Q: I love your column. I’m a 53-year-old woman with a 52-year-old husband. Here’s the rub. I am always having to watch my weight. I’m naturally, by birth, chubby. My husband is naturally, by birth, skinny. I feel guilty when I try to cook “lite.” I always try to cook healthy meals but I can’t deny him food to put “meat on his bones” and he really packs the food away. He has a metabolism that I could only dream of but I try so hard not to be fat. As it is, I only eat half of what he eats, get plenty of exercise, but don’t work outside the home. He walks a lot at his job and doesn’t exercise. I’m 167 pounds at 5’4” and stopped smoking 2 ½ years ago. (I’ve actually lost 20 pounds). He’s 5’9”, 135 pounds, and that is what he was 17 years ago when we got married. He still smokes. We try to eat together, so short of eating separate meals, is there a diet you can suggest?
A: Yes, there is. But first, let me state that we all process foods differently, depending on what food choices we make. The speed at which a body metabolizes food into glucose partially determines how long we will be satisfied or satiated following a meal. Those foods that metabolize quickly often leave a person hungry following a meal. The measure used is referred to as the glycemic index. Foods with a high glycemic index (such as carbohydrates that many of us indulge in) take less time to digest. If an individual were to partake in strenuous exercise regularly, consuming high glycemic index foods will be of benefit because they produce rapid increases in blood glucose and provide energy. On the downside, consuming high glycemic index foods can increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease and obesity.
This all boils down to making healthy food choices with a low glycemic index that will help control your appetite and slow the onset of hunger. Choices might include fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, whole grains, soy products, beans and legumes. White bread has a high glycemic index while breads with whole grains metabolize slowly. Sweet fruits metabolize faster than do tart fruits, so munching on an apple, pear, strawberries or an orange will provide satisfaction, while cherries, bananas or grapes metabolize faster and will send you to the refrigerator for more food to satisfy the hunger. We cannot spend our days memorizing which foods metabolize slow or fast. While simplistic in its presentation, perhaps a simple thought process is that the more natural a food is, the slower it is likely to metabolize. Whole wheat pasta, brown rice, quinoa, nuts, and oats are good choices to consider.
It takes the body between 24 and 72 hours to metabolize a meal, depending on the food choices made, the age of the individual, and one’s body structure. Overeating excess calories consumed may be stored as fat rather quickly, yet protein, low-cal carbohydrates and minimal fat may result in a decrease of body fat within as little as 24 hours. We should all remember, however, that while metabolism has an influence on the body’s energy needs, the food, liquids and exercise regimen we indulge in will determine a person’s weight. While it is true that eating fewer calories than we burn should result in weight loss, there must also be a consideration of the caloric load, and metabolism may be genetically determined.
Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Diet book that contains more than 60 recipes was written to help readers learn a simple and inexpensive way to lose weight steadily and consistently. Avoid products that contain flour or sugar which should result in a reduction in caloric intake and weight loss that is slow and steady. Readers who are interested in learning more can order his “Introduction to the No Flour, No Sugar Diet” by sending a self-addressed, stamped number 10 envelope and a $2 US check or money order to Peter H. Gott, MD Health Report, PO Box 433, Lakeville, CT 06039. Be sure to mention the title or print an order form from www.AskDrGottMD.com. A more complete guide is his “No Flour, No Sugar Diet book that is available through the PO Box listed above for $10 which includes postage and handling, as well.
