upon, such as the need for detoxification, lymphatic draining, liquid nutrition, and frequent bowel cleansing. There are no studies available to document that dieters will lose 21 pounds in 21 days. Instead, this claim is based on testimonials from the author’s clinic and her co-author’s personal experience.
Unless you have a problem associated with your lymph system, this system does not need any help. "If you are concerned about your lymph system, the best thing you can do is get plenty of exercise and drink lots of water -- but you don’t need to jump on trampolines or get lymphatic massages," says Peeke.
Another problem is that the Lose 21 Pounds in 21 Days plan is likely to leave you hungry. "When you drink most of your calories, you usually don’t get the same satiety value as eating solid foods. So dieters may feel very hungry on this plan," says Jamieson.
And what happens when the 21-day period is over? "When using enemas and fasting techniques, the fluids you lose come back almost immediately when you reintroduce food and stop the unusual behavior," says Wyatt.
Wyatt cautions that this plan could leave dieters feeling dizzy, dehydrated, and light-headed. This, she says, is the result of an inadequate diet -- not as a result of feeling sick as your body dumps toxic residues as the author explains.
Food for Thought
While the plan may sound like a scientific approach to weight loss, it lacks the fundamentals that dietitians, doctors, and health authorities know are essential for good health. Further, drinking excessive amounts of liquids that are inadequate in many needed nutrients, along with taking such measures as enemas and lymphatic draining, could be unsafe.
If you want to lose weight safely and naturally and keep it off, find a plan you can stick with long term -- one that includes regular physical activity and a well-balanced diet.
10 Tricks to Avoid Halloween Candy Temptations
Halloween unofficially marks the beginning of the holiday feasting season. And for anyone trying to watch his or her weight, the scariest part of Halloween is not ghosts and goblins but the ever-abundant Halloween candy. Sugar and mostly empty calories is what you get in candy, and the truth is that most of us don’t exercise enough to warrant those extra calories.
Those cute little fun-size candy bars seem harmless -- and they are, if you can limit your consumption. But that's easier said than done.
"All it takes is an additional 100 calories a day or the equivalent of one snack-sized chocolate bar and most adults will experience weight creep before they even know it," says Lona Sandon, MEd, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.
When your cupboards are loaded with candy and the kids come home with bags full of even more treats, it's hard to resist. Many people try to lessen the temptation at home by bringing their extra candy into work, thus setting a high-calorie trap for their co-workers.
"Don’t get sucked into the 'see food diet' mentality that makes you want to eat the candy simply because you see it and not because you are hungry," says Brian Wansink, PhD, a Cornell researcher and author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think. "We eat more of visible foods because it causes us to think about it more, and every time you see the candy bowl you have to decide whether ... you want a piece of candy or not.
"Simply thinking of food can make you hungry, so when you see or smell something associated with food, like the shiny foil-wrapped Kisses, it can actually make you salivate."
But there are ways to keep your hands out of the candy jar so you can avoid packing on some extra pounds even before the holiday season starts. Here are 10 expert tips to help you avoid the temptation of Halloween goodies, at home and at the office.
Buy candy you don’t love. If the candy in your pantry is stuff kids like but that you don’t enjoy, it will be easier to resist opening those bags and diving in. For most of us, that means anything but chocolate. "Sour candy, gummy-textured [candies], hard candies and the others that are not chocolate are lower in fat and calories and typically not the candy we overeat," says Sandon.
Out of sight, out of mind. Ask your co-workers to keep their candy jars and bowls inside their desks or stashed in a cabinet in the break room so you won’t be tempted every time you see it. If they want to keep candy on their desks, ask them to use a colored container with a lid so you can’t see inside.
Savor one piece of your favorite candy a day. Decide what time of day you most relish the sweet stuff, and save your special treat for that time. Then sit back and slowly savor the taste sensation. "It is so easy to pop a piece of candy into your mouth mindlessly and not get the full enjoyment you would get if you saved it and ate it when you know you will enjoy it the most," says Sandon. Indulge your sweet tooth on occasion, because denying yourself completely could lead to an all-out binge.
Chew gum. Sugarless gum gives your mouth a burst of sweet sensation for very few calories. "Studies have shown that gum chewing can also help [you] relieve stress, mentally focus on tasks, satisfy a sweet tooth, overcome the urge to eat candy, and help manage hunger pangs to hold you over until your next meal," says Sandon.
