Kristy Alley made the tabloids again!

As many of you know, Kristy Alley gained back all the weight she lost plus an additional 10 lbs!!  The  former spokesperson for Jenny Craig wowed us all in 2006 when she lost 75 lbs, and showing off her figure in slimming dresses. This after tabloid newspapers caught candid shots of her at her heaviest weight. I was amazed at looking at these pictures of her obese body, and confused. How can that happen? I was a fan of the sitcom, Cheers, and remember how she looked on the show. I always thought she was incredibly beautiful with a stunning figure. I also asked how can someone with as much money as she, someone who can certainly afford a personal trainer and chef, become obese. But then again, it is something I deal with every day. Like the famous proverb written by John Heywood, “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.” I can provide the tools, but you have to do all the work, and continue the work. There is more to it than simply diet and exercise, it’s also our relationship with food. Animals, eat to satisfy hunger and for survival. They are programmed to eat when food is offered, but it is unknown to them when food will be available again. Offer a dog a strip of bacon, it will not turn it away. Humans, unlike animals, eat for a variety of reasons, we eat simply because something tastes good, whether we are hungry or not. We eat when we are bored, anxious, stressed, depressed, etc…food can be extremely soothing. Food is also used socially. People may get together for a meeting, book club, or one of those multilevel marketing parties, and various snacks and drinks will be offered. Going out to dinner is a common social event where people tend to overeat. Going to the movies, and then eating popcorn, candy and soda. Most people are able to enjoy these food-integrated activities in moderation, but when people are severely overweight or obese, it is important to figure out what their relationship with food is. Are you using food to soothe boredom, depression, to make yourself feel better, or is it an addiction?

Can food be addictive?
Yes. OK, here’s a quick education on addiction. Basically, anything pleasurable can be addictive. The brain contains a pleasure center or reward system that is activated with the release of neurotransmitters (e.g. seratonin, dopamine) when individuals engage in activity that is pleasurable. There are two different types of addiction, dependence and abuse. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Text Revision (2000) (DSM-IV-TR), the criteria for dependence includes tolerance and withdrawal. Tolerance is when there is a need for larger amounts of the substance to attain the same effect, and a diminished effect with using the same amount over time. Withdrawal is a distressing behavior change with physiological and psychological cognitive components that develop after ending or reducing the substance that has been heavily used. The substance may be used to relieve or avoid the unpleasant withdrawal symptoms, which include depressed mood, nausea or vomiting, muscle aches, diarrhea and fever. The substance, when taken in high doses, can cause intense euphoric effects by releasing neurotransmitters in the brain, such as dopamine and serotonin, leading to pleasurable feelings in the user, which can lend to their abuse and may lead to their dependence. According to the DSM-IV-TR, an individual may be physiologically dependent and/or psychologically dependent. Physiological dependence exists if there are tolerance or withdrawal effects and psychological dependence exists if there are no tolerance or withdrawal symptoms. An individual who uses the substance more often or for a longer period than was intended, has a desire or has had unsuccessful attempts to control or to stop using, uses a great deal of effort to obtain the substance, important activities are given up due to the use, or the substance use continues despite physical or psychological problems, meets the criteria for dependency. Abuse on the other hand is characterized by either failing to fulfill major obligations due to the substance use, engaging in activities or situations that are hazardous, or the substance use leads to social or interpersonal problems (DSM-IV-TR). Therefore, people can essentially abuse food, use it to fulfill a need, and continue to do so despite hazardous or social and interpersonal problems. Becoming severely overweight or obese, can be extremely hazardous to one’s health, as it places people at risk for diabetes, heart disease, cancer, to name a few. It can also have a negative effect on family relationships, as one may not be physically able to enjoy activities with their spouse or children, and also lead to various sexual dysfunctions. It has a negative effect on one’s mental health, as the lack of physical activity can reduce the neurotransmitters (serotonin and dopamine) released, not to mention one’s self body image. Therefore, continuing to overeat while experiencing obesity and these negative effects to the physical body and negative effects on one’s interpersonal relationships, certainly can qualify as abuse or dependence.  So there is the possibility of addiction, but there is also choice here. 

How do you determine the reasons why you eat?

