A New Cause for Childhood Obesity

We all know that overweight kids become overweight adults. But in a study out last Thursday, experts now say that kids who have surgery for common childhood problems like ear infections and infected or swollen tonsils are more likely to become obese too. They say that correcting these types of problems may affect childrens' taste buds, causing them to prefer sweets over more healthy foods--which leads to weight gain and unhealthy eating habits.

When I read this, I had to stop and think. I had my tonsils removed when I was young, and I did gain weight in the years that followed. But for me, I think that was more about pure genetics than anything. Though I wasn't particularly active during my teenage years, I wasn't super sedentary either. And everyone in both my immediate and extended family was always overweight, so I think I just got stuck with bad genes.

The premise of this idea makes sense though. Since sweets are the strongest and easiest to taste flavors, it stands to reason that when taste receptors for other flavors are interrupted or blocked, kids would learn to prefer sweets over other foods because that's all they could taste.

I wonder how things are different for adults who have these types of corrective surgeries. Sure, you don't usually hear of them getting tubes put in their ears; but I have known adults who've had their tonsils removed after years of problems with them. I wonder if, following those types of surgery, adults have the same kind of issues.

Regardless, here's one more situation that may lead to obesity. Maybe our kids would be better off without surgery (where there's an option, of course).

Exercise and Fun...Do They Even Go Together?

When I was growing up, I was a typical kid. I rode my bike all over the neighborhood for hours in the summer, meeting up with friends, playing hopscotch and jump rope, and staying out till my mom forced me inside at dark.

At that young age, I was oblivious to how many miles I rode, calories I burned or hours I spent pedaling around the neighborhood. I just knew I was having fun--and that's all that mattered. Now I'm a typical couch potato who hates anything that requires me to sweat.

Case in point: I went to Walmart today to pick up a few essentials, and by the time I dragged myself into the store through the 90 degree heat, got what I needed (along with what seemed like hundreds of other people), then drove home and put it all away, I felt like I'd run a marathon. Sweat was pouring down my face and I got so overheated I fell on the floor in front of a fan in total exhaustion!

So tell me, was that exercise? After all, what's the difference between Sweatin' to the Oldies and sweatin' to the beat of my own drum as I navigate the aisles at Walmart, then climb the steps at home over and over to put my wares away?

Maybe I've lost sight of the real problem. As a kid, I used to have fun; maybe I've forgotten how to do that as an adult. When I was young, it came naturally. Now, living the life of an overweight adult, everything that used to be fun seems so much harder now--especially exercise.

Do you enjoy exercising to burn those calories...or do you do it just because you "have to?" If you've found ways to exercise and have fun at the same time, I'd love to hear about them. I think if I could make simple movement fun again, I might have more success at losing the weight--and keeping it off this time.

Low-Cal Snacking

Hearing your stomach rumble can be really embarrassing--especially when you're at work sitting in a meeting or in a social setting of some sort. It's not a pleasant feeling either! But when you're between meals and can't fill your tummy to capacity, how can you silence it so you can go on with life and function until that next meal comes?

If you don't know so by now, snacking is the answer...or is it? Wait a minute; doesn't snacking just add calories and cause us to gain weight?

For those of us who are overweight (likely everyone who's reading this blog), snacking can be a danger zone. For many, myself included, once I get started it can be really hard to stop. But by choosing snacks wisely, we can limit the number of calories we ingest even if we do pig out, so it seems a wise thing to do. Besides, it keeps us from eating more than we should at meals, and that's a good thing when it comes to weight loss!

In searching for healthy alternatives to high calorie snacks, I ran across a post on the About.com weight loss blog that offered these options, all of which have 100 or fewer calories each. Not only are they low in calories to help us stay on track; most of them also help satisfy a sweet tooth (see my earlier post on that subject)!

• 1/2 c. sugar-free Jello and two Tbsp. reduced-fat whipped topping
• two handfuls of chocolate raisins
• 1/2 an apple spread with 2 tsp. peanut butter
• 1/2 c. orange juice (Try it frozen!)
• 1/2 c. fat-free, sugar-free instant or packaged pudding
• whole wheat toast with 1 tsp. sugar-free spread
• non-fat yogurt (artificially sweetened)
• single serving of apple sauce
• 1 serving of many varieties of Campbell's soups
• a Fudgesicle
• 6 saltine crackers with 2 tsp. of peanut butter (My personal favorite!)
• half a turkey sandwich using reduced-calorie bread, mustard, and veggies
• mock S'more: reduced-fat Graham cracker, topped with a jumbo marshmallow and drizzled with chocolate syrup

Sounds pretty yummy, huh? Think I'll give the apple and peanut butter option a try right now. Maybe it will keep me from overdoing it at dinner...another 2 hours away!

Give some of these low-cal snacks a try and let me know what you think.

Are Meds the Answer?

Recently I saw an ad for a new weight loss study in my hometown. One of the foremost universities here is looking for overweight people willing to take one of two medicines associated with weight loss, both of them or possibly a placebo, in order to see if either or both medications really work.

Since my husband and I are both heavy, we both applied. It would be nice to do this together, as we're both in the same boat and could attend the appointments together and, I think, be an encouragement to one another.

Even my daughter is jumping on the bandwagon. Whereas my husband and I are closer to 100 pounds overweight, my daughter is more like 50. But she's much younger, and I'd like to see her live a full life, have a family of her own and not be afraid of dying young like we are. Not to be morbid, but this extra 100 pounds or so I'm carrying around is really making me exhausted! I miss the energy I used to have when I was my daughter's age.

Anyway, the university called me today and, after a few questions, said I qualify for the study. Now I just have to cross my fingers, hope my husband and daughter get in, and pray for meds instead of placebos!

Have any of you out there ever gone this route in your attempts to lose weight? I'd be interested in hearing your perspectives, cautions, etc as I try this last "something new."