Replace the candy with better choices. Make the see-food diet work in your favor by putting out a bowl of colorful fruit or veggies in place of the candy.
Move the candy jar. Wansink and colleagues have done studies on how frequently people eat candy when it is within reach, out of sight, or requires them to get up to reach the jar. "If you have to get up to get a piece of candy, it is not always worth the effort, whereas when the candy is convenient, consumption is higher," says Wansink.
Count the empty wrappers. It's so easy to pop fun-size candy bars into your mouth that you can lose track of how quickly the calories are adding up. "If you keep the wrappers on your desk, it will remind you of how many you ate and hopefully inspire you to exercise moderation and stop after one or two," says Sandon.
Take a walking break. Getting away from your desk for a breath of fresh air can invigorate you and help you get over the mid-morning or mid-afternoon slumps that are often mistaken for hunger.
Manage your hunger. Eat breakfast before coming to work and plan for a few healthy snacks along with a satisfying lunch. Your preplanned meals with keep you feeling satisfied and make you less likely to raid the candy bowl.
Sip on a low-calorie beverage. Keep your hands and mouth busy by drinking a zero-calorie cup of hot tea (rich with disease-fighting antioxidants) or big glass of water. And light hot chocolate can satisfy your sweet tooth for few calories than most fun-size chocolate bars.
Those cute little fun-size candy bars seem harmless -- and they are, if you can limit your consumption. But that's easier said than done.
"All it takes is an additional 100 calories a day or the equivalent of one snack-sized chocolate bar and most adults will experience weight creep before they even know it," says Lona Sandon, MEd, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.
When your cupboards are loaded with candy and the kids come home with bags full of even more treats, it's hard to resist. Many people try to lessen the temptation at home by bringing their extra candy into work, thus setting a high-calorie trap for their co-workers.
"Don’t get sucked into the 'see food diet' mentality that makes you want to eat the candy simply because you see it and not because you are hungry," says Brian Wansink, PhD, a Cornell researcher and author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think. "We eat more of visible foods because it causes us to think about it more, and every time you see the candy bowl you have to decide whether ... you want a piece of candy or not.
"Simply thinking of food can make you hungry, so when you see or smell something associated with food, like the shiny foil-wrapped Kisses, it can actually make you salivate."
But there are ways to keep your hands out of the candy jar so you can avoid packing on some extra pounds even before the holiday season starts. Here are 10 expert tips to help you avoid the temptation of Halloween goodies, at home and at the office.
Buy candy you don’t love. If the candy in your pantry is stuff kids like but that you don’t enjoy, it will be easier to resist opening those bags and diving in. For most of us, that means anything but chocolate. "Sour candy, gummy-textured [candies], hard candies and the others that are not chocolate are lower in fat and calories and typically not the candy we overeat," says Sandon.
Out of sight, out of mind. Ask your co-workers to keep their candy jars and bowls inside their desks or stashed in a cabinet in the break room so you won’t be tempted every time you see it. If they want to keep candy on their desks, ask them to use a colored container with a lid so you can’t see inside.
Savor one piece of your favorite candy a day. Decide what time of day you most relish the sweet stuff, and save your special treat for that time. Then sit back and slowly savor the taste sensation. "It is so easy to pop a piece of candy into your mouth mindlessly and not get the full enjoyment you would get if you saved it and ate it when you know you will enjoy it the most," says Sandon. Indulge your sweet tooth on occasion, because denying yourself completely could lead to an all-out binge.
Chew gum. Sugarless gum gives your mouth a burst of sweet sensation for very few calories. "Studies have shown that gum chewing can also help [you] relieve stress, mentally focus on tasks, satisfy a sweet tooth, overcome the urge to eat candy, and help manage hunger pangs to hold you over until your next meal," says Sandon.
Replace the candy with better choices. Make the see-food diet work in your favor by putting out a bowl of colorful fruit or veggies in place of the candy.
Move the candy jar. Wansink and colleagues have done studies on how frequently people eat candy when it is within reach, out of sight, or requires them to get up to reach the jar. "If you have to get up to get a piece of candy, it is not always worth the effort, whereas when the candy is convenient, consumption is higher," says Wansink.
