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- $Unique_ID{BRK00362}
- $Pretitle{}
- $Title{Dieting Problems}
- $Subject{weight diet Community Social diets dieting calories daily caloric
- burn physical activity self control foods food restriction salt water
- retention}
- $Volume{Q-26}
- $Log{}
-
- Copyright (c) 1991-92,1993 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
-
-
- Dieting Problems
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-
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-
- QUESTION: I am forever dieting, between small losses and big gains. Each
- morning I weigh myself, but the scale never reflects the effort I felt I put
- in the day before, even going up after a day when I practically fasted. Why
- can't I be like the girl in the ad in the paper and on TV?
-
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-
- ANSWER: The weight never seems to drop as fast as we would like it to; and
- even the reminder that the weight, which represents years of over eating,
- can't be lost overnight doesn't help much. No matter what the fad diets
- offer, the simple fact is that the body must burn between 3000 and 3500
- calories more than it receives through eating for you to lose a pound. Your
- daily caloric need, the amount you burn by daily activities, will vary as it
- reflects your weight, age and the amount of physical activity you perform.
- Sorry, mental work doesn't count, or there would be a great many skinny folks
- around. The morning scale weigh, in addition to the benefit of helping you
- track your progress, does have a negative side as well. Frequently you may be
- discouraged as you see a weight gain, when the previous day was one of great
- self control and food restriction. This may be a reflection of the amount of
- salt you ingested, for the salt provokes water retention, and leads to the
- message from your scale. Many home electronic scales can only show weight in
- pounds, and can not reflect a loss of less than a whole pound from the
- previous day's weigh in, though you may have made important progress. As for
- the gal in the ad, why do you suppose she is there? Few people achieve those
- extreme results, and you will realize your goals if you persist and are
- patient.
-
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-
- The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
- the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your
- doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
- problem.
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-