Healthy Strategies

Under what conditions would you volunteer to participate in a study on weight gain? Well, 23, overweight men and women participated in a study referred to as “omics” reported in the January 28, 2018 edition of The New York Times. The researchers evaluated changes in genes as well as other biological systems that are affected by weight gain. In this research, the volunteers were asked to overeat. The subjects added about 880 calories a day to their diets and in the process gained an average of about 6 pounds per month. Then, the subjects were asked to cut back on the calories and lose that weight. Time wise, it took most of them at least twice as long to lose the weight they had gained .Further, these subjects were then asked to keep their weight stable and return after another three months for a final round of tests. The findings were that 318 genes worked differently after these 23, had gained even a little weight. Some genes were more active while other genes were turned off .Also, weight gain resulted in increased inflammation throughout the body and the possible beginnings of cardiomyopathy, which is an enlarged heart. Likely, most of the genes reverted to their previous normal state, once the men and women lost their added weight. The keyword here is most but not all. In other words, imbalances or shifts occur biologically even after small amounts of weight are added to your frame. A second study found in the March 2018 edition of Health evaluated obese men. In this particular study, one group dieted for two weeks and then did not for another two weeks over a total period of 30 weeks. This group was compared to those that dieted continuously. They found that intermittent dieters lost more weight. In essence, additional weight is not good, especially if you’re obese. Perhaps, intermittent dieting of two weeks on and two weeks off is something to consider. I like the word intermittent, which means, according to the American college dictionary: “alternately ceasing and beginning again.” I like the meaning because it’s a process and no one is perfect. I would classify my running and eating behavior as intermittent. I total, on the average, 50 miles per week running and walking on the trail. That total might cover six or seven days. As a result, I alternate the number of days; miles per day; and the amount of time running and walking. If the trail is sloppy and conditions are poor, I spend more time running on the street. Intermittent and variability are key strategies for my running regime. As far as eating behavior, it’s certainly easier Incorporating intermittent strategies in reducing the number of calories. My ratio is more restriction than overeating. However, when it comes to ice cream, I have Incorporated, a different ratio. I suggest that if one wants to limit calories and exercise, keep a concrete record in order to accurately compare. PS Whatever you do, keep moving.