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Do Something Fun

You have tried the diets. You have lost the weight. You have regained the weight. You are convinced that the only thing keeping you from reaching your target weight is a lack of “discipline” or “willpower.” Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig will work better because you have a support group and a regular meeting. Save yourself the money, time, and hassle because I want to share a secret with you.

Diets Don’t Work!

Low Fat, Low Carb, Good Fat/Good Carb, Portion Control, Points, Grapefruit, Fen-Phen, and all the rest may cut pounds for a short time, but are no good for keeping weight off. Worse, all of them work on our insecurities. Weight is not a sign of health. We all know people who smoke to stay thin, others who can stay thin on a diet of Krispy Kremes, Frosties, French fries, and Whoppers with no exercise. On the other hand, children whose parents are obese have an 80 percent likelihood of being obese themselves.

For all the obsession about obesity, as Mary Kate Olsen’s recent publicity has made clear, the shadow of anorexia still haunts too many women. Few people want or try to be fat, overweight, or obese, but millions of us are trying every day to get thinner. A number of studies have shown the dangers of losing weight and gaining it back. Others indicate that dieters often gain back more than they lost. Dieting alone can often weaken bones and muscles, including the heart, making it more taxing for the body to carry the weight when it does return.

Given the lack of success and the potential health problems of dieting, and our common sense that tells us people come in all shapes and sizes, why do health experts focus on BMI (body-mass index) charts, first created for a life insurance company not health professionals, that assume a standard body type? Why not try something else that causes less psychological damage and may actually improve health?

Although the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) show that Americans take in more calories than we have in the past, caloric intake among men and women in all age groups is still below the recommended levels. Most dietitians say weight gain is a result of consuming more calories than are used. Ignoring for now the possibility that higher caloric intake and weight gain are good things to judge from our ever-longer life expectancies, if people weigh too much, it is because we do not do enough, not because we eat too much.

Physical activity is good fun

Our bodies were made to be physically active. We have all heard of (and some of us have even experienced) the “runner’s high” from endorphins during activity. Think of how good you felt the last time you finished lifting weights, working in the garden, playing in the pool, or playing a game of tennis and you will realize that not just runners can experience this.

Beyond the quick hits from activity there are also more lasting psychological benefits. Recent studies have shown that business owners who run are more successful than those who do not. Other studies indicate that any physical activity can increase confidence in other areas and serve as a “gateway behavior” for other positive changes.

Frances Berg, in the book Underage and Overweight, shares the story of a teenage girl who began walking for exercise. After a month, her weight had not changed but her waist had shrunk by an inch. Within a few months, she was thinner and lighter and had the courage to tell her father about the neighbor who had often made lewd comments to her in the past.

Compare this with the guilt and asceticism of diets. Instead of counting every calorie or cutting your favorite foods, try to find some small activity such as a ten-minute walk after dinner.

Getting started is the hard part. It is important not to focus on the health benefits, losing fat, or losing weight when you start. These things take time and may take longer in some people than in others. If you are going to change your life with verbs, you need them to be verbs that you enjoy, otherwise it will demand as much willpower as a diet. That is not the way to improve your life. Find something you enjoy, do it regularly and see if you feel better. The more you enjoy something, the more consistent you will become, the more you will want to stay consistent, and the more likely you will be to reap the long-term benefits of activity. Just as the book urges you to Do What You Love, The Money Will Follow, if you do what you like, health will follow.

The right equipment can make any activity more enjoyable by lessening some of the discomfort. Next month, we will provide some ideas on buying shoes if you enjoy walking or running.