Ask Ade: Lifestyle plays bigger role in causing obesity

Wed, 07/23/2008 10:53 AM  |  Health

Dear Ade Rai,

Please help. All my family members are fat or obese. I am 48 years old, my wife is 44 years old and we have two sons, ages 17 and 20, and each of us is at least eight to 15 kilograms overweight. For your information, I am 176 centimeters tall and weigh 84 kg; my waist size is 36.

I suspect it has a lot to do with the genes we inherited from our parents. My parents both died from heart attacks before they were 50. As someone approaching that age, I am a bit concerned -- no, I am actually downright scared. We have tried several diets, but none have worked. I wonder if you have a solution to this. You seem to have successfully stayed lean all your life, so I thought you are the one we should turn to for answers and solutions.

-- Mark

Dear Mark,

Thank you for coming to me for answers and solutions. I'm not any better -- I have just been fortunate enough to learn and practice healthy lifestyle strategies from a young age. I will give you some tips you can begin with; however, please remember to first have a medical checkup and obtain your doctor's approval before starting any exercise or diet program.

First of all, contrary to popular belief, hereditary factors play only a small role in determining obesity. Lifestyle choices actually play a bigger role in causing weight gain for all family members. As parents you pass on your lifestyle choices to your children.

Your children will imitate you in their exercise and eating habits, and most likely will have similar medical problems. Therefore, the logical solution is to break the pattern that has caused fat accumulation in your family before the pattern breaks them. You, your wife and your sons need to have willpower to begin and then to persevere in a healthier lifestyle. Build up good habits one at a time; start slowly but begin with the most important components -- diet and exercise.

Second, after you receive your doctor's approval, I suggest you and your family begin with the following program.

At least five days per week and before breakfast, complete 30 minutes of low-impact cardiovascular activity. That means reaching and maintaining a heart rate of 120-140 beats per minute for your sons, and 100-120 for you and your wife.

Regarding your diet, discard all high-sugar, high-flour, high-fat snacks and beverages from your kitchen shelves and refrigerator. Replace them with low-fat milk/yogurt or protein powder -- better yet, eat leafy green vegetables.

Here's some suggestions of food you should discard: crackers, butter, margarine, cheese, full-cream milk, ice cream, whipped cream, candy, sweets, soft drinks, table sugar and anything which lists high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated vegetable oil, sugar, glycerol or refined flour on its nutrition label.

And here's a list of foods that you may keep and restock your shelves with: tomatoes, carrots, beans, nuts, muesli, capsicum, flax powder, oatmeal, extra-virgin olive oil, cooking spray, various unsalted herbal seasonings and spices, leafy green vegetables and green or black tea.

Next, as you enter the second week, continue with the habits you began in week one, but add one healthy habit and discard one bad habit.

At this stage I suggest you introduce more white protein into your diet such as chicken, turkey, tempeh, tofu and fish while reducing your carbohydrate portion to half the size of your fist at every meal.

As for exercise, continue the intensity as outlined above but add variety to your choice of exercises in order to keep family members from becoming bored. After about a month and as your cardiovascular health improves, add resistance training to your routine -- at least three times per week, 30 minutes per day.

And last, keep it fun! As dieting and exercise partners, you and your family are in this together and that provides a great support system.

Don't give up hope! The key is consistency and perseverance in developing new habits. I wish you and your family all the very best in your new lifestyle.

 

Hi Ade Rai,

I am the CEO of a company with almost 200 employees. Every day I have an average of five employees calling in sick, unable to work. Our company is growing in the marketplace; however, this statistic bothers me. I believe I can do something before we have a "culture of sickness" within our company. How can I begin? Your input will be greatly appreciated.

-- Irwan

 

Hi Irwan,

Thank you for your questions. Your instinct is correct. A healthy workforce will indeed benefit the company. After all, they are the most valuable asset of every company, right? Daily absenteeism costs every company; however, it is usually regarded as "natural and unavoidable" for people to fall ill, hence management and directors do not notice its effect upon their business.

First of all, the cost of reimbursing doctors' visits might be of little consequence. However, the potential loss of productivity should concern management. In your case, if your company had five sick employees every day last year, you would have lost approximately 1,500 working days. On the days they work at less than 100 percent capacity due to symptoms of illness or fear of being replaced from absenteeism due to a long illness, the company suffers additional loss.

As a leader, you could set a good example by maintaining a healthy lifestyle, enforcing a nonsmoking policy during working hours and by encouraging them to exercise more.

Investing in exercise facilities, health-related talk shows or a more nutritious food selection in the employee cafeteria will yield results in the long run.

I hope these tips get you started toward a healthier workforce. Hopefully your company will be healthier too!

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