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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 25, 1993)
Ihe Well Now nr > I he SlUilem Health C enter Neweletter The saga of a dieter fir Karin Prat ork Once upon .1 time there lived a young woman who was constantly on a diet. This young woman tried every thing. She fasted, tried pills, "drank three shakes a day and ate a sensible dinner' and still had no luck. “If Tommy Lasorda can do it, so can 1," she told herself, hut he didn't do any thing for her hut cost a fortune. Every time she read a magazine or watched TV. she would see these incredible women who looked perfect, and she wondered if she would ever have a body like theirs. Dieting began to occupy bet every thought, and soon her road into dieter’s hell had begun. This is not a fictional character; it is about people like you and me who have been dieting for too long, too dangerously. 1 am this young woman, Karin Pea cock, and I know what it’s like to be trapped in an overweight body and “mindset." I have tried every type of diet on the market to lose those extra pounds, from Weight Watchers to Slim F ast to Jenny Craig, but the only thing I got in return was extra poundage and frustra tion. The problem with all of the diets I tries! was that they didn’t teach me how to cat right, nor did they encour age me to exercise. Instead, they gave me cither fake milkshakes that have no nutritional value or boxed dinners that couldn’t even fill up a small child. As each day passed, I grew more ansi more angry at myself because I was becoming larger and my clothe* were becoming smaller. I began to hale myself and have a low self image, I felt trapped. Alter returning home (rotrt summer school last August. I knew that 1 want ed to do something about my weight problem. I had decided that I was sick and tired of being fat for more than 18 years and that something had to be done about it. My first step was a doctor's appointment and complete Woodwork, including a cholesterol test 1 his doc tor told me that if I reallv wanted to lose weight. I needed to cat tight and exercise daily; I was waiting for him to tell me something profound, possibly a secret, hut when he told me those two words. I felt like a tool because I realized I already knew that! When I got my test results hack, my cholesterol level was way too high, and I discovered that I was at high risk for cardiovascular disease. I hat was it From that day on, I made the most important decision of my life to stop dieting and to become a healthy indi vidual. I have learned to cut most dairy products and tats from my diet, drink lots of water, do a step aerobics class and walk aerobically four times a week Today. I am more than twenty pounds lighter, my cholesterol level is down thirty points, and 1 have never Iscen this happy in my entire life. I have found a new freedom within myself, I know that I can