Body Weight Two

Weight Gain and Weight Loss  Changes in body weight reflect shifts in many different materials not only fat, but also water, bone minerals, and lean tissue such as muscles.  An 18 yr. old teen who is 5’10 and weighs 150lbs. Carries about 90lbs. as water and 30lbs. as fat. 30 lbs. are lean tissues: muscles, organs and bones of the skeleton. If all of that is stripped away the person only weighs 30lbs.  If a person is trying to lose weight it should be fat not lean muscle. If a person is trying to gain weight it should be lean muscle and fat not just fat.  Type of tissue gained and lost depends on how the weight is gained or lost.  Diuretic- a drug that causes the body to lose fluid. This will cause you to see a dramatic loss in weight. Also another way to lose weight is to exercise heavily in heat. This can cause dehydration and can be dangerous to the kidneys.  The results from both are only temporary.

Feast Weight Gain  When you eat more food than you need, where does it go in the body?  Carbohydrate-is broken down, absorbed, and changed into glucose. Inside the body, glucose may be stored as glycogen or body fat.  Fat-is broken down mostly into fatty acids and absorbed. Then these may be stored as body fat.  Protein-is broken down to its basic units(amino acids) and absorbed. Inside the body, these may be used to replace lost body protein. Any extra amino acids are changed into body fat and stored.

Fasting: Unsafe Weight Loss Strategy  When a person stops eating altogether, the body has to draw on its fuel stores to keep going. People can store fat and glycogen, but their stores are limited.  The body’s supply of carbohydrate, stored as glycogen is small. While the body’s demand for carbohydrate fuel glucose remains strong. The body will start to convert protein over to carbohydrate.  In fasting, the body has no external source of protein, and so it takes apart the protein in its own muscle and organs.  Each pound of body protein used for fuel, three or four pounds of water are lost also from the body.  If the body continues to feed on itself at a continuous rate you will die.

Other Unsafe Wight Loss Strategies  Fad diets and fasting are neither safe nor effective ways to lose weight. True nutrition experts will never recommend them.  Diet pills- medications that reduce the appetite or otherwise promote weight loss.  Other ways not to lose weight are water pills, diet pills, muscle stimulators, and hormones. They will result in loss of a few pounds for half a day.  Surgery is recommended for people who have a BMI of 40 or greater. Factors such as growth statues, skeletal system, maturity, emotional development, family support, and ability to follow dietary instructions is important.  Most success for long-term maintenance doesn’t use any of these methods.

Smart Weight Loss Strategies  Hunger- is the physiological need to eat, experienced as a drive for obtaining food, an unpleasant sensation that demands to be fed.  Appetite-the psychological desire to eat, a learned motivation and a positive sensation that accompanies the sight, smell, or thought of food.  Stress eating- eating in response to stress.  Create a meal plan not a diet!!!  Choose a calorie level you can live with. A shortage of 500 calories a day for seven days is a 3,500 calorie weekly shortage. That is enough to lose a pound of body fat,

Smart Weight Loss Strategies  Some people will eat three standard meals while others will eat four to five smaller meals. What is important is to eat at regular intervals. Also make sure you drink plenty of water.  Portion sizes greatly influence calorie intake. A person may need to eat less and slower and may feel fuller than a person who ate faster and had a larger portion.  Behavior modification- changing one’s choices or actions by manipulating the cues that trigger the actions, the actions themselves, or the consequences of the actions.  Physical Activity contribute to weight management by helping the body develop lean tissue. It raises the rate of basal energy use. Physical Activity also boosts self- esteem, self efficacy, and confidence.  Lapses- times of falling back into former habits.