Count the empty wrappers. It's so easy to pop fun-size candy bars into your mouth that you can lose track of how quickly the calories are adding up. "If you keep the wrappers on your desk, it will remind you of how many you ate and hopefully inspire you to exercise moderation and stop after one or two," says Sandon.
Take a walking break. Getting away from your desk for a breath of fresh air can invigorate you and help you get over the mid-morning or mid-afternoon slumps that are often mistaken for hunger.
Manage your hunger. Eat breakfast before coming to work and plan for a few healthy snacks along with a satisfying lunch. Your preplanned meals with keep you feeling satisfied and make you less likely to raid the candy bowl.
Sip on a low-calorie beverage. Keep your hands and mouth busy by drinking a zero-calorie cup of hot tea (rich with disease-fighting antioxidants) or big glass of water. And light hot chocolate can satisfy your sweet tooth for few calories than most fun-size chocolate bars.
6 Ways Diet Worsens Urinary Incontinence
While there is no formal "urinary incontinence diet," what you eat and drink can worsen your incontinence symptoms -- particularly if you have urge incontinence, also called overactive bladder.
Most doctors advise people with urinary incontinence to avoid certain foods and drinks in their diets. But doctors also acknowledge that the same foods and beverages that bother one person may not bother another person at all. It's important to personalize your urinary incontinence diet.
You can do that by trial-and-error: Eliminate the foods and beverages you suspect are causing problems, then reintroduce them one by one to see if you can tolerate small amounts.
Here are six common urinary incontinence diet culprits:
1. Excessive Water and Urinary Incontinence
If you don't drink enough water, you can get dehydrated. But if you have incontinence and drink large quantities, that could also pose difficulties, says Jennifer Anger, MD, MPH, a urologist and assistant professor of urology at the University of California Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine.
"Drinking the often recommended six to eight glasses of water a day could be a problem," she says. Eight 8-ounce glasses would total 64 ounces of fluids. She recommends limiting yourself to about a quart (32 ounces) or a quart and a half (48 ounces).
Managing fluids can help the symptoms of both stress and urge incontinence, says Amy Rosenman, MD, an assistant clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine.
Stress incontinence is when you leak a bit of urine when there's pressure on your bladder, such as when you cough or sneeze. Urge incontinence, also known as overactive bladder, is when you feel a sudden urge to urinate, and sometimes accidentally leak urine.
2. Alcoholic Beverages and Urinary Incontinence
If you have urge incontinence or mixed urinary incontinence (a combination of urge and stress), alcoholic beverages in your diet could be bad news, says Rosenman, the co-author of The Incontinence Solution.
"Alcohol has a direct effect on the bladder, reduces control and acts a bit as a diuretic so it causes dehydration," she says.
"Alcohol interferes neurologically with the control you have over your bladder," Rosenman tells WebMD. "It interferes with the neurological signals from the brain to the bladder [telling it when to go, when to hold urine, and so on]. If you have alcohol on board, there is less control over that signaling and you are more likely to have an accident."
While some people with urinary incontinence cut alcohol out of their diet altogether, some can tolerate small quantities, she says. "Cut back as much as you can," she advises. "Or eliminate alcohol for a couple weeks and then figure out how much you can tolerate [by re-introducing it gradually]," Rosenman says.
Rosenman remembers one patient who drank daily, despite incontinence problems. After Rosenman told her how alcohol affected her bladder control, the woman decided to abstain. "Her bladder got better," she says.
3. Caffeine and Urinary Incontinence
As you are figuring out your personalized urinary incontinence diet, know that caffeine is a kind of "double whammy" for those with incontinence. "Caffeine stimulates the bladder on one hand, and it also acts as a diuretic," says Rodney Appell, MD, a urologist and director of the Baylor Continence Center at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.
It's best, he says, to eliminate coffee and other caffeine sources completely from your diet when you have urinary incontinence.
Caffeine is in soft drinks, many teas, chocolate, and even -- in small amounts -- in decaf coffee.
But eliminating coffee (not to mention chocolate) can be difficult, Anger acknowledges. She tells her patients with urinary incontinence: "If you are a big coffee drinker, cut down to one or two cups a day."
Also, drink most of your coffee in the morning so you don't have to get up often at night to urinate. Avoid drinking coffee after 7 p.m. or so, Anger advises.
