New Year, New You

by Molly M. Ginty

Whatever stage of life you’re in, and whether you’re physically fit or living with chronic illness, you can find ways to be a wise steward of your health and well-being. Our health and wholeness are important keys to responding to God’s call for us and acting boldly on that call. That’s why Women of the ELCA have embarked on a new health initiative: Raising up Healthy Women and Girls. This ongoing column represents our commitment to the issue of women’s health.

Whatever stage of life you’re in, and whether you’re physically fit or living with chronic illness, you can find ways to be a wise steward of your health and well–being. Our health and wholeness are important keys to responding to God’s call for us and acting boldly on that call. That’s why Women of the ELCA have embarked on a new health initiative for the 2005–2008 triennium: Raising Up Healthy Women and Girls. This ongoing column represents our commitment to the issue of women’s health.

You pledged to behave through the holidays. Then came the Christmas cake. You had hoped to shed the extra pounds by the New Year. But a dizzying array of diet plans — from Atkins to the Zone — left you baffled about where to begin.

You may be tempted to try a fad diet — as tempted as you were by that third slice of pumpkin pie. But health experts caution that the $42 billion diet industry may be only sugar–coating its claims.

In 2004, a University of Washington study found that "yo–yo dieting" can damage a woman’s immune system, and a University of California at Berkeley study revealed that women who diet repeatedly are likely to end up obese. Last January, a University of Pennsylvania review found that commercial weight loss programs don’t work. And last June, a review from the University of South Florida College of Medicine found that diet drugs are "ineffective" if used alone without lifestyle changes.

With 62 percent of women age 20 to 74 overweight, and about half of these obese, health advocates are urging women to drop pills and fad diets and instead follow weight–loss plans that actually work.

Research shows that being overweight boosts a woman’s risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, infertility, osteoarthritis, and breast cancer. "For the sake of our health, we must start choosing apples over apple pie," says Madelyn Fernstrom, director of the Weight Management Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

How can you shed the holiday fat and keep it off for good?

Physicians say one healthy option is to follow the new dietary guidelines from the Washington based Department of Health and Human Services. Issued a year ago, these recommendations (found at www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines) are the first government–issued guidelines to stress weight loss. They urge Americans to eat nine servings of fruits and vegetables daily (versus the five previously recommended) and to get 60 to 90 minutes of moderate exercise (versus the 30 minutes recommended before).

"If you’re trying to shed pounds by modifying your food intake, it helps to not only follow these guidelines, but to also know a few numbers," says John Foreyt, M.D., director of the Behavioral Medicine Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. "In order to maintain your current weight, you need to consume 10 calories per pound of weight each day. If you weigh 150 pounds, for instance, you need 1,500 calories a day to stay there. If you eat less, you’ll start losing weight. And it’s healthiest to lose it slowly. If you consume 3,500 fewer calories per week or 500 fewer per day, you can lose a pound each week — which is safer on your body than going on any crash diet."

With 60 to 90 minutes of exercise per day, you can also make slow, steady changes. "You can get the exercise you need in parts, by taking a series of brisk walks or swimming for short stretches," says Foreyt. "You can also look at your lifestyle for ways to be more active. That could mean walking up the stairs instead of taking the elevator or parking at the far end of the lot and walking."

A note of caution to diet and gym junkies: Even if you did overdo it at Christmas, there may be no need for you to make changes. It may be true that obesity is the seventh leading cause of preventable death in the United States. But it’s also true that mainstream culture is spreading dangerous messages about body size. Glossy magazines peddle razor–thinness, airlines charge heavy customers for two seats instead of one, and three popular television shows (Fat Actress, The Biggest Loser, and Flab to Fab) mock people who are overweight. As a result, say health advocates, many American women fear they are fat or that their weight is a problem when that is not the case.

To check how your weight really stacks up, you can gauge your body mass index (a measure of weight relative to height) by clicking on http://nhlbisupport.com/bmi. Having a BMI above 18.5 and below 25 is generally considered normal. But this varies from person to person and depends on your bone structure, age, and health history. Check with your doctor if you’re concerned about your BMI or are considering a weight–loss plan. And always remember to care for your body regardless of its shape and size.

"Whether you’re heavy or thin, real health doesn’t come from conforming to society’s standards of acceptable body size," says Connie Sobczak, founder of The Body Positive, a health advocacy organization in Berkeley, California. "Real health comes from eating a variety of well-balanced foods and stopping when you’re full. It comes from exercising for the joy of it and from letting your body’s wisdom guide you."

Molly M. Ginty lives in New York. Her work has appeared in Ms., Marie Claire, Redbook, and Women’s eNews.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: American Obesity Association: www.obesity.org

The Body Positive: www.thebodypositive.org

Article published in Lutheran Woman Today, January/February 2006