MANILA, Philippines – It has been a practice of busy women preparing for their wedding to eat less and neglect exercise. If you resort to starvation, you’d regain the weight during honeymoon.

The best weight loss strategy combines regular physical activity and a sustainable eating plan even after the wedding.

Early preparations

Your wellness program should be planned at least four to six months before your wedding.

Set your lifestyle goals. How much weight do you want to lose? If you have 10 pounds to lose, you should target at least two pounds every month. If you have 30 pounds to lose, better start sweating it out as early as now so you can lose an average of five pounds per month. Avoid over-dieting and using weight loss pills.

Set a budget for wellness. Allocate at least five to 10 percent of your budget for your wedding wellness program. Enroll in a health club or buy exercise equipment which costs less than P5,000.

Hire a credible fitness/wellness professional to coach you every week or every two weeks on your six-month eating and exercise program so you can get faster results.

Spend time for exercise. Delegate the wedding tasks to your friends and family or get a wedding coordinator.

Start your weight training program so you can get a toned body, especially your arms and back. Full body weight training can be done 30-45 minutes two to three times a week. Include all exercises for the back, chest, shoulders, arms, core, buttocks and thighs.

Start a journal on your food intake and physical activities. Combine your wedding notebook with the wellness journal so you are always reminded about your commitment to health and fitness.

Two to four months before:

Ask your fiancé to exercise with you at least once a week so you will get the chance to talk more about your lifestyle goals. This fitness bonding is important so both of you will avoid the “after-wedding” weight gain.

Include fitness and wellness items in your wedding registry. This is a good idea for your outdoor getaway like a tent for hiking and camping.

One to two months before:

Shop for clothes in smaller sizes as reward. This will motivate you to continue your wellness program by moving more and eating healthy.

Treat yourself in the spa. Enroll in a yoga class with your fiancé to learn how to breathe properly.

A few days to two weeks before:

Do the easiest and most accessible type of physical activity you can do at home or around your village like walking or jogging.

Avoid saucy and fatty foods. Get enough rest so you can physically and mentally prepare yourself for your most-awaited day.

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People who are overweight or obese in middle-age run the risk of being frail in later life, say Finnish researchers.

A study of more than 1,000 men found the highest risk of death and illness in those who put on weight in their 40s but lost it when they got older.

It is thought that the heart risk associated with middle-aged spread puts men at risk of “frailty” even if they have no obvious illness.

The research is published in the European Heart Journal.

The researchers said obesity was a very well-known risk factor for cardiovascular disease. But paradoxically, studies have also shown that in older patients with heart failure, being overweight may be somewhat protective.

In the latest study, the team followed the men from age 25 through to their 70s.

This study reinforces the importance of maintaining a healthy weight throughout our lives to help prevent heart disease Alasdair Little, British Heart Foundation

As expected, those who put on weight in their 40s had a worse prognosis in middle age than those who stayed a normal weight.

However, when looking at health in later life a different picture emerged.

Those who were overweight in middle age but lost weight in later life had the highest risk of death and morbidity in their 70s.

That group also had the highest cardiovascular risk in middle age.

The weight loss, which was probably not intentional, could not be explained by diseases such as cancer or heart failure.

‘Frailty syndrome’

Study leader Dr Timo Strandberg, said it seemed the unhealthy pattern of weight in their 40s was causing frailty in later life probably due to underlying cardiovascular problems, such as high blood pressure and early stages of diabetes.

“Frailty syndrome”, where older people have weight loss, muscle weakness, exhaustion and struggle with even small amounts of physical activity, is attracting increasing attention from old-age researchers.

It seems to be common but in these patients there is no obvious reason, such as cancer.

“It is important because frailty is associated with death and a great deal of disability,” he said.

He said doctors should pay particular attention to this group.

“It is important to notice it early.”

The researchers are planning further work to find out which group has the best health – perhaps those who are normal weight throughout life or those who gain a bit of weight but not until they are in their 60s and 70s.

Alasdair Little, a cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation said: “This study reinforces the importance of maintaining a healthy weight throughout our lives to help prevent heart disease.

“Being obese can also lead to the development of other known risk factors for heart disease, such as diabetes and high blood pressure.”