4. Spicy Foods and Urinary Incontinence
If you've got urge incontinence (overactive bladder), you may want to avoid in your diet spicy-hot foods such as Mexican or hot Chinese fare, chili peppers, chili, horseradish, and other highly spiced foods.
"In the same way caffeine can be an irritant, spicy foods are shown to be an irritant in the lining of the bladder," says Christine Gerbstadt, MD, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association and a nutrition consultant in Sarasota, Fla., and Philadelphia.
Again, figuring out what spicy foods make your symptoms worse requires trial and error, she says, until you come up with your tailor-made urinary incontinence diet.
5. Acidic Foods and Urinary Incontinence
If you have urinary incontinence, it's wise to avoid citrus foods, including orange juice, cranberry juice, and other citrus beverages, says Rosenman. Citrus foods and drinks are highly acidic and tend to irritate the bladder. Cranberry juice has a reputation for helping to clear up bladder infections, but it does not help with overactive bladder and urge incontinence, Rosenman says.
6. Carbonated Drinks and Urinary Incontinence
Even if carbonated drinks are not caffeinated, they may not have a place in your personalized urinary incontinence diet, Rosenman says.
"The carbon dioxide in the drink can irritate a sensitive bladder," she says. And once the irritation sets in, you can have the urge of having to go, the typical symptom of urge incontinence.
How to Talk About Urinary Incontinence
Bringing up urinary incontinence during a routine doctor's office visit can be embarrassing and difficult. But it's important to start the conversation.
Rosenman suggests the straightforward approach. Try saying something like: ''I'm having some problems with my bladder."
At that point, the doctor should begin asking you very specific questions, Rosenman says. He or she should ask, for instance, if you need to get up during the night to urinate, and if you leak and how often.
"If the doctor does not follow up with questions, ask for a referral," she says. You could ask to see another primary-care doctor, a gynecologist, or a urogynecologist -- a gynecologist with extra training in how to diagnose and treat bladder problems.
The Link Between Weight and Urinary Incontinence
Whatever your best personalized urinary incontinence diet, be aware that keeping your weight at a healthy level can help, too. Several studies have found that if you are overweight, weight loss -- even as little as 5% or 10% of your starting weight -- can help reduce the symptoms of both urinary stress incontinence and urge incontinence.
In one study of 40 women with urinary incontinence, women who lost on average 35 pounds reduced their incontinence episodes by 60%, compared to just 15% among women who did not lose weight, according to a report in The Journal of Urology.
Most doctors advise people with urinary incontinence to avoid certain foods and drinks in their diets. But doctors also acknowledge that the same foods and beverages that bother one person may not bother another person at all. It's important to personalize your urinary incontinence diet.
You can do that by trial-and-error: Eliminate the foods and beverages you suspect are causing problems, then reintroduce them one by one to see if you can tolerate small amounts.
Here are six common urinary incontinence diet culprits:
1. Excessive Water and Urinary Incontinence
If you don't drink enough water, you can get dehydrated. But if you have incontinence and drink large quantities, that could also pose difficulties, says Jennifer Anger, MD, MPH, a urologist and assistant professor of urology at the University of California Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine.
"Drinking the often recommended six to eight glasses of water a day could be a problem," she says. Eight 8-ounce glasses would total 64 ounces of fluids. She recommends limiting yourself to about a quart (32 ounces) or a quart and a half (48 ounces).
Managing fluids can help the symptoms of both stress and urge incontinence, says Amy Rosenman, MD, an assistant clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine.
Stress incontinence is when you leak a bit of urine when there's pressure on your bladder, such as when you cough or sneeze. Urge incontinence, also known as overactive bladder, is when you feel a sudden urge to urinate, and sometimes accidentally leak urine.
2. Alcoholic Beverages and Urinary Incontinence
If you have urge incontinence or mixed urinary incontinence (a combination of urge and stress), alcoholic beverages in your diet could be bad news, says Rosenman, the co-author of The Incontinence Solution.
"Alcohol has a direct effect on the bladder, reduces control and acts a bit as a diuretic so it causes dehydration," she says.
"Alcohol interferes neurologically with the control you have over your bladder," Rosenman tells WebMD. "It interferes with the neurological signals from the brain to the bladder [telling it when to go, when to hold urine, and so on]. If you have alcohol on board, there is less control over that signaling and you are more likely to have an accident."
