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THE KEY IS to lose WEI6HT SLOWLY.
SO I'tt OH THE MOLASSES DIET..'
by Kathy Breard
Battalion Staff
One of the more popular New
Year's resolutions is to lose
weight — a goal most want to
achieve as soon as possible.
But diet experts around the
Texas A&M campus favor a
slow, gradual weight loss for
people who really want to keep
weight off.
The quickie dieters usually are
disappointed because they may
lose the 10 pounds they've al
ways dreamed of losing, but are
likely to gain it back.
Society's attitude toward peo
ple who are overweight encour
ages emotional stress. Many
Americans want to be thin, and
it's a national obsession to look
like the skinny fashion models
in magazines.
Americans favor the "22—
year—old concept," which
means everyone should look as
lean and trim as a young adult,
Dr. William A. McIntosh, asso
ciate professor of sociology at
Texas A&M, says.
But in Asian and European
societies, overweight people are
more readily accepted. In fact,
some of these societies prefer a
heftier frame. In some African
societies, women are sent off to
be "fattened up" before their
wedding day.
The concept of the perfect
body has changed in the last 20
years, and many of the women
of average weight on Texas
A&M's campus would be consi
dered underweight in a Euro
pean culture. Dr. Kerry Hope, a
psychologist with the Texas
A&M Student Counseling Ser
vice, says.
Students on Texas A&M's
campus have experimented
with several diets and voice
their opinions on the effective
ness of some reducing plans.
Juliana Hunsaker, an elemen
tary education major from
Houston, who has tried several
diets, including the Scarsdale
Diet, says Weight Watchers is
the best diet she's ever found.
Hunsaker says she didn't
keep off the 10 pounds she lost
last semester through the
Weight Watchers program, but
with self—discipline it would
have had better results.
"I go on binges and I don't
want to miss out when my
friends go out to eat," she says.
Weight Watchers is an eating
program that allows a person to
eat a variety of foods while fol
lowing a basic meal plan.
"I like Weight Watchers be
cause it teaches you to eat in a
natural, healthy way," Hunsak
er says.
However, she takes a dimmer
view of the Scarsdale Diet.
"It was a pain because I had to
buy special food, and I couldn't
substitute different foods like I
could in Weight Watchers," she
says.
The Scarsdale Diet is a low fat,
low carbohydrate diet of 1,000
calories or less per day. The diet
is limited to 14 days, and allows
for a variety of food combina
tions, but no substitutes.
Some of the dieters inter
viewed wished to remain
anonymous because they con
sider dieting a personal
problem.
Kim, who recently moved to
Bryan from Colorado, says she
likes Weight Watchers for the
positive attitude she gets from
it.
"Weight Watchers never
mentions being skinny — it's
just a matter of feeling good ab
out yourself," Kim says.
But to feel good about them
selves, many people think they
have to be skinny, or at least
should be on some drastic diet.
So, they look for a "magic diet"
with the quickest, easiest
methods of reducing weight.
You've probably heard them
all, ranging from starving your
self to drinking liquid protein.
But just how effective are these
diets, and are they safe to use?
Local experts have some sug
gestions for finding a suitable
diet.
"Any diet will result in weight
loss if the amount of energy
eaten is less than the amount
used," says Karen Kubena, a
Texas A&M assistant professor
of food science and nutrition.
"The problem is keeping that
weight off."
"A sensible weight loss plan
provides adequate vitamins,
minerals, and a steady loss of 1
to 2 pounds a week — if the diet
meets these requirements, it's
probably not just a fad."
Many diets claim to carry all
the needed nutrients, but some
tend to cause a much more rapid
weight loss than a couple of
pounds a week. That's danger
ous for some people, Hope says.
People need a wide variety of
meats with protein, as well as
fruits and vegetables. Another
fact to consider is that people
don't absorb all the vitamins
they eat in the course of a day,
Kubena says. Although the key
to what constitutes a healthy
diet depends on the individual,
some people need certain vita
mins, such as iron and potas
sium, more than others, she
says.
Another example of a diet
used by Texas A&M students is
the Cambridge diet. Advertise
ments claim that the Cambridge
includes 100 percent of the mini
mum daily requirements of vita
mins and minerals, as well as 75
percent of the protein. The diet
experts' objections are based on
the restriction to 330 calories a
day. For four weeks, the Cam
bridge is the sole source of food.
After that, it is used as a supple
ment to a regular, controlled
diet.
"Any diet that has a disprop
ortionate amount of any food
group can be harmful," Dr.
Hope says.
"There is nothing healthy ab
out a liquid protein diet — the
Cambridge is just a variation of
that. You can get sick in a hurry
and most college students can't
afford that."
