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Moderate weight loss has
'profound'
effect on health
HOUSTON -- (March 14, 2003) -- People don't need to lose
much weight to have a huge impact on their cardiovascular health, according to a recent study by a Baylor College of Medicine
professor. The study showed that modest weight loss greatly
reduced the risk factors associated with the metabolic syndrome, a little-known phrase for a common disorder that includes
a clustering of abnormalities such as elevated blood pressure, high fasting glucose, high triglycerides, low HDL and a large
waist circumference. "Moderate weight loss has a profound
benefit for people who have the metabolic syndrome," said Dr. Christie Ballantyne, director of Baylor's Center for
Cardiovascular Disease Prevention. "Metabolic syndrome is closely related to higher incidence of heart disease, stroke
and insulin resistance." The syndrome is very common, Ballantyne
said, with 40 percent of people over 50 and nearly one-third of all people between 40 and 50 having three or more of those
abnormalities. "The good news is people don't have
to lose all the weight they'd like to in order to make a big difference," he said. "Our study showed that many
of the people who just reduced their body weight by 7 to 10 percent brought their levels back to normal after only a month." Another study demonstrated that by walking only 130 minutes per week and losing
only 5 to 7 percent of their body weight, patients prevented the development of diabetes by almost 60 percent. Ballantyne recommends everyone over the age of 20 get their lipid profile and blood
pressure numbers checked. "If you do find you have the
metabolic syndrome, you still have a tremendous opportunity to change the situation through lifestyle modification, diet and
exercise," he said. "The health benefits of weight loss can be achieved without dropping nearly as many pounds as
someone might want to lose cosmetically."
http://www.bcm.edu
Baylor College of Medicine
Diet :Lessons
From Personal Experience
by Warren E. Berkley
For almost two months, Paula and I have been on a diet in an effort to
lower my cholesterol and improve our overall health. We've lost a few pounds, we feel better and I trust my cholesterol
is going down. But aside from these obvious benefits, I've learned some things that have spiritual implications.
AVAILABILITY. If some good tasting (fat, sweet, dripping)
food is available, it is so hard to resist it. But when I walk into the kitchen around noon time, and there's nothing
there but salad material and fruit, that's what I eat. If, alongside the lettuce, there is pizza or a cheeseburger, the
tendency is to rationalize and go ahead with the high fat stuff. Likewise, in our efforts to resist sin - if the opportunity
is all around us, it is harder. We should do everything we can to avoid temptation, for it should be our desire to refrain
from anything that would displease the Father. "And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one,"
(Matt. 6:13).
VICTORY, from day to day. Especially
those first days, it was a real struggle. During the first week of our diet, every television commercial was about food; I
mean, GREAT looking food, just begging to be eaten. Yet, each day of victory seemed to give us strength for the next day.
It is the same in being a disciple and defeating sin. Each time you push the devil out of your way to serve the Lord, that
victory prepares you for the next assault. It is a daily struggle against the devil, but each day of victory gives us the
strength for the next day. "I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked one...," (1 Jno. 2:13).
CHANGING YOUR HABITS. A good diet involves a permanent
change in your eating habits, and when those old (unhealthy habits) are changed, you develop a taste for the good stuff. I
have discovered that low-fat and low-cholesterol food can actually taste good and now I even prefer it! You would think, after
several weeks of low-fat food, you would crave a licentious trip to Golden Coral or MacDonald's. Not so. You seem to reach
a point, in changing your eating habits, where the low-fat stuff becomes your preference and a cheeseburger dipped in gravy
makes you sick! 'Therefore, laying aside all malice, all guile, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes,
desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you
may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious," (1 Pet. 2:1-3).
MAKE NO PROVISION
...and make not provision for the flesh, to
fulfil the lusts thereof.
(Romans 13:14)
by Cindy Granke
In
the past I’ve started a diet numerous times, with all good intentions to avoid foods which are high in calorie and fat
content. I made two serious mistakes. The first error was to buy those items for the rest of the family. The second was to
allow myself just one, teeny-tiny splurge, and have just a few potato chips, a few pieces of dark chocolate, or just one sugared
soft drink.
