Dealing with weight gain
Q: I’m in my late forties and married close to 30 years. Our children are grown and on their own. We still love each other very much and don’t want anything to happen to our marriage.
Over the past few years I have put on close to 30 pounds. I have desperately tried to get it off by exercising and cutting down on my fat intake and watching what I eat. I’ve been to my doctor. There’s no medical reason for it. I now weigh 185 pounds and the scales are still climbing. I’d like to know if you know of a reliable hypnotist or someone in that area who could help me with my problems.
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A:I am not a nutritionist and any diet you follow should be in consultation with a nutritionist, public health nurse or family doctor. Weight is often a problem once people reach or pass that mysterious plateau of middle age. I struggle with it myself. Once I hit my forties and fifties, I found my waist size rapidly advancing to my jacket size – and that was scary.
Managing weight involves several important aspects of life. The first has to do with body metabolism. Our biological furnace often becomes more efficient when we hit our late forties or early fifties. But we seldom change how much fuel we keep feeding that furnace. Ask your doctor if there’s a need to see if there are any metabolic problems affecting you, or if your being of menopausal age may be a factor.
I don’t believe in fad diets. But I do believe diets are helpful if they seriously look at fats and strictly monitor but do not totally eliminate them. But this means you must look carefully at the labels on all prepared foods. Thankfully, many foods can be found with low fat or zero fat, such as salad dressings, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc. Also, most fresh vegetables and fruits are fat free. It helps to find low (or almost zero) calorie foods for snacks when necessary. Rice cakes are low in calories, if eaten dry. The same applies to popcorn.
Hypnotherapy can help, but people who turn to it in desperation, expecting a miracle cure, may be disappointed. Hypnotherapy can help reinforce what you are working on. But it can’t do what you aren’t doing. It can help you to improve your relaxation skills. It can also help you reinforce positive thoughts and feelings. I’m sure your family doctor will be able to recommend someone in your area.
Positive self-talk is important. This self-talk must be realistic. It can help you focus more on positive thoughts and sidetrack those negative feelings. One book, although written about depression, which can help anyone who wants to practise positive thinking, is The Feeling Good Handbook, by David Burns, costing under $20. Self-help groups can help. I strongly recommend TOPS (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly) because it is voluntary, non-commercial and relies heavily on peer support.
