Need To Reduce?

Some of my friends who made attempts to reduce are complaining that while they are trying their best to reduce, the more they gain weight. Why?

Learn from the expert: Dr. Benjamin F. Miller.

Should one take drugs and medicine in order to reduce? He said: "Never, especially without a doctor's prescription and supervision."

Can exercise reduce weight? He said: "If your goal is substantial weight loss, the combination of diet and exercise should be carried out, but under a doctor's supervision." 

Can unsightly fat be removed surgically? He said: "Operations have been performed to trim layers of fat from the ankles, abdomen, and hips. This is very difficult and by no means always effective. The operation is very rarely undertaken just to improve the appearance. But if obesity has made a woman's breasts pendulous and painful, a plastic surgeon would probably consider removing some of the fatty tissue."

Can massage reduce weight? He said: "No. But massage may tone up the skin and muscles and help the body to adjust to its new slimmer contours."

Can sweating or hot baths reduce weight? He said: "Only temporarily. These methods remove water, which a person tends to regain almost immediately in order to satisfy thirst. Not only do they accomplish nothing permanent; they may also put a dangerous strain on the heart and circulation. The recently fashionable sauna baths can be especially dangerous to a person who is unaccustomed to them. In a sauna, the body is exposed to high temperatures to induce violent perspiration. This is such a shock to the body that the pulse rate may double."

How about "new" reducing diets? He said: The main danger I see in many of these diets is that they tend to encourage people to reduce at a rate that is too rapid for safety. Some diets are too expensive or too difficult to be practical, while others are based on theories that had not yet been scientifically proved."

The do's and don'ts from him: "Get rid of your excess weight at the rate of one half to one pound a week by exercising self-control. Cut out eating between meals except low-calorie fruits. Go easy on high-calorie foods at meal time, substituting low-calorie ones whenever possible. Avoid alcoholic beverages and soft drinks, and resign yourself to getting up from the table without feeling really full. In a month or two your appestat will be back where it belongs, but it takes self-control."

I tell you a story. My late grandfather's tenant who was in charge of his rice field cost him his life because of overeating. This is a true incident. In the province, it is a tradition to celebrate a festive once a year. My grandfather's tenant was alone in the farm so his relatives brought him foods from the festive celebration. Delicious foods that the tenant was not able to control his desire to eat as much as he can. 

It was a coincidence that the cousin of my grandfather who lived in another province went straight to the farm and he was startled to see the tenant already short of breath and right in front of his eyes, he passed away. It was really a scary incident that self-control is needed to discipline us in our eating "habit".