What I did not
tell you is that I sometimes tend to be a weak dieter, when confronted with certain things. When I brought those items into
the house and didn’t take the initiative to put them out of sight, I inadvertently set myself up to fail. By allowing
myself to indulge in the pleasure of tasting these forbidden foods, I greatly weakened my self-control. Just having
them in the house presented a tremendous temptation for me. But leaving them in sight or in the front of the cupboard
I had made cheating on my diet easy for myself. No, I didn’t make my family diet when I dieted, but I did request
my family’s help by asking them to eat those items somewhere other than in my presence. I have to say that they
were very cooperative. My children are all grown and it’s just my husband and I at home now. I’ve
overcome many of those “bad-for-me” cravings over the years, but I still have a few that present problems for
me. Once I had given in, it was oh, so easy to do it again, and again. Needless to say, I failed miserably at dieting.
I consoled myself by saying things like, "I can't help myself," and "I might as well accept it, I just
can't lose weight!" Sound familiar? You may have experienced similar frustrations.
Those of you who know me, know that I have fought the battle of the
bulge for the last twenty years. It seemed to escalate after I was thrust into instant menopause at age 36, with the
assistance of a complete hysterectomy. Nope. Not blaming my weight problems on estrogen, but those of us who begin
estrogen replacement therapy find ourselves facing a few more challenges in our relationship with the scales.
Those who live with chronic illness or physical disability have their own set of challenges with the numbers on those dreaded
scales, but that’s another article. But most of us recognize that the problem is due to our own lack of
exercising self control in our eating habits and physical activity. It is not that we cannot resist temptation. Paul
tells us that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Phil. 4:13).
Over the past year my own challenge took another turn when I was diagnosed
with type II diabetes. I’ve learned to enjoy food and drinks made with Splenda, and many of those old cravings
are no longer a problem for me. . . . except Hershey’s dark chocolate! If my husband brings home a bag of dark
chocolate candy I can almost hear it calling my name. He usually does a good job of keeping it in a safe-from-Cindy
place. However this time of the year there are so many other scrumptious goodies waiting just inside the grocery
store, beckoning me with the same guile that Satan used when he tempted Eve in Genesis 3:1-6. “What harm
can buying one pecan pie do?” “A few of these cookies will satisfy your craving and you won’t
need any more.” Been there! Done that! Some of you probably have, too.
The problems come when we do not exercise the
strength that God gives us. It is a matter of resolve, and deliberately staying away from that which tempts us.
This
illustration may sound silly to some of you, and it’s embarrassing to me, but one of the most difficult things for me
to give up was Pepsi-Cola. It took years before I finally realized that I was allowing an inanimate object – a
2-liter bottle of carbonated calories and sugar, of all things – to dominate me, and Satan was probably laughing at
me. Think about it. How humiliating, to admit I was worse than Eve. I took the “bait” every
time I passed by it on a shelf, knowing that it was a major player in making it difficult for me to control my other snack
habits. What’s a Pepsi-Cola without potato chips or cookies? Of course there were other culprits that I
allowed to control me. Strawberry ice cream, for one. However, conquering one enemy makes it easier to conquer
the next. After I admitted to myself that I couldn’t, or wouldn’t pass by Pepsi Colas without buying them
in the store, I made up my mind I wouldn’t even go down the drink aisle. I did fine for a while, but then they
started putting the culprit on the end of an aisle when it was on sale. That caused a hiccup in my resolve, at first,
but I prayed for help in passing it by. If you are laughing, then you don’t understand how hard it is for those
of us who are overweight to overcome the things that Satan throws at us. By praying for courage, I knew that the Lord
would help me, but I knew that I had to do my part. I had to walk on by, turn my eyes toward other things, or simply
walk down another aisle before reaching that dreadful display.
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man;
but God is faithful, who will
not allow you to be tempted beyond
what you are able, but with the temptation will also make
the way of escape,
that you may be able to bear it.
1 Corinthians 10:13
I don’t like to call
my weaknesses addictions. I prefer thinking of them as habits that I’ve acquired which I can change, or break
if I make up my mind to do what it takes. Therein lies the rub. I’m not saying long-time habits are easy
to break. I’m just saying that it can be done if I make the commitment and ask the Lord to help me when temptation
arises. Remember that Satan uses hunger in his efforts to cause people to sin. When Jesus had been fasting for
forty days, Satan used his hunger to tempt Him to sin (Matthew 4:1-4). Jesus quoted Scripture to resist (verse
4). Satan doesn’t give up easily and continued to tempt Him, but each time Jesus quoted Scripture, finally telling
him to go away and leave Him alone (verse 10).
