Avoid Those Dieting
Blues
By Heidi Krier
Now that spring break has ended, many of
us are coming back to school with a tan and a tired body. Why so tired after a week of
relaxation? The cause could be some "post-party blues" or the lingering effects
of a pre-spring break diet. |
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Your friends
tell you how great you look, especially with the radiating glow from your new tan. The
problem is you don't feel beautiful despite all your efforts to look great.
These days, we get a lot of mixed messages about health
and beauty. The media portrays women as healthy if they are thin and have a "healthy
glow" to them, yet we all know the damage sun can have on our skin. But did you know
that it is healthier to be overweight than underweight? Research indicates that is
actually healthier to be 30% overweight than 30% underweight.
Many of today's popular dieting techniques, such as
chronic diets, yo-yo diets and crash diets are very dangerous to the body and can lead to
a number of physiological and psychological effects. For example, dieting can lead to
increased risk of heart disease, restriction of brainpower, thinning hair and loss of
coordination. The dieting industry claims these diets give you the healthy body you have
always dreamed. Their tactic seems to be working because an estimated $33 billion dollars
each year is spent in the U.S. on gimmicks that just don't work.
Dieting Myths Versus Dieting Facts
Dieting actually does the opposite of what you want your
body to do. Going on a calorie restricted diet slows down your metabolism and sets the
body into a starvation mode. When this happens, the body tends to store incoming calories
as fat and may even use your muscle as an energy source. Furthermore, people can not
sustain the low restriction of calories for long periods of time and either gain the
weight back or are in danger of developing an eating disorder. According to E.D.A.P.
(eating disorders awareness and prevention), 95% of people on these types of diets gain
the weight back, most within one to five years. Diets can also rob us of energy and
restrict our brain power - two things that are essential in being a successful college
student! Diets that restrict eating of whole food groups (i.e. the protein diet) can also
harm the body. These diets lack the nutrients and carbohydrates that are the ain
ingredients needed for our body to produce energy.
How can YOU stay healthy?
Many of you may be asking whether there is any way to lose
unwanted pounds or to keep the weight off in a healthy way. Well, there are a number of
ways to keep your body at healthy weight for you, which may be above the standard you or
the media has set. There are some healthy alternatives to the ill-fated world of diet
fads, and they could be helpful in achieving your goals. It is important to remember we
are all destined to be different sizes, however. Just because you are larger than someone
else does not mean you are less healthy than they are.
Healthy tips for weight loss and maintenance
- Learn to love your body and set reasonable
goals.
- Choose food from all food groups (if
vegetarian follow vegetarian food guide pyramid) that provides adequate calcium, iron and
protein.
- Diets that balance calories in with energy
expended are easier to stick with and maintain long term.
- Moderation is the key to any healthy
lifestyle. Any food is okay as long as it is eaten in moderation. Exercise should also be
in moderation as well; overdoing it can cause burnout or injury.
- Don't skip meals. Your body needs a steady
supply of energy and skipping meals can cause you to overeat later.
- Exercise regularly-let your body be your
guide. Start out slow and ease into a workout regimen. You should feel good after you have
worked out and you should feel the benefits in more than just weight loss.
- Try not to lose more than one to two
pounds a week.
- For information on what is a healthy
weight for you, talk with a nutritionist to help you stay on track. The University of
Oregon's nutritionist, Kristen Olmos, can help you create a regimen that is good for you.
Contact her at 346-2794.
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