arlenesway.com.au Loose weight with Arlene Normand

Question

I would like to go on the pill, but I am worried about gaining weight. Are a few extra kilos inevitable?

Answer:

While surveys show that concern about weight gain is the most common reason for women to abandon oral contraceptives, experts say it is nothing to worry about. A recent review of nearly 50 studies on the matter concluded that there is no evidence of a link between using the Pill and putting on weight, even a few kilos. Women often tend to gain weight as they get older, and I think many of them blame the Pill. If you do gain a kilo or two and you need a scapegoat, I suggest that you examine how many late night trips you have been making to the refrigerator lately.

Question:

A friend told me I should not lift weights until I lose more weight because otherwise I’ll look even bigger. Is this true?

Answer:

No, quite the opposite. You will burn calories during your strength workouts and if you use enough resistance, you will gain muscle, which, in turn, can speed up your metabolism. In fact, if you lose weight without lifting weights, you are likely to lose muscle along with fat; with less muscle, your metabolism will slow down. Be sure you lift heavy enough weights that your muscles fatigue between 8-12 repetitions. With lighter weights, you will not develop enough muscle to make a significant difference. Don’t worry, moderately heavy weights will not make you look bigger. Women have to lift extremely heavy weights in order to see big gains in muscle size. With a moderate strength-training program you will develop tone, not bulk. Keep in mind that while muscle is heavier than fat, it takes up less space. Women report that as they start to develop muscle, their clothes fit better. In addition, you will have more power when you hike, jog or use the stair climber, which means you can work at a higher level and burn even more calories.

Question:

I suffer from gallstones and was wondering how I should alter my diet to prevent attacks. I really enjoy shellfish and was wondering if it was ok to eat these often? I have tried to eat healthy food like eggs for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and fruit for snacks. Dinner does vary depending on what I prepare for the family.

Answer:

To help prevent gallstone attacks you must prevent ingesting fat. Prepare your food using low fat cooking methods, which is healthier for the entire family – grill, bbq, steam, and stir-fry. Remove the excess fat off meat, and the skin off your poultry. Shellfish is low in fat provided it is cooked without fat. Egg yolks are fatty, so treat yourself to an occasional one. Egg whites are fat free, so an egg white omelette can be eaten liberally. Try an alternative breakfast – fruit, low fat yoghurt, cereal, or toast. You appear to have cut out all the fatty snack foods such as biscuits, chocolates, chips, and ice cream. It is a good idea to buy a book with a fat gram guide from the news agency to help you become familiar with the fat content of different foods.

Question

I have been reading that drastically cutting calories might help me live longer and stay healthier. Is this true and, if so, is it safe?

Answer

Research shows that rats fed calorie-restricted diets live 50% longer, compared with normally fed counterparts; they are healthier, more active and have more youthful hormone levels and better-functioning immune systems. The same is true for flies and worms, and there have been preliminary results with monkeys. Now, scientists are looking at whether restricting calories will produce the same benefits in people. Lest you start drastically cutting your food intake, be aware that the kind of calorie restriction being studied should not be confused with malnutrition, which occurs when food is scarce, or disordered eating, such as anorexia. While researchers do cut people’s calories by 25 % (for example, a typical woman’s intake would be reduced from 2500 calories a day to 1875) subjects eat diets that contain all the essential vitamins and minerals, 20% of calories from protein, 30% from fat and the rest from high-quality carbohydrate. One of the reasons for restricting calories may extend life is that it lowers metabolic rate and oxidative stress. The faster your metabolism is, the more oxygen your body burns, and some of the by-products of this process are harmful. These unstable molecules, called free radicals, damage DNA, which can lead to signs of aging that range from wrinkles and grey hair to organ degeneration and cancer. However, scientists are not yet recommending that people restrict calories as a way to stay healthy and live longer, since the research is far from conclusive. In addition, if you eat too few calories, your oestrogen levels may decline enough to cause osteoporosis, absence of menstrual periods and infertility.