For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize
with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as
we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly
to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy
and
find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:15-16
This time of year brings many temptations
to all of us who are trying to lose weight, or who have health issues which depend on food choices. We already know
that we are at our most vulnerable when we are hungry. From Thanksgiving through the first of the year, we spend
more time gathering with friends and loved ones. Therefore, we must diligently avoid stumbling blocks, and be even more
careful not to provide our own opportunities to fail (Romans 13:14).
Losing Weight - From the Inside Out
Excerpts from an article
by Dr. Nick Yphantides
who lost 270 lbs by changing his thinking
 Change the way you see before you change the way you look. Begin your permanent weight loss journey by changing the way you
see. Change your looks by changing your outlook. Recognize that your physical health is a spiritual issue.
 Slash your calories by eating for the right reasons. Why we eat is more important than what we eat. That's a radical
idea, a paradigm shift in gaining and maintaining our personal health. Those who lose weight by merely focusing on what they
eat usually gain it back. Traditional diets don't work because their focus is the stomach. For most of us who have issues
with weight, the more important focus is our mind and heart. Fit people eat to fill their stomachs. Fat people eat to fill
their souls. Fit people eat to live. Fat people live to eat. Give both your worries and eating habits to God. When you eat,
ask: Why am I eating? Is my stomach hungry or is my soul empty? If it's your stomach, eat. If it's your soul, seek
support and pray. As 1 Peter 5:7 says, "Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about what happens to you."
 Fill your tank with the right amount of the right foods. "All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered
by anything. Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is
not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body" (1 Cor. 6:12-13) You can eat anything, but that doesn't
mean you should eat anything. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians, "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable."
Just because you're allowed to eat anything doesn't mean that it's good for your body to do so.
100 Painless Ways to Cut
100 or More Calories
"Losing weight can be as simple as cutting out
a meatball here and an egg roll there." ~~Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D.
REACHING YOUR FAT-LOSS GOALS may be
easier than you think. To lose a pound of fat a month, all you need to do is cut 100 calories a day from your diet, assuming
the intake and expenditure of all other calories remains the same. That's because a pound of body fat is equivalent to
about 3,500 calories. So if you cut 100 calories a day for 31 days, you're cutting 3,100 calories--or about a pound.
Wait...a pound a month? Isn't that a little slow? Well, mounds of research indicate that you're more likely
to keep weight off if you lose it slowly. Besides, losing a pound a month doesn't require drastic changes in your eating
habits. It can be as simple as eating two egg rolls with your Chinese stir-fry instead of three. Here are 100 painless ways
to cut 100 or more calories a day. As a bonus, they all reduce fat or sugar, which means, calorie for calorie, you're
getting more vitamins and minerals.
1. Spread 1 tablespoon of all-fruit jam on your toast rather than 1 1/2 tablespoons
of butter.
2. Replace 1 cup of whole milk with 1/2 cup of nonfat milk.
3. Eat 2 poached eggs instead
of 2 fried eggs.
4. Replace 1/2 cup of granola with 2 cups of Cheerios.
5. Instead of using whole
milk and eggs to prepare 2 slices of French toast, use nonfat milk and egg whites.
6. Snack on an orange and a
banana instead of a Snickers candy bar.
7. Munch on 35 pretzel sticks instead of 1 ounce of dry-roasted peanuts.
8. Replace 1 cup of sweetened applesauce with 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce.
9. On your lamb-and-vegetable
kabob, replace 2 of the 4 chunks of meat with fresh whole mushrooms.
10. Dip an artichoke in 1 tablespoon of low-fat
mayonnaise instead of 1 1/2 tablespoons of regular mayonnaise.
11. Steam your asparagus rather than sauté
it in 1 tablespoon of butter or oil.
12. Instead of a 5-ounce glass of wine, opt for cherry-flavored sparkling
water.
13. For a chewy snack, have 1/2 cup of dried fruit rather than 9 caramels.
14. Replace 3 slices
of bacon with 3 slices of Light & Lean Canadian bacon.
15. Eat a Lender's egg bagel instead of a Sara
Lee egg bagel.
16. Select 1 cup of home-style baked beans instead of an equal serving of baked beans with franks.
17. Replace 2 biscuits with 2 dinner rolls.
18. When making a sandwich, use 2 slices of Roman Light
7-grain bread instead of Pepperidge Farm wheat bread.
19. Eat 1/2 cup of steamed fresh broccoli instead of 1/2
cup of frozen broccoli in cheese sauce.
20. Make a burrito with 1/2 cup of fat-free refried beans and 1 ounce
of nonfat cheese instead of the same amount of traditional refried beans and cheese.
