Lose It For Ever - Dave Elger » Medical Conditions

Yo Yo Dieting is Better Than Not Ever Losing

Dave — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 07:31:22 +0000

In a six-year study of healthy men and women ages 20 to 78, weight gain was not related to weight cycling in men. Women weight cyclers, who gained about one pound a year, showed only a slight tendency to gain more weight than those whose weight did not cycle. -msnbc.com MY COMMENT: You don’t want to continue with yo-yo dieting if you can help it. Once you lose the weight, stick with regular exercise and monitor your weight weekly. Set a threshold that you do not want to exceed! If you lost weight with a very restrictive diet, you’ll probably regain some weight , but getting comfortable with healthier eating habits should keep you satisfied and leaner.

According to the article, risk of weight regain and risk factors including diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer and high cholesterol are NOT linked to history of weight cycling (losing and regaining). Correlations do exist between these risk factors and high body mass index.

Arthritis Not a Reason to Avoid Exercise

Dave — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 07:10:20 +0000

When a person avoids exercise, joints become less mobile and the surrounding muscles shrink, causing increased fatigue and pain. -

People with arthritis who exercise report less pain.

MY COMMENT: You might have to refrain from weight bearing activities however cycling, swimming, rowing, skiing, or elliptical are excellent options.

Diet Soda Linked To Kidney Problems

Dave — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 05:37:16 +0000

Women who drank two or more diet sodas a day had a 30% drop in a measure of kidney function during the lengthy study follow-up -webmd.com

MY COMMENT: This is also startling- Kidney disease diagnoses have doubled each of the last two decades. 20 million Americans have some degree of chonic kidney disease. I suggest if you are a heavy diet soda drinker, consider switching to water or tea.

Obesity Found to Accelerate Loss of Cartilage

Dave — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 02:36:25 +0000

Excess weight was significantly associated with an increased risk of rapid cartilage loss. For a one-unit increase in BMI, the odds of rapid cartilage loss increased by 11 percent -sciencedaily.com

MY COMMENT: Another reason to lose. I’ve always contended that carrying extra weight leads to more joint problems than exercise. Still, I consider myself extremely fortunate- in my younger days I ran years and years of 70 plus miles a week on pavement. At 55, I still average 50 miles a week and have had no symptoms of joint pain (knock on wood).

Hypothyroidism Can Lead to Weight Gain

Dave — Mon, 25 May 2009 23:28:54 +0000

The thyroid, a gland found in the neck (just below the adam’s apple on men), produces hormones responsible for regulating metabolism. According to wikipedia, about 3% of the population suffers from an underactive thyroid, or hypothyroidism.

The following is a list of early symptoms (from endocrineweb.com):
Fatigue
Weakness
Weight gain or increased difficulty losing weight
Coarse, dry hair
Dry, rough pale skin
Hair loss
Cold intolerance (can’t tolerate the cold like those around you)
Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches
Constipation
Depression
Irritability
Memory loss
Abnormal menstrual cycles
Decreased libido

The good news that once diagnosed, most cases of hypothyroidism are treatable (medicinenet.com).