From: michael@glia.biostr.washington.edu (Michael)
Subject: Re: Why are many low-income women fat? (was Re: Separate but Equal?)
Organization: University of Washington
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 17:12:39 GMT

In <1992Dec20.183359.27592@netcom.com> payner@netcom.com (Rich Payne) writes:
>In article <168BE97BD.SURGDM@mizzou1.missouri.edu> Diane writes:
>>                                                                 Gee, all
>>this time I thought that fat was burned when your caloric output exceeded
>>your caloric intake! 
>Such a simplistic model for the nineties.

I wonder what that is supposed to mean?  One one hand maybe he's implying
that simple is obviously wrong.  If so, I disagree that simple is
necessarily wrong.  From all I've read, this is a pretty good general
rule for most people.  Of course measuring caloric output has to take
into account one's basic metabolism as well as energy spent in physical
activity, digestion, etc...  Many realistic concepts aren't always
complicated.  Applying them sometimes can be.

However in this case, research has given us fairly good approximate
measures.  Its not too difficult to calculate body fat percentage and
from this determine how many pounds of *FAT* we need to lose (many
crash diets cause us to lose muscle rather than fat leaving us with a
higher body fat percentage after losing pounds weight).  Then we can
determine the number of calories to maintain our present weight.  Then
by subtracting 500 calories per pound per week we wish to lose (500*7
is 3500 calories or one pound of weight), we can determine the number
of calories per day we need to eat (its not considered healthy to lose
more than one or two pounds per week.  I can't remember why but I
*think* its the rate at which our body can burn fat instead of muscle.
someone can feel free to correct me on this).

In addition, proper exercise can help one to burn calories allowing that
person to increase their daily caloric intake.  In addition, exercise
is simply good for you, makes you feel better, and often reduces your
appetite making a good diet easier to maintain.  As we go along, we can
measure our body fat percentage and again calculate how many excess
pounds of FAT we have.  If you are involved in a lot of exercise, you
may be moving that weight from fat into muscle.  Going simply on weight
is a poor measure of one's health.  Its better to measure your body fat
percentage.

Its also good to keep in mind how the body stores energy.  Fat taken in
is stored as fat.  Carbohydrates are stored some other way (I forget how)
to be later converted to energy when needed.  I don't remember all of this
well, but just reducing the fat in your diet can go a long way to helping
one's body.

Of course in this new diet, its important to make sure we get the proper
proportion of fat, carbohydrates and protein as well as the vitamins
and other nutrients we need.  Does all this sound complicated?  Well
yes, it is.  But it CAN be simplified.  Once you determine what your
calorie intake should be, its not TOO difficult to plan meals to meet
that goal.  Then as you go along, measure your percentages of fat,
protein, and carboghydrates.  If they vary from what you should be eating
then make adjustments on your diet.  In time, new habits will develop
and it won't be such a chore.

Depending on how badly your current diet is, you may have to make small or
large changes.  For many people, dieting involves changing their lifestyle.

The worst thing to do is many of the so called CRASH diets.  They can
involve many things including losing water weight (which you WILL get
back).  They can cause you to reduce your metabolism because your body is
tricked into thinking its starving which can lead to gaining weight MORE
easily when you go off your diet.  They can cause you to burn muscle
instead of fat.  Some people on binge diets actually lose weight but
increase their body fat percentage.  This translates to having more
pounds of relative fat on their body after the diet even though thaey
have fewer pounds of weight.

All of this information is as far as I know mostly not provable.  But I do
think most of it has born out in tests and in statistics.  Also most of
it has come from my memory of what I've read.  I could be mistaken in
parts and wouldn't mind being corrected if I'm wrong.

>Do you feel superior writing condesending crap like this? If so, that will
>be the only positive thing, the reinforcement of your attitude problem.

Well, I'm sure she learned a valuable lesson reading your condescending
crap in return (which I don't believe I included in this post).

    Michael Stanley (michael@glia.biostr.washington.edu)
Newsgroups: alt.feminism