From: shagan@gandalf.rutgers.edu (Susan R. Hagan)
Newsgroups: alt.support.diet
Subject: Re: a question or two.
Date: 4 Jan 93 15:55:54 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.

Tammy.Vandenboom@launchpad.unc.edu (Tammy Vandenboom) writes:

The only thing I know about appetite suppressants is that I would never
take them.  I can understand the attraction - a quick start to encourage
you to continue, but anything you loose with these pills will just
come right back as soon as you go off them.  

I found that these pills didn't make me eat less, they made me not want
to eat anything at all.  I had no trouble eating about 500 calories 
a day and that was a struggle.  Of course, I was dizzy for most of the
day, but I wasn't hungry at all. 

I really don't think this is something to play around with - especially
if you have a history of diabetes (you mentioned that right?)

By not eating, you are simply teaching your body to get along with less
food - the appetite supressants just help you battle the cravings so you
can starve yourself.  When you teach your body that it will be getting
less food from now on, it will store what little it has rather than
let you loose it.

You have to eat regularly, but eat differently.  Reduce your fat and
calories without reducing the quantity that you eat.  That means 
substituting your normal foods for lower calorie ones that fill you up
just as much.  

For example, instead of an 8oz steak and a medium baked potato with
butter, have a the same quantity of broiled chicken breast with rice
seasoned with lemon pepper.  Ideally, your portion of meat should 
be 4 oz (about the size of a deck of cards), and you can increase your
rice and vegetables to make up the difference, but you can work up to
that.

You also have to exercise regularly.  This will increase your metabolism
and help your body burn off fat.  Aerobic activity is especially helpful
in loosing fat.  If you can maintain an aerobic activity for 15-20 minutes
a day, you will really help take the fat off.  (Recommendations for
aerobic exercise vary - some say 12 minutes, other say as much as 25 -
some recommend 3 days a week, some say 6 - I don't know which is best
myself.  I would say that 12 minutes a day, 3 days a week is the bare
minimum.  The most important thing it that the exercise is regular).

> Also, anyone have any suggestions for a really good exercise video?  The
>very thought of spending an hour a day with Jane Fonda makes me want to gag,
>there is bound to be somethiing better.

What is it that you dislike about Jane Fonda tapes?  I find that I really
like her tapes.  There are a couple that I can't deal with.  I think that
one is called Lean Routine.  She is exercising in this black lace outfit
to incessant disco music.  I can't take that at all.

But the music on most of these tapes really stinks.  I prefer big band jazz,
and you can get that on an exercise video if you get one of the videos geared
to older people.  The only trouble with that is that the exercises are also
geared to older people and you have to wear weights on your wrists to work 
up a sweat.  That doesn't even always help.

I like Jane Fonda's original workout, but my tape got ruined and I can't
find it anymore.  I don't think they sell it anymore.  The music was 
pretty good in that tape (some Jimmy Buffet, some Jacksons), but Jane
had people bouncing during their hamstring stretches - which is a really
bad idea and its probably why they don't sell it anymore.  I just ignored
that part.

BTW, if anyone has a copy of that tape that they don't want, I'd be happy
to buy it from you.

I just tried Jane Fonda's Low Impact Workout, which isn't bad.  There is
some comic relief, the music varies from Hand Jive to Charleston to 
Country Western to Disco.  The workout is long - 50 minutes - but it has
to be since its low impact.  I really like it.

I also like Jane Fonda's New Workout, but I haven't done it in a while
so I can't give you all the details.

I think I like Jane the best because I like how she presents the workout.
She is very professional, but she is also warm, like a good doctor.  She
explains, in specific detail, what she is doing.  I like her voice also.
She is enthusiastic without sounding stupid.  She doesn't sound like a 
cheerleader.  

You might like to try step aerobics.  If you have enough room in your
TV room, you can set up a step and exercise with the tape.  You can
pay anywhere from $30 - $100 for a step and they usually come with a tape.
You can buy other, independent step tapes also.

A lot of video stores rent exercise tapes - that is a good way to try
before you buy.  Actually, I went into to one video store to rent some
tapes and they said - "You can't rent them but you can buy them for $5.00
each".  Turns out they wanted to get rid of them.  So I bought "Do it
Debbie's Way".  Its a low impact, mostly floorwork, tape with big band
music and Debbie Reynolds and her Hollywood housewife friends.  Its cute.

I find that its important to have a number of tapes in order to have
variety.

Well, back to work.  Good luck.

-- 
Susan R. Hagan (shagan@gandalf.rutgers.edu) 
Publications Coordinator - User Services
Rutgers University Computing Services