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Living on the Diet Edge

Tottering from a few pounds overweight to normal weight and back again. What's going on here?

Dieter Trish had need of losing a small amount of weight - only five measly pounds. So she went on a healthy diet plan and lost those five pounds of unwanted weight in record time.  Boy oh boy, that month and a half sure went by fast, Trish thought.

Time went forward and to Trish's dismay, her weight seem to forever fluctuate from what she considered her normal weight to ten pounds over that number.

Just what was going on here?

Trish was very careful in watching what she ate but she found that she was almost continually having to return to her reduced-calorie diet plan in order to keep her weight down.

Trish eventually went to visit her doctor to get his input.

The doctor determined that she was consuming the correct number of daily calories to support her recommended weight while balancing her lifestyle with adequate activity.

The following consists of a few things that the doctor suspected was making Trish's weight go up and down:

-Trish may have a thyroid problem which can contribute to weight gain. In addition, when the metabolic rate is slowed, the digestive system stagnates.

-Trish may have diabetes which can contribute to both weight gain and weight loss.

-Trish may have a hormonal imbalance.

If this story sounds familiar, make an appointment with your doctor to pinpoint the problem.

Here is an example of what Trish provided to her doctor regarding food and beverage intake. She is 5'2" tall and her recommended weight based on her body frame size according to her doctor is 120 pounds. She should consume no more than 1,500 calories per day in order to maintain her weight. She must also continue to incorporate moderate activity into her daily schedule.

Breakfast: Toasted English muffin with sunny-side up egg, 1 teaspoon of light margarine, 1 cup of skim milk.

Mid-Morning Snack: fresh banana

Lunch Menu: Extra lean ham and low fat cheese sandwich on two slices of rye bread spread with spicy brown mustard and filled with several varieties of lettuce and sliced red vine-ripened tomato. One-half cup of reduced fat cottage cheese and a small selection of the following raw veggies along with light raspberry-walnut dressing served on the side: baby carrots, sliced cucumber, mushrooms and celery sticks. Glass of water with lemon.

Afternoon Snack: One cup of fresh whole strawberries.

Dinner Menu: Three ounces of broiled fish, one serving of brown rice, one whole grain roll with teaspoon of light margarine, one serving of green beans and a glass of unsweetened tea. One cup of fresh whole strawberries served with light whipped cream (15 calories per dollop).