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• Avoid snacking when you get home from work by distracting yourself for at least 15 minutes. As if you needed an excuse to hop on Facebook.
• Instead of guzzling several high-cal drinks when you’re out for a cocktail, order one strong drink with hardly any mixer that you’ll nurse all night long. (Like a tequila with a splash of orange juice. That has about 100 calories, versus a few frozen margs at about 250 calories a pop).
• Eat before you overeat. If you’ve been banking calories all day long, saving up for dinner out, you could go gangbusters. Have a snack (try to keep it under 200 calories) like string cheese, a non-fat yogurt, or a soup, and you’ll eat less at dinner.
• Sleep enough. Getting fewer than seven hours of sleep over several nights causes your cortisol, a stress and appetite-inducing hormone, to jump. Cut caffeine after 2:30, and avoid booze within three hours of bedtime.

The 27-year-old mother of two, who married her boyfriend in a televised ceremony only last month, died in her sleep at her home in Essex, southeast England, her publicist Max Clifford said.

By endlessly poring over every detail of Goody’s losing battle with the disease, newspapers, gossip magazines and broadcasters have been accused of being obsessed with someone who is famous for little more than being famous.

Even Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been asked to comment on her condition in recent weeks.

Goody shot to fame in 2002 after appearing in Big Brother, a reality show in which people are locked in a house and their every move televised. Initially ridiculed for her apparent lack of education, she gradually won over the public with her straight-talking style.

She went on to become a regular in gossip magazines, wrote an autobiography and launched her own perfume, but her popularity sank in 2007 because of her racially charged tirades against an Indian housemate in Celebrity Big Brother.

Goody’s decision to die in the public gaze, in order to earn as much money as possible for her two young sons and publicize awareness of cervical cancer, largely restored her popularity.

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The Perfect Body Myth

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The bus stop weight scale is part of an ad campaign by a fitness gym called Fitness First. They want to shame people into joining their gym. This takes the cake. What nifty advertising ideas will we see next?

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♦ Decrease your calorie intake: Losing weight may seem complicated, but it really comes down down to this: take in fewer calories than your body burns every day. So to lose weight, we must create a negative calorie balance, or calorie deficit. In other words, the amount of calories we consume from food and beverages must be less than the amount of calories we use to exercise and to function in everyday life. Although you can obtain a calorie deficit by increasing your activity, most attain it by altering what they eat. For optimal results, eating fewer calories in combination with increasing activity can make a big difference in both weight loss and weight maintenance.

As a reference, 3500 calories equals one pound. So if you reduce your calorie intake by 500 calories or create a 500 calorie deficit per day for one week, you should lose one pound. The American Dietetic Association (ADA) recommends losing no more than 1 to 2 pounds per week to ensure that any weight lost is not lean body mass but fat mass.

♦ Monitor your portions/servings: Confused about what an adequate portion of food is? It’s not surprising given the “super-sized” menus available in many fast-food restaurants. When we are served larger portions, we tend to eat more. Studies have shown that people consume 30% more food when offered a larger portion, even though they were just as satisfied with a smaller portion. Check out the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Pyramid Guide for more details on recommended servings.

♦ Keep a food journal: More than enough research has shown that those who monitor their food intake are more successful with lifestyle change. Keeping a record of the foods you eat can help make you aware of your calorie consumption so you can reduce it; many find it helpful to record the amount of calories that they consume in the first few weeks of a weight loss program. If your budget will not allow for the assistance of a registered dietitian, then a great online resource is MyDailyPlate.com.

♦ Focus on body composition: A typical bathroom scale is not the best way to measure weight loss; it merely indicates the number of pounds, which does not clarify what those pounds are: fat or muscle. Furthermore, a scale often shows mere shifts in water retention, which are temporary and do not reflect changes in one’s amount of body fat. The best way to get an accurate picture is to measure your body fat percentage. One of the more popular methods to measure body fat is with skin calipers, a method considered easy and accurate when performed correctly. Ask a personal trainer at your gym or other reputable fitness professional to assist you.

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Shetty won Celebrity Big Brother in 2007 following a series of altercations with fellow contestant Goody, who was accused of bullying and racism.

“Shilpa has been keeping in touch with her for months and they are good friends,” said publicist Max Clifford.

“She desperately wants to see her if she’s well enough.” Clifford added that Goody was comfortable, but “very weak”.

“She has deteriorated, she is very weak,” said Clifford. “We are on the edge of a precipice.”

‘Bad way’

The 27-year-old star left hospital for her home in Upshire, Essex last week, to spend time with her young sons – Freddy and Bobby.

Her husband Jack Tweed was allowed to break his curfew on Friday to be at her side.

“She was in a bad way last night, she was panicking,” said Clifford.
“He went over and calmed her down and she went to sleep. She settled down and had a comfortable night.”