Another problem with the
Cambridge is that it doesn't
change the eating habits of the
dieter, which is the secret to
good dieting, Hope says.
The Cambridge Diet may not
change the eating habits of the
individual, but Texas A&M stu
dents interviewed seem to
approve of the diet. Students
seem to get interested in the
Cambridge because of its quick
results, and they don't appear to
worry about damaging their
health.
"The Cambridge helps you
lose weight fast and you get
your vitamins to keep you from
feeling drained — it never made
me ill," Sharon H., a sophomore
business major from Houston,
says.
Sharon, who was on the diet
for two weeks, says that for her,
the loss of a lot of water weight
in the first three days gave her
an incentive to stick with the
diet.
Sheila Davis, a junior aeros
pace engineering major, who is
a Cambridge counselor living in
a dorm on campus, had as many
as 35 customers at the beginning
of the semester. She also thinks
the diet's quick results give an
incentive to the people she sells
it to. However, a lot of her cus
tomers need only to lose about 5
pounds, and once they accom
plish that goal they go back to
their old eating ways. She her
self lost 6 pounds while on the
diet strictly for two weeks, and
has since kept the weight off.
"I use it as a nutritional sup
plement since I'm not on the
meal plan, and just eating across
the street in restaurants won't
do it," Sheila says.
Tammy ]., a Cambridge coun-
:selor living in Sevilla apart-
iments, says some of her custom-
t?rs drink the Cambridge for a
quick breakfast.
Using a quick reducer such as
the Cambridge is fine for some
individuals, but not if you are
looking for a permanent weight
loss, Kubena says. In order to
accomplish long—term weight
loss, you must change your eat
ing habits, or you may gain all
the pounds back.
"The point is that if you lose
weight and gain it all back, you
do more harm than good to your
body," she says. People often
practice this "yo—yo effect,"
which is fluctuating from losing
weight to gaining it back plus a
couple of pounds.
The pros and cons of any diet
depend on the individual, for
weight problems result from a
variety of factors. Aside from
overindulgence, the cause of
obesity can be psychological, or
it could be a legitimate health
problem.
For that reason, before going
on a diet, check with a doctor. In
the past, the A.P. Beutel Health
Center has diagnosed thyroid
gland problems, or vitamin de
ficiencies, both of which can
contribute to a weight problem.
A physical problem is as much
cause of obesity as anything
else, she said. "We at the coun
seling center won't treat the
psychological side of dieting un
til students check that possibil
ity," Hope says. Obesity can be
caused by hormonal, genetic, or
metabolic problems. There may
be an imbalance of hormones, or
a greater tendency for a person
to accumulate body fat because
of a slow metabolism. Hor
mones are under the control of
genes, which are inherited.
Hope is also one of the
psychologists at the Student
Counseling Service who spon
sors group therapy for people
who want to change their atti
tude about eating.
Group support is an impor
tant aspect of the weight control
groups at the Student Counsel
ing Service. That concept is also
part of the philosophy of such
groups as Weight Watchers and
Overeaters Anonymous.
The positive reinforcement a
group can give the individual
can help, especially since the
family at home is not around at
college to back you up, Hope
says. Sometimes it's easier to get
involved in a diet with some
body else.
But Kubena says the problem
with a group is that its members
begin to depend too much on
the group for support, and once
they try to be independent of it,
they could gain the weight back.
Layers of clothes
key to warmth
by Diane Yount
Battalion Staff
So, you thought you were
going to have spring all win
ter? Sun, shades, and coconut
oil? Wrong!
Cold weather blew into
College Station Monday, ling
ered around until Tuesday
and decided to stay on. Oh,
the sun will probably break
through for a slight warming
period, but count on a frigid
fanny for the next few
months.
If you're worried about
protecting that and other
parts of your anatomy, re
member, wind or tempera
ture cannot be controlled, but
clothing can.
"Select clothing for your
activities as well as for out
door conditions," says Dr.
Ann Vanderpoorten, clothing
specialist with the Texas Agri
cultural Extension Service.
For people who love how
to lists, there are a few stan
dard precautions that should
be taken to prevent frostbite.
— The layer closest to the
skin should be lightweight,
usually cotton.
— The second layer should
be an insulation layer that will
keep warm air trapped
around the body. Bulky fab
rics work best.
— Blazers, windbreakers,
shoes and waterproof pants
should compose the out
ermost layer. They should
keep the other layers from
getting wet. They should also
be easily removable, in case
the situation heats up.
— A hat or hood is impor
tant too. Up to 75 percent of
body heat may be lost if the
head is unprotected.
If you enjoy being out
doors, face the fact that for a
while, the weather is going to
be nippy. Dress appropri
ately.
And if you enjoy warmth,
stay inside. And cuddle.