Skinny isn't always healthy
Let your body set its own thermostat
PHIL REYNOLDS
Special to Jewish News
It's not whether you can have that other chocolate-covered cherry; it's whether you can live with yourself after you do.
Women today tend to fret over every calorie and feel guilty every time they eat.
The reason, says registered dietician Ivonne Cottrell of the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, is that women see models on television and in magazines - models who are excessively thin, but portrayed as ideals - and they try to emulate them.
"But those (models) weigh 20 pounds less than their ideal weight," Cottrell says. "It's very frustrating because it's not realistic."
Rather than striving to look like the emaciated models, women should attempt to attain and maintain a weight that's reasonable for them, she says.
"If a woman weighs 200 pounds and never weighed less than 150, it isn't realistic for her to set a goal of 120," she says.
Sudden weight loss isn't healthy either. You're likely to find yourself on a roller-coaster cycle of gaining and losing, because your metabolism will slow down if you starve yourself.
Instead, let your body find its own comfortable weight and try to reduce health risks, such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure. To find a reasonable target weight, consult weight tables published by insurance companies.
But even then, says Cottrell, use some judgment. Every woman's body is different. And factors other than diet can affect weight, including some behaviors, such as smoking, that carry greater health risks than being overweight does.
Cottrell recommends a healthy diet - eating lots of fruits and vegetables for their high fiber content, while reducing the fat and meat intake.
Add exercise, but again, be reasonable: "You don't need to jog two miles a day, but maybe take the stairs at work instead of the elevator."
"If you're concerned," about your weight, Cottrell continues, "it certainly wouldn't hurt to talk with your physician about what a realistic goal would be."
She adds that a registered dietician can also help put you on the right track to a healthy diet.
"It's never too late to start, even if you've never exercised. It's also never too late to improve your eating habits," she says.
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