21. Replace an apple muffin
with a high-fiber English muffin.
22. Reduce a typical serving of chocolate cake (1/8 of a two-layer cake) by
one-third.
23. Switch from 1 cup of whole-milk hot chocolate to 1 cup of steamed 1% milk flavored with a dash
of almond extract.
24. Replace 1 cup of caramel-coated popcorn with 2 1/2 cups of air-popped popcorn.
25. Switch from 1/2 cup of yogurt-covered raisins to 1/2 cup of plain raisins.
26. Snack on 1 cup of nonfat
plain yogurt instead of 1 cup of custard-style yogurt.
27. Top your celery sticks with 2 tablespoons of fat-free
cream cheese instead of 3 tablespoons of regular cream cheese.
28. Replace 2 fried-chicken drumsticks with 2 roasted
drumsticks and a cup of peas and carrots.
29. Instead of eating 5 chocolate-chip cookies, savor the taste of 2.
30. Lighten your 2 cups of coffee with 2 tablespoons of evaporated nonfat milk instead of 2 tablespoons of half-and-half.
31. Replace a 12-ounce can of cola with a 12-ounce can of diet cola.
32. Thicken your cream sauce
with 1 percent milk and corn starch instead of a roux of butter and flour.
33. At the appetizer tray, choose 4
fresh raw mushrooms instead of 4 batter-fried mushrooms.
34. Use 2 tablespoons of fat-free sour cream instead
of regular sour cream (on baked potatoes or in stroganoff). If done twice in the day, 100 calories will be cut.
35. Reduce the size of your steak from 4 1/2 ounces to 3 ounces.
36. Grill a cheese sandwich with nonstick cooking
spray instead of margarine.
37. Replace 1 cup of chocolate ice cream with 2/3 cup of nonfat chocolate frozen yogurt.
38. Snack on 2 ounces of oven-baked potato chips instead of regular potato chips.
39. Instead of topping
your salad with an ounce of croutons, get your crunch from 1/4 cup of chopped celery.
40. Instead of 1 cup of
macaroni salad, eat 3 1/2 cups of spinach salad with 2 tablespoons of low-calorie dressing.
41. Cut the peanut
butter on your sandwich from 2 tablespoons to 1 tablespoon.
42. Serve your turkey with 1/4 cup of cranberry sauce
instead of 1/2 cup.
43. Order a sandwich on cracked wheat bread instead of a croissant.
44. Complement
your hamburger with 1 1/4 ounces of oven-baked tortilla chips instead of a side of fries.
45. Split an apple Danish
with a friend rather than eat the entire thing.
46. Order 2 slices of cheese pizza instead of 2 slices of pepperoni
pizza.
47. Grab a Dole Fresh Lites Cherry frozen fruit bar instead of a Sunkist Coconut frozen fruit bar.
48. Snack on 1/2 cup of fruit cocktail canned in water instead of 1 cup of fruit cocktail canned in heavy syrup.
49. Switch from 1 cup of fruit punch to 1 cup of sparkling water flavored with 2 teaspoons of concentrated orange
juice.
50. Instead of eating garlic bread made with butter, spread baked garlic cloves on French bread.
51. Rather than snack on 1 cup of grapefruit canned in syrup, peel and section 1 small grapefruit.
52. Dip your
chips in 1/2 cup of salsa instead of 1/2 cup of guacamole.
53. Switch from 1/2 cup of Frusen Gladje butter pecan
ice cream to Breyers butter pecan ice cream.
54. Use 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise in your tuna salad instead of
2 tablespoons.
55. Hold the tartar sauce on your fish sandwich, and squeeze lemon on it instead.
56.
Replace 3 fish sticks with 3 ounces of grilled halibut.
57. In sandwich spreads or salads, use 3 teaspoons of
dijonnaise instead of 4 teaspoons of mayonnaise.
58. Use 2 tablespoons of light pancake syrup instead of 2 tablespoons
of regular syrup.
59. Top your pasta with 1 cup of marinara sauce instead of 1/2 cup of alfredo sauce.
60. For each serving of pasta salad you make, reduce the oil or mayonnaise by 1 tablespoon.
61. Replace 1/2
cup of peaches canned in extra-heavy syrup with 1/2 cup of peaches canned in water.
62. Prepare 1/2 cup of steamed
peas and cauliflower instead of frozen peas and cauliflower in cream sauce.
63. Cut back on sampling during cooking.
The following "tastes" have 100 calories: 4 tablespoons of beef stroganoff, 3 tablespoons of homemade chocolate
pudding, 2 tablespoons of chocolate-chip cookie dough.