While some people with urinary incontinence cut alcohol out of their diet altogether, some can tolerate small quantities, she says. "Cut back as much as you can," she advises. "Or eliminate alcohol for a couple weeks and then figure out how much you can tolerate [by re-introducing it gradually]," Rosenman says.
Rosenman remembers one patient who drank daily, despite incontinence problems. After Rosenman told her how alcohol affected her bladder control, the woman decided to abstain. "Her bladder got better," she says.
3. Caffeine and Urinary Incontinence
As you are figuring out your personalized urinary incontinence diet, know that caffeine is a kind of "double whammy" for those with incontinence. "Caffeine stimulates the bladder on one hand, and it also acts as a diuretic," says Rodney Appell, MD, a urologist and director of the Baylor Continence Center at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.
It's best, he says, to eliminate coffee and other caffeine sources completely from your diet when you have urinary incontinence.
Caffeine is in soft drinks, many teas, chocolate, and even -- in small amounts -- in decaf coffee.
But eliminating coffee (not to mention chocolate) can be difficult, Anger acknowledges. She tells her patients with urinary incontinence: "If you are a big coffee drinker, cut down to one or two cups a day."
Also, drink most of your coffee in the morning so you don't have to get up often at night to urinate. Avoid drinking coffee after 7 p.m. or so, Anger advises.
4. Spicy Foods and Urinary Incontinence
If you've got urge incontinence (overactive bladder), you may want to avoid in your diet spicy-hot foods such as Mexican or hot Chinese fare, chili peppers, chili, horseradish, and other highly spiced foods.
"In the same way caffeine can be an irritant, spicy foods are shown to be an irritant in the lining of the bladder," says Christine Gerbstadt, MD, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association and a nutrition consultant in Sarasota, Fla., and Philadelphia.
Again, figuring out what spicy foods make your symptoms worse requires trial and error, she says, until you come up with your tailor-made urinary incontinence diet.
5. Acidic Foods and Urinary Incontinence
If you have urinary incontinence, it's wise to avoid citrus foods, including orange juice, cranberry juice, and other citrus beverages, says Rosenman. Citrus foods and drinks are highly acidic and tend to irritate the bladder. Cranberry juice has a reputation for helping to clear up bladder infections, but it does not help with overactive bladder and urge incontinence, Rosenman says.
6. Carbonated Drinks and Urinary Incontinence
Even if carbonated drinks are not caffeinated, they may not have a place in your personalized urinary incontinence diet, Rosenman says.
"The carbon dioxide in the drink can irritate a sensitive bladder," she says. And once the irritation sets in, you can have the urge of having to go, the typical symptom of urge incontinence.
How to Talk About Urinary Incontinence
Bringing up urinary incontinence during a routine doctor's office visit can be embarrassing and difficult. But it's important to start the conversation.
Rosenman suggests the straightforward approach. Try saying something like: ''I'm having some problems with my bladder."
At that point, the doctor should begin asking you very specific questions, Rosenman says. He or she should ask, for instance, if you need to get up during the night to urinate, and if you leak and how often.
"If the doctor does not follow up with questions, ask for a referral," she says. You could ask to see another primary-care doctor, a gynecologist, or a urogynecologist -- a gynecologist with extra training in how to diagnose and treat bladder problems.
The Link Between Weight and Urinary Incontinence
Whatever your best personalized urinary incontinence diet, be aware that keeping your weight at a healthy level can help, too. Several studies have found that if you are overweight, weight loss -- even as little as 5% or 10% of your starting weight -- can help reduce the symptoms of both urinary stress incontinence and urge incontinence.
In one study of 40 women with urinary incontinence, women who lost on average 35 pounds reduced their incontinence episodes by 60%, compared to just 15% among women who did not lose weight, according to a report in The Journal of Urology.
7 Quick and Healthy Lunch Solutions
The American lunch “hour” has shrunk to just 25 minutes, according to a recent study. With less time than ever it’s all too easy to turn to fast food or the vending machine when you’re away from home. Bringing along your own provisions to school or work or anytime you’re on the go is a good way to make sure you get a healthy midday snack or meal. These recipes take a few minutes to assemble the night before or in the morning. Pack them for portability , preferably with a cold freezer pack.
Each recipe makes 1 serving.
