Drop the bagel and slowly walk away ma'am
The next in our series of lecture wrap ups will be about Diet, Exercise, and Weight Control After 50. This section concentrates on Baby Boomers, but we can all learn something from these tidbits. Here are some highlights.
-"People who are fat simple eat more than people who are lean." Dr. David Kessler, author of The End of Overeating
-Obesity is being linked more and more to cancer
-It is much easier to try to eat for health rather than for weight loss
-Muscle doesn't jiggle
-The World Health Organization (WHO) found that 75% are overweight and obese (based on Body Mass Index-BMI)
-Of those, there are a greater percentage of obese than overweight for the first time in history
-Why do Boomers gain weight? Testosterone decline (men), Inactivity, stress, "Empty Nest Syndrome", the "Baby Boomer Boomerang", Early retirement, eating out, alcohol abuse
-Women reach peak body mass in their late 50's early 60's
-WHO says obesity is the number 1 health issue in the world
-Behaviors are the main reason we are overweight
-Some rules to follow: don't buy food where you buy gas, eat at the dinner table as much as possible, no drive thrus, before you go back for seconds set a 20 minute timer. If you are still hungry after 20 minutes you can have seconds.
-Men tend to reach peak body mass in their late 50's
-Men get into a vicious cycle of testosterone. Weight gain causes testosterone levels to drop, lowered testosterone cause more weight gain
-58% of obese men have low testosterone levels
-High intensity exercise is effective at increasing testosterone levels
The "Old school" approach to fat loss for baby boomers consisted of: long duration, mild intensity cardio work; mild to moderate strength training; caloric restriction and consumption of "diet" food
-21st Century approach: high intensity, shorter duration strength and cardio sessions; changing eating behaviors; portion control
-Exercisers don't gain weight on steroids (not THOSE steroids) like sedentary people do
-Eating is a health issue, not a morality issue
-You are not "bad" when you eat unhealthy and you're not Mother Theresa because you had blueberries for breakfast
-Enjoy your food, just eat less of it
-People do no enjoy food like they used to
-Know what a serving size is, you are probably exceeding it (A single serving of wine is 4 ounces. I've seen the wine glasses that are out there, many of them are closer to 20 ounces)
-Pour 4 ounces of water into your wine glass and mark where a single serving is (Cry at how little that really is)
-Visit ChooseMyPlate.gov
-People who live to be in their 100's have two things in common. Moderation and optimism
-Why do we overeat? We are hardwired to eat as much as we can; we seek out sugar, fat, and salt; sugar and salt were traditionally hard to come by; now they are EVERYWHERE
-70% of overweight and obese people are "emotional eaters"
-Find an alternative to each emotion that causes you to overeat
-Call a friend just to talk, get a pedicure, get out of the house, just do something that breaks the cycle of your emotional eating.
-There is no guarantee you will start losing weight right away
-My sister (the lecturer's sister) took exactly 1 year of strict, healthy eating before she lost a SINGLE pound
-She has now dropped 30 pounds total
-You HAVE to keep eating healthy. The only alternative is to give up. If nothing else you will be much, much healthier
- Some healthy eating habits: pay more, eat less; cook your food; eat meals not snacks all day; eat at a table; don't eat alone (tend to eat more); eat slowly
-Some tips for healthy eating at home: cook enough for 1 portion each person; if you are cooking enough for the week, get the food you are eating that night out and immediately pack the rest up; don't sample while cooking dinner; if you have trouble with sampling, put in a toothpick or chew gum; serve from the stove, not the table; don't clean your kids plates for them, throw it out
-There is something called Recession Induced Obesity where people gain weight during hard economic times
-The fast food $.99 options increase during bad economic times
-Tufts University (the Mecca of nutrition research) found that if a person eats out ONE time during the week they will have trouble maintaining their weight
-The average American eats out NINE times a week
-In 2009 Americans spent more money on meals outside the home, than inside the home
-20% of all food is consumed in the car
-People who eat out consume on average: 300 more calories; 19 more grams of fat; 400 mg of sodium than they would at home