Keeping a journal. One of the best ways to determine one’s relationship with food is to visit a nutritionist who specializes in overeating or food addictions and other eating disorders, and has you keep a food journal. Nutritionists not only offer food plans, but can also help determine how and why you eat. Nutritionists are not just for those who are overweight. For example, I saw a nutritionist when I was 28 years old. I was very active and ate a healthy diet, and was a healthy weight. I performed about 4 hours of intense weight training and about 2 ½ hours of cardiovascular exercise every week. I ate a healthy diet rich in lean protein, whole grains, and vegetables. However, I was not feeling my best, I was feeling run down, and I was sick a lot with strange ailments. I was asked by the nutritionist to keep a food journal, documenting all my food, in addition to my activity, and any feelings or emotions I was experiencing at the time I was eating. The first thing my nutritionist noticed was that I was not eating enough for my activity level. My diet was too healthy. She said I was eating the diet of a cardiac patient, not an active 28-year-old woman. I was eating about 1800 calories a day, because I thought that was how much I should be eating. But no, I should have been eating about 2300 calories a day. I also needed more fat in my diet, as it is an essential nutrient. I began adding cheese to my sandwiches, and stopping trimming all the fat off my chicken breast and stopped rinsing off cooked ground beef. That extra 500 calories a day did wonders. No, I did not gain any additional weight, instead I jump started my metabolism, had more energy, stopped getting sick with strange ailments, and overall, felt great. Another thing we noticed with my eating is that I did eat to soothe my mood. Whenever I felt depressed or lonely (yes, I was single at the time) I would eat something sweet like cookies or a bowl of ice cream. Then I would feel worse. So two things needed to be changed there. I found other, more healthy ways to deal with a depressed mood. I instead would do something nice for myself, like give myself a facial or pedicure. I also had to allow myself to eat a cookie or ice cream without feeling guilty. I was active, healthy, and certainly could afford to enjoy something sweet every once in a while. It’s OK. So this is what Kristy Alley desperately needed to do, find out what her relationship with food was to cause her to become obese in the first place.

Was Jenny Craig the Answer?

Or any of these diets you see on TV?  NO! I get so frustrated with people who use these diets, or similar ones. Then I have to remind myself that they are bombarded with people on TV with these healthy slim bodies promoting the Slim Fast Diet, the Special K Diet, South Beach, The Zone, Jenny Craig, Nutra-system, Weight Watchers, etc. Is this any way to eat, no, its not. Unless you do it for the rest of your life, it will not work forever and you will fall back into your same bad eating and drinking habits. Those slim fast drinks that sit on store shelves for God knows how long, is that even food? Can you imagine doing that the rest of your life? I can’t, gross; or eating bland Special K twice a day for the rest of your life, or living on frozen foods, which are loaded with sodium and other preservatives by the way. What do you do when you want a home cooked meal, go to another’s home for dinner, or go on vacation? Pack your frozen meals with you, I don’t think so. Plus you never learn to prepare food on your own and prepare healthy serving sizes. Cutting out complete food groups is never the answer, and it cannot be continued long-term without serious consequences. Unless you plan on counting points the rest of your life, Weight Watchers is not the answer either.

So what is the answer?

The answer is not as complicated as you might believe. The first thing you need to so is to see what, how, and why you are eating/drinking. Start a food & drink/feelings/activities journal. See a nutritionist if you think you might need help with this. From here, you can see what you are eating and drinking, how much, how much of what, and why. When you see how many calories you are eating, from there you can adjust whether you need to eat more or fewer calories. When you can see what nutrients you are getting and what you are lacking, you can see what needs to be reduced and what needs to be increased. Pay attention to what you are eating. Read the package to see how many calories something has, the nutrients, and the sodium content. When reading the package, look at the serving size, this is where you can be fooled. When you see that something is 100 calories, but it is for 1/3 of the package, if you eat the entire package, then you are really eating 300 calories. When you are unsure of a serving size, use your fist as a guide. Your serving of meat, carbohydrate such as rice, potatoes, and vegetables should be the size of your fist. Some vegetables such as lettuce and broccoli, have so few calories, you can have a large portion of them. However, are they slathered with butter or dressing? Pay attention to the condiments and other flavors you add to your food, those calories add up fast. When you go out to dinner, read the item description. Is it fried? Then it will be covered in oil. Does it contain a butter or cream sauce? Then it will be loaded with fat and calories. If it comes slathered with cheese, ask for no cheese or a reduced amount. If ordering vegetables, ask that they be steamed without butter. If ordering any type of sandwich, ask that the roll not be buttered and grilled. You can save up to 200 calories and 20 grams of fat right there. When offered dessert, ask yourself are you still hungry, is they a healthier alternative on the dessert menu, were you active enough that day to support the additional calories? If you are dying for dessert split it with someone or two.

Take Charge!
Basically, you need to start taking charge and being responsible for what you are putting into your body. Kristy Alley did not. Kristy Alley said it was becoming a vegetarian that made her fat again. Um, no, it was overeating too much fat and refined carbohydrates. She even admitted, she would opt for an enchilada without meat. Take charge of your health and body, what better way to show love for yourself than to take care of it and give it what it needs. Keeping a journal is a great way to begin this responsibility. Essentially, the journal will allow you to answer the following questions. Are you eating too many calories or too few? Are you drinking enough water? Are you eating too many refined carbohydrates and too few vegetables? Are you skipping meals, eating too little during the day, and too much in the evening? Are you eating mindlessly when bored? Are you eating to soothe an emotion? Are you active enough? Awareness of you relationship with food is key to developing a healthy relationship with food. Like animals, we need food for survival, but as social beings, we need food for quality of life. We must find that healthy balance to eat the amount of nutrients our bodies require, but enjoy it at the same time.

 Melanie Clark Mogavero, CSCS, RYT