Zesty Bean Dip & Chips
Stirring salsa into versatile canned refried beans makes a quick and healthy bean dip. It also works well as a sandwich spread with your favorite vegetables and a sprinkle of cheese.
Active time: 5 minutes | Total: 5 minutes
1/4 cup fat-free canned refried beans
1 tablespoon salsa
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 minced scallion (optional)
1 ounce tortilla chips (about 10)
Combine refried beans, salsa, cilantro and scallion (if using) in a bowl. Serve with tortilla chips.
Makes 1 serving.
Per serving: 210 calories; 6 g fat (1 g sat, 2 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 32 g carbohydrate; 7 g protein; 5 g fiber; 418 mg sodium; 73 potassium.
2 Carbohydrate Servings
Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 fat
BBQ Chicken Sandwich
Toss leftover cooked chicken with barbecue sauce and crunchy carrots for a quick and healthy lunch.
Active time: 10 minutes | Total: 10 minutes | To make ahead:
1/2 cup shredded cooked chicken
1/4 cup shredded carrots
2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
2 teaspoons light ranch dressing
1 small whole-wheat sandwich bun
1 leaf romaine lettuce
Combine chicken, carrots and barbecue sauce in a bowl. Spread ranch dressing on the bun. Top with the chicken mixture and lettuce.
Makes 1 serving.
Per serving: 323 calories; 8 g fat (1 g sat, 2 g mono); 62 mg cholesterol; 38 g carbohydrate; 26 g protein; 4 g fiber; 729 mg sodium; 456 potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Vitamin A (100% daily value), Selenium (56% dv).
2 1/2 Carbohydrate Servings
Exchanges: 2 1/2 starch, 3 very lean meat, 1 1/2 fruit
Each recipe makes 1 serving.
Zesty Bean Dip & Chips
Stirring salsa into versatile canned refried beans makes a quick and healthy bean dip. It also works well as a sandwich spread with your favorite vegetables and a sprinkle of cheese.
Active time: 5 minutes | Total: 5 minutes
1/4 cup fat-free canned refried beans
1 tablespoon salsa
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 minced scallion (optional)
1 ounce tortilla chips (about 10)
Combine refried beans, salsa, cilantro and scallion (if using) in a bowl. Serve with tortilla chips.
Makes 1 serving.
Per serving: 210 calories; 6 g fat (1 g sat, 2 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 32 g carbohydrate; 7 g protein; 5 g fiber; 418 mg sodium; 73 potassium.
2 Carbohydrate Servings
Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 fat
BBQ Chicken Sandwich
Toss leftover cooked chicken with barbecue sauce and crunchy carrots for a quick and healthy lunch.
Active time: 10 minutes | Total: 10 minutes | To make ahead:
1/2 cup shredded cooked chicken
1/4 cup shredded carrots
2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
2 teaspoons light ranch dressing
1 small whole-wheat sandwich bun
1 leaf romaine lettuce
Combine chicken, carrots and barbecue sauce in a bowl. Spread ranch dressing on the bun. Top with the chicken mixture and lettuce.
Makes 1 serving.
Per serving: 323 calories; 8 g fat (1 g sat, 2 g mono); 62 mg cholesterol; 38 g carbohydrate; 26 g protein; 4 g fiber; 729 mg sodium; 456 potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Vitamin A (100% daily value), Selenium (56% dv).
2 1/2 Carbohydrate Servings
Exchanges: 2 1/2 starch, 3 very lean meat, 1 1/2 fruit
Save 3,000 Calories this Month
Gaining weight into your 30s, 40s, and beyond isn’t inevitable. The secret? Cut out or burn off an additional 100 calories a day. Use our favorite tricks, and you’ll save 3,000 calories this month. That’s more than enough to help you keep your youthful figure.
Supersimple calorie slashers
Top 1 cup of apple slices, instead of 8 crackers, with cheese. Save 100 calories.
Choose a fresh spring roll instead of a fried egg roll. Save 100 calories.
Eat chocolate sorbet instead of chocolate ice cream. Save 140 calories per 1/2 cup.
Skip the crust on apple pie. Save 100 calories.
Swap pepperoni on your pizza for veggies like fresh tomatoes and peppers. Save 100 calories per 2 slices.
Choose steamed shrimp over fried. Save 122 calories per 3 ounces.
Make your sandwich open-faced (use only 1 slice of bread). Save 100 calories.
