Dealing with weight

By Jay Fonseca and Tara Hire

Posted on Thursday, October 30th, 2003, 12:00 am

You buy larger clothes. You try to act happy and proud when seeing old friends who managed to stay trim since you saw them last. People think you’re lazy, you’re a slob and you’re ugly. Your doctor preaches to you about how you’ll die of a heart attack at 30, but that is the least of your concerns right now. You’re sad all of the time, so you eat, watch TV and zone out life. Hell, it’s all you can do to keep your dignity intact. On the occasions you do go out, you ask to be sat at a table instead of a booth, saving yourself the embarrassment of trying to squeeze into that tight space. You’ve tried to lose the weight but can’t. You ignore the problem just to cope with it.

It is not always your fault.

There are many reasons why someone becomes fat, but here is the bottom line. Being fat is like being addicted to cigarettes. It is so easy to get hooked, and once you do there is almost no going back. Surgery and other medical treatments are near failures. Most diet drugs are so dangerous, the Food and Drug Administration won’t let them touch a pharmacy counter. Once the fat tissue is there it is incredibly hard to get rid of it. Even people who are continuously monitored by a doctor and consistently encouraged to stick to their diets lose only two and a half percent of their body weight. That is only five pounds off of a 200 pound frame. Once a person stops dieting and exercising regularly, the weight often comes right back.

Then there are those who have no control over their weight problem. Genetics can play a serious role in a person’s size. Other conditions that may lead to obesity are hypothyroidism, steroid use and depression. If you think that you may have one of these conditions or a genetic predisposition to weight gain, go talk to someone at Cutler. There may be help for you.

There is also the argument that society today has simply led many of us into a sedentary lifestyle with high-calorie food on the run. Obesity is an epidemic that needs to be confronted by everyone, not just individuals. Be the one to organize a demand to improve the food that is offered to you. The University of Maine could truly be a Flagship University by setting an example to the nation. Charge less for bottled water when compared to coke in the soda machines. The dining commons could make a greater variety of healthy, low-fat foods that actually taste good. The Hilltop and South side markets could offer fruit, yogurt, and 100 percent fruit juices at lower prices than the Hot Pockets, chips and TV dinners. As a community we deserve better and we can get what we ask for if more would speak up.

There are many resources available to help you reduce and control your weight. Check out the dietitian on campus. Her name is Laura Honeycutt and she has an office in Stodder Hall. There are also nutrition students available to help you, check out their FirstClass site. If you feel that you overeat because of psychological reasons, visit the counseling center. They are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Their number is 581-1392, and walk-ins are welcome. There is a test available on-line at umaine.edu/counseling to see if you have an eating disorder. Finally, do not forget about the personal trainers at Latti Fitness Center. If you are unsure about a gym membership though, a little known secret about that place is that anyone with a MaineCard can try it out free twice a semester.

Many of us study nutrition and health everyday but still find all of this hard to do. When you are running late, it is so much easier to grab a quick burger than wait in line at Fernald’s. The key is to try your best everyday and to be consistent. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park as far away as you can from your buildings, just to get that extra walk in. Grab an apple or a plum instead of some candy next time. Everyone defines health differently, but generally health and happiness go hand in hand, and the healthier your lifestyle is now, the longer and happier your life will be.