Q: I began your diet in March 2010. By Christmas of that year I had achieved my goal of 56 pounds lost. I no longer need meds for diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol. My doctor is thrilled and so am I! I am maintaining my weight very easily and still follow the No Flour, No Sugar rule.
I just wanted to share my success story and tell you how grateful I am to you. My husband and I read your column faithfully.
A: Thank you and I’m glad you have had success with the No Flour No Sugar diet program. As I am sure you have discovered, diets are difficult. They are demanding. They are frustrating, and that’s not half the story. The last thing any man or woman needs to deal with is the fact that no matter how hard he or she may try, the weight doesn’t come off easily, nor does it stay off in many instances. Weight is lost, it is gained back, lost again, and so forth; these individuals are resigned to this pattern for the indefinite future. Being obese and being overweight are not the same. Those individuals diagnosed as being obese have too much body fat, while being overweight implies a person weighs too much. Both utilize specific definitions that consider a person’s height and weight to determine a person’s BMI (body mass index). .
Family history may play a role, as can poor eating habits. If our parents are overweight, we may run the risk of following suit – regardless of how little we eat or how much we exercise. Children may have a tendency to become obese if they patronize fast food restaurants regularly. As we age and become adults, we accept the perceived realization that our parents and family members may be overweight so we will be, also. And, what a downer this is to our egos. We tend to wear baggy clothing to hide those extra pounds, make friends with other individuals who are overweight, feeling that thin individuals simply don’t understand what we are going through. And, they may be right.
Beyond having poor self esteem, there is the consideration for overall health. When we carry extra pounds, we set ourselves up for such medical conditions as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, asthma, obstructive sleep apnea, stroke, hypertension, elevated cholesterol levels, and more – all conditions that have been found to reduce a person’s life expectancy. For those individuals who carry extra pounds, losing 5 or 10 percent of a person’s body weight can at least delay if not prevent some diseases and disorders. Sound impossible? Well, for an individual who weighs 200 pounds, a loss of 10 or 20 pounds – and keeping it off – can be extremely rewarding and is possible. Countless studies have determined that obesity is one of the leading, preventable causes of death not only in our country, but worldwide.
A Forbes article from 2009 revealed more than one third of all adults in this country were obese. What is more astonishing is the cost in medical care – some $152 billion reported. The key is to stick with your diet and not become a statistic. Because of your diligence, you have eliminated medications that were once necessary. Congratulations. Be proud of your weight loss and more important, know you are doing everything you can to maintain good health.