Leave blue cheese off your salad. Save 110 calories per 3-tablespoon serving.
Substitute 1/2 cup steamed veggies for 1/2 cup noodles in a pasta dish. Save 100 calories.
Use a 6-inch flour tortilla instead of a 10-inch one on your next burrito. Save 120 calories.
Skip the tortilla and put your filling on lettuce. Save 100 calories.
Eat a whole-wheat English muffin at breakfast instead of a bagel. Save 150 calories.
Top pancakes with 1/4 cup apple-sauce sprinkled with cinnamon instead of syrup. Save 180 calories.
Top ice cream with 1/2 cup fresh berries instead of 2 tablespoons strawberry syrup. Save 168 calories.
Leave 10 French fries on your plate. Save 100 calories.
Split a Krispy Kreme doughnut with a friend. Save 100 calories.
No-sweat calorie burners*
*Based on a 150-pound woman
Embrace your inner schoolgirl by jumping rope for 10 minutes. Burn 100 calories.
Tend your garden for 25 minutes. Burn 103 calories.
Schedule a 20-minute walk date with a buddy. Burn 102 calories.
Crank up the tunes and shake your groove thing for 20 minutes. Burn 100 calories.
Give your partner a 22-minute massage. Burn 103 calories.
Do your nails or knit while watching your favorite hour-long TV show. Burn 102 calories.
Spend 60 minutes typing e-mails to your friends. Burn 100 calories.
Write a letter to a friend by hand for 50 minutes. Burn 100 calories.
Push around a grocery cart for 40 minutes. Burn 103 calories.
Shoot pool or play darts for 35 minutes. Burn 100 calories.
Play fetch with your dog for 35 minutes. Burn 100 calories.
Do a little house-cleaning. Burn 107 calories.
Play a 35-minute round of putt-putt golf. Burn 180 calories.
Supersimple calorie slashers
Top 1 cup of apple slices, instead of 8 crackers, with cheese. Save 100 calories.
Choose a fresh spring roll instead of a fried egg roll. Save 100 calories.
Eat chocolate sorbet instead of chocolate ice cream. Save 140 calories per 1/2 cup.
Skip the crust on apple pie. Save 100 calories.
Swap pepperoni on your pizza for veggies like fresh tomatoes and peppers. Save 100 calories per 2 slices.
Choose steamed shrimp over fried. Save 122 calories per 3 ounces.
Make your sandwich open-faced (use only 1 slice of bread). Save 100 calories.
Leave blue cheese off your salad. Save 110 calories per 3-tablespoon serving.
Substitute 1/2 cup steamed veggies for 1/2 cup noodles in a pasta dish. Save 100 calories.
Use a 6-inch flour tortilla instead of a 10-inch one on your next burrito. Save 120 calories.
Skip the tortilla and put your filling on lettuce. Save 100 calories.
Eat a whole-wheat English muffin at breakfast instead of a bagel. Save 150 calories.
Top pancakes with 1/4 cup apple-sauce sprinkled with cinnamon instead of syrup. Save 180 calories.
Top ice cream with 1/2 cup fresh berries instead of 2 tablespoons strawberry syrup. Save 168 calories.
Leave 10 French fries on your plate. Save 100 calories.
Split a Krispy Kreme doughnut with a friend. Save 100 calories.
No-sweat calorie burners*
*Based on a 150-pound woman
Embrace your inner schoolgirl by jumping rope for 10 minutes. Burn 100 calories.
Tend your garden for 25 minutes. Burn 103 calories.
Schedule a 20-minute walk date with a buddy. Burn 102 calories.
Crank up the tunes and shake your groove thing for 20 minutes. Burn 100 calories.
Give your partner a 22-minute massage. Burn 103 calories.
Do your nails or knit while watching your favorite hour-long TV show. Burn 102 calories.
Spend 60 minutes typing e-mails to your friends. Burn 100 calories.
Write a letter to a friend by hand for 50 minutes. Burn 100 calories.
Push around a grocery cart for 40 minutes. Burn 103 calories.
Shoot pool or play darts for 35 minutes. Burn 100 calories.
Play fetch with your dog for 35 minutes. Burn 100 calories.
Do a little house-cleaning. Burn 107 calories.
Play a 35-minute round of putt-putt golf. Burn 180 calories.
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