December 2, 2003

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:          DEBORAH ROBERTS PUGH

                    (662) 377-3712

Visit www.nmhs.net for an electronic version of this article.

 

WINNING THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE:

THE KEY TO VICTORY IS GRADUAL, POSITIVE CHANGES

 

          TUPELO, Miss.—Ever feel like you’re losing the battle of the bulge? Registered dietitians with North Mississippi Medical Center say making gradual, positive changes is the key to victory.

Eat Three Meals a Day

          “To wake up your system, the most important meal is breakfast,” says Tali Ebert, a registered dietitian with North Mississippi Medical Center-Tupelo. “Skipping breakfast can slow your metabolism and cause the body to make more cholesterol. If you eat breakfast, you are also less likely to overeat at the next meal.”

          Breakfast doesn’t have to be elaborate. “If you are short on time in the mornings, set up as much as possible the night before. Have your cereal box out, as well as your bowl and spoon so all you have to do is grab the milk from the refrigerator,” she suggests. “Try something easy like a cereal bar, a meal-replacement bar or peanut butter toast.”

          Smart snacking between meals is also helpful. “If you usually snack, then pack a snack like fruit, nuts, lowfat yogurt or a lowfat granola bar so you avoid buying chips or candy from a vending machine,” she adds.

Choose Wisely

          Leanne Davis, a registered dietitian with NMMC hospitals in Pontotoc and Hamilton, Ala., says you can still lose weight if you eat out, as long as you make smart choices. “Most fast food restaurants have nutritional information upon request,” she says. “Seeing the numbers seems to help people make better choices.”

Davis also recommends skipping the super-size option, ordering from the lunch menu whenever possible and sharing a meal with a friend. When ordering a salad, ask for the dressing on the side. Instead of drenching the salad with dressing, try dipping your fork into the dressing, then taking a bite of the salad.

“When eating pizza, try thin crust with more vegetable toppings and less bacon, sausage, pepperoni and extra cheese,” she suggests. “Try to stop with two slices and add a garden salad with dressing on the side.”

For baked potatoes or rolls, ask for the butter on the side. Some restaurants deep-fry their rolls, so adding butter really piles on extra fat. “Beware of mayonnaise and sauces added to sandwiches. Order the sandwich dressed with lettuce, tomato, etc., and put on your own mustard, mayonnaise or ketchup,” Davis says. “Salsa is a great topping or dip—it has few calories and tastes great.”

          It also helps to ask the server for a takeout container along with your meal. Go ahead and take part of the meal off your plate before you start eating.

Spice it Up

          Gaylena Rhodes, a registered dietitian with NMMC-Iuka, stresses the importance of eating a variety of foods. “Don't totally deprive yourself of sweets. This increases the chance of a binge,” Rhodes says. “Plan for a small portion weekly. Purchase a small amount, like a candy bar, instead of something that will stay around to tempt you, like a gallon of ice cream in the freezer.”

          Protein foods such as meat and milk contain four calories per gram, as do carbohydrate foods such as cereal, bread, rice and pasta. Fats contain nine calories per gram. “Fats should be limited but not totally eliminated,” she says, “because fats carry the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K and the essential fatty acids that your body cannot make.”

Some foods get accused of being “fattening”—bread, for example. “In reality, all calories count,” Rhodes says. “Eating one apple per day more than your body uses as energy will cause a 10-pound weight gain in one year. Yet we don’t really think of apples as a fattening food.”

          Writing down what you eat can also help. “Try noticing when you truly feel hunger versus eating mindlessly,” Rhodes suggests. “Most of us eat the next meal while we are still full from the last meal. By learning when you are truly hungry, you will likely eat less. Then focus on when you are full. It takes about 20 minutes for the meal you eat to convert to glucose and enter the blood stream. You don't really feel full until that happens, so slow down!”

Making small changes like these can really pay off. Decreasing just 500 calories a day can mean losing one pound a week. Start now, and you could start off the New Year with a new you.

NMMC Wellness Centers offer weight loss classes and personalized exercise programs to help you attain a healthy weight. For more information about a program near you, call 1-800-THE DESK (1-800-843-3375).

Sidebar:

Handy Portion Control Tips

Serving Size                                                             Visual Guide

½ cup                                                                     ½ baseball, ice cream scoop

1 cup                                                                      baseball, 15 grapes

1 medium fruit                                                 tennis ball

1 cup                                                                      a fist or cupped hand

1-2 oz. snack food          handful = 1 oz. nuts or small candies

                                                                             2 handfuls = 1 oz. pretzels or chips

½ tsp.                                                                    Tip of your index finger (to first joint line)

1 tbsp.                                                                   3 thumb tips

3 oz. meat                                                               deck of cards, palm of hand

1 oz. cheese                                                            1 thumb, 3 dominoes or 1 small hotel soap

 

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