64. At an Italian restaurant, snack on a large breadstick
instead of a slice of garlic bread.
65. Eat a 3/4-cup serving of pudding made with skim milk rather than a 1-cup
serving of pudding made with whole milk.
66. Choose 1/2 cup of brown rice instead of 1 serving of frozen rice
pilaf with green beans or 1 serving of frozen Oriental rice and vegetables.
67. Compliment your sandwich with
3/4 cup of split-pea soup instead of 1 cup of chunky bean and ham soup.
68. Replace 3 tablespoons of strawberry
topping on your ice cream with 3/4 pint of fresh strawberries.
69. Pass on the second helping of mashed potatoes.
70. Eat 3 grilled prawns with cocktail sauce instead of 3 breaded and fried prawns.
71. Make a pie
crust with 1 cup of Grape-Nuts cereal, 1/4 cup of concentrated apple juice and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon, instead of using
a traditional graham-cracker crust. You'll save 100 calories per slice.
72. Replace 8 sticks of regular chewing
gum with sugar-free chewing gum.
73. Snack on a papaya instead of a bag of M&Ms.
74. Substitute
3 ounces of scallops for 3 ounce of lean beef in your stir-fry.
75. Rather than spread 4 tablespoons of cream
cheese on two slices of raisin bread, dip the bread in 1/2 cup nonfat apple-cinnamon yogurt.
76. Munch on 1 cup
of frozen grapes instead of an ice cream sandwich.
77. Rather than drink a strawberry milkshake, make a smoothie
of 2/3 cup of low-fat milk, 1/2 cup of strawberries and 1/2 a banana.
78. Replace 2 brownies with 2 fig bars.
79. Eat 2 meatballs instead of 4 with your spaghetti.
80. On a hot day, quench your thirst with a
glass of ice water with lemon or mint instead of a can of light beer.
81. Eat 1/2 cup of black beans instead of
3 ounces of roast beef.
82. Replace 1 1/2 tablespoons of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spread with 1
1/2 tablespoons of Nucoa Smart Beat margarine.
83. Choose 1 serving of vegetarian lasagna instead of lasagna with
meat.
84. Eat 2 Kellogg's Nutri-Grain bars instead of 2 Kellogg's Pop-Tarts.
85. Drizzle 3
tablespoons of low-calorie French dressing on your salad instead of 2 tablespoons of blue cheese dressing.
86.
Replace 1 large flour tortilla with 1 six-inch corn tortilla.
87. Eat a turkey sandwich instead of a chicken salad
sandwich.
88. Choose 4 1/2 ounces of tuna packed in water instead of 4 1/2 ounces of tuna packed in oil.
89. At Burger King, have a Whopper Jr. Sandwich with regular fries instead of a Whopper With Cheese Sandwich.
90. Order your Quarter Pounder without cheese.
91. At Jack in the Box, eat a regular taco instead of a super
taco.
92. Fix 1 cup of turkey chili with beans rather than regular chili with no beans.
93. Use 1
cup of fat-free cottage cheese instead of regular cottage cheese.
94. Order a sandwich with barbecued chicken
instead of barbecued pork.
95. Replace 1 cup of corn with 1 cup of carrots.
96. Reduce your helping
of turkey stuffing from 1 cup to 2/3 cup.
97. Have a single scoop of ice cream instead of a double scoop.
98. Replace 2 ounces of corn chips with 2 ounces of SnackWell's wheat crackers.
99. Eat 1 hot dog
at the baseball game instead of 2.
100. Shred 2 ounces of fat-free cheddar cheese on nachos instead of regular
cheddar.
Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D., is a nutritionist in private practice and editor of the Nutrition Report.
Her latest book is Nutrition for Women: The Complete Guide (New York: Henry Holt & Co., 1993).
♦ Living
with a chronic illness is quite an education. I have learned so much about diet, exercise and resting. Each year
that goes by I become so much more informed that I'm sure I could publish a book. Things that have helped me the
most are changes in my diet, lite exercise, and daily napping. These are essential every day. Just think how healthy
we are in our illness by following these rules that all should set out for but we are lucky enough that they are mandatory.
I am much improved by making and sticking to all these changes. Process of elimination can help all of us with
what life style changes we must make for ourselves. Never knew that healthy cooking could taste so good. That's
because we forgot what pizza, ice cream and onion rings really are. Do they even make these things still? --Billie
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