Tweed, 21, was jailed for 18 months last September after assaulting a teenager with a golf club.

He was released early from Wayland Prison in Norfolk in January on condition he wears a tag and returns to his mother’s house in Essex by 7pm each day.

Shetty and Goody are said to have made their peace long before Goody was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2008, while appearing on the Indian version of Big Brother.

Despite undergoing surgery and chemotherapy, the disease spread to her bowel, liver and groin and she is now believed to have weeks to live.

Cervical screening

“She’s taking every day as it comes. She’s at home now and she’s in good spirits,” said Clifford.

“From a spiritual point of view she’s as good as she can be.”

He added that she was “delighted” by news that the government is looking at reviewing the age limit for cervical cancer testing.

Goody told him: “It’s too late for me, Max, but it will save a lot of others.”

Health minister Ann Keen announced on Friday that a panel of experts would consider whether women under 25 should be offered smear tests.

In 2004, the age for women to be invited for routine cervical screening was raised from 20 to 25, in line with World Health Organisation guidelines.

“Cervical screening saves around 4,500 lives every year and we want to ensure that our programme remains in the best interests of young women,” said Ms Keen.

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DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am a 37-year-old man, I weigh 310 pounds and I am 5 feet 7 inches tall. I know this could do me in, but I have tried everything I can think of to lose weight, without any success. I have dieted and have exercised, but weight doesn’t come off. My wife is careful about what we eat. She wants me to have the operation for losing weight. She’s worried about me. I have three young children. What do you think of weight-loss surgery?

— B.D.

You have a body mass index of 48.5. The body mass index is a better predictor of future health than is body weight. Your number puts you in the category of morbid obesity, “morbid” meaning “most unhealthy.” Obesity raises the risk for heart attack and stroke. It fosters the development of diabetes and high blood pressure. It promotes cancer of the colon, liver, prostate, kidney, pancreas, breast, cervix and uterus. You aren’t exaggerating when you say that your weight is a significant health problem.

A weight loss of only 10 percent (for you, 31 pounds) of body weight reduces the consequences of obesity. You should lose more than that, however. If you cut back on your daily calories by 500, you should lose a pound a week. In seven months, you’re close to the 31-pound goal. The only way to achieve results is to get a book with the calorie content of all foods. Such books are available in bookstores. Add up your daily calorie intake for one week and then average the result. Deduct 500 calories from that and you’ll have your recommended daily calorie intake. Combine calorie restriction with daily exercise, which can be half an hour or more of brisk walking.

If this regimen fails, then I’d consider surgery. There are several different operations. All of them create a smaller stomach so you cannot eat what you ate in the past. Laparoscopic (surgery done through small incisions and employing a special scope) stomach reduction surgery often can be done, and recovery from this kind of surgery is rapid. It saves lives. Your body mass index qualifies you for this kind of surgery if other methods of weight loss have failed.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: From time to time you mention body mass index, and I read about all the time in the health magazines I subscribe to. I would like to know how to obtain mine. How do I?

— S.P.

Your letter came at an opportune time. It follows on the heels of B.D.’s letter, where the topic came up.

Divide your weight in pounds by your height in inches squared. That means multiply your height in inches by itself. Take that result and multiply by 703 to obtain body mass index, BMI.

Canadians, used to the metric system, can obtain BMI by dividing their weight in kilograms by their height in meters squared.

A normal BMI is 18.5 to 24.9; 25 to 29.9 is overweight; 30 to 39.9 is obese; 40 and above is morbidly obese.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: You frequently write about ovarian cancer. I wish I had known the symptoms a long time ago. In 1972, my daughter, age 17, was finally diagnosed from it and died at that age despite treatment. She had symptoms that our doctor didn’t recognize. I went to a larger town for an opinion. She had surgery and cobalt treatments. There is no history of cancer in our family. I am writing to show that age doesn’t matter when it comes to this cancer.

— M.B.

I don’t have words to express the sorrow I have for parents who have lost a child. The most common kind of ovarian cancer, epithelial ovarian cancer, is a cancer of older women. Bloating, increased abdominal size, fatigue, weight loss, back pain, abdominal pain, pelvic pain and constipation are some of the signs that suggest ovarian cancer. They’re often overlooked.

Germ cell ovarian cancer is the kind of ovarian cancer that occurs in the first two decades of life. Germ cells are the cells that give rise to ova. This cancer grows rapidly. I have a doctor friend whose daughter died of ovarian cancer at the same age as your daughter.

Readers may write to Dr. Donohue or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com.

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