Dec. 30, 1997
Throw Out The Scales!
INSTEAD OF RESTRICTING YOURSELF TO DIETING, 
EXPAND YOUR OUTLOOK TO PROMOTING GOOD HEALTH

	When it comes to those annual new year's resolutions, don't
think about dieting.
	Instead of restricting food items, think expansively about
healthy eating, advises Susan Del Gobbo, a University of Virginia
nutritionist. 
	"Take the emphasis off dieting," says Del Gobbo, who suggests
people should weigh themselves only once or twice a year.
	"We've robbed ourselves of the joy of eating," she adds,
noting the barrage of daily messages people receive about thinness,
height-and-weight charts and the evils of fat and sugar.
	"Food should be pleasurable.  Look at its color, its texture.
Savor its taste," recommends Del Gobbo, who works with U.Va. students
on nutrition, body image and self-esteem.
	She urges people to cast off bad images associated with eating
and make a commitment to improve health by eating a balanced, low-fat
diet and engaging in moderate exercise.  "I'm always hearing 'I was a
bad girl because I ate chocolate.'  Instead of giving yourself only
negative messages, think positively."
	Eating more plant-based foods is one simple change people can
make to improve their health, Del Gobbo notes.  She recommends eating
and cooking with more fruits, whole grain, vegetables and legumes.
	"I'd like to see a substantial change in attitudes about
foods.  I want people to recognize that fit and healthy bodies come in
all shapes and sizes.  Thinness is not to be idolized," says Del
Gobbo.
	"I encourage people to stop using their weight and weight
control as a measure of their value.  Value yourself simply for who
you are."
	
	People's beliefs about the relationship of body weight and
body fat to health have little or no basis in fact, says Glenn
Gaesser, a U.Va. authority on health and 
fitness who wrote the 1996 book, "Big Fat Lies: The Truth About Your
Weight and Your Health."
	Debunking many popular notions, Gaesser does not think that
thinner is better, that weight loss improves health and that a 'fat'
person cannot, by definition, be fit.  "Nothing could be further from
the truth," he says.
	"The health risks of obesity have been overstated.  Poor diet
and lack of physical activity may lead to obesity and health problems
associated with excess body fat, but it is life-style that 
plays the major role in weight-related diseases.  By engaging in daily
aerobic exercise and eating a low-fat, high-fiber diet, more than half
of all men and women with weight-related health problems, such as
hypertension, elevated blood lipids or type II diabetes, could be
symptom-free and off medication within one month -- without coming
close to 'normalizing' body weight," he said.

	Clinical studies offer a number of surprises, Gaesser says.
        Among them:
	
        * There is no connection between obesity and clogged arteries.
	* Overweight men and women who exercise regularly have a lower risk
          of premature death than thin men and women who do not exercise.
        * Body fat is beneficial; thigh fat may protect against heart disease.
	* For lots of people weight above those recommended by height-weight
          tables are actually better for health and longevity.
	* Yo-yo dieting, or up-and-down weight fluctuation, can be harmful
          because of the damage that occurs to the vascular system.

	Good health can be achieved by exercising more and eating more
healthful foods, affirms Gaesser, an associate professor of exercise
physiology and associate director of the Adult Fitness Program at U.Va. 
	He advocated a Twenty/Twenty Program -- 20 minutes of physical
activity a day and a target of 20 percent of calories from fat daily. 
Such a program is "user friendly, very flexible and has no weight loss goal
to judge success," Gaesser says.

	To expand your view to improving overall health, Del Gobbo suggest
        people resolve to do the following:
	1. See your body as a treasured home for yourself to enjoy and
           use fully.
	2. Reject the social pressure to be as thin as possible.
	3. Give your body what it really needs, including moderate exercise,
           healthful foods, sensual pleasures and relaxation.
	4. Ask yourself twice a day: "What do I gain from thinking about
           perceived defects in my weight and shape?"
	5. Stop weighing yourself. Get rid of your bathroom scales.

	Among Gaesser's simple solutions for reducing fat in your diet
        without feeling deprived are:
	1. Switch from whole or 2% milk to 1% or skim milk.
	2. Select only the leanest grades of ground beef.
	3. Have low-fat foods such as fruits and vegetables, easily available
           in the refrigerator.
	4. When baking or preparing sauces, stuffing or pastas, use only
           half or less of the butter, margarine or olive oil called for
           in recipes.
	5. Substitute pretzels, baked tortilla chips, rice cakes and
           unbuttered popcorn for chips and cheese-loaded snacks.

	For more information, contact Susan Del Gobbo at (804) 923-4561,
home; (804) 924-1509, office; or sd2n@virginia.edu Glenn Gaesser can be
reached at (804) 924-3543 or gag2q@virginia.edu  Television reporters
should contact our TV News Office at (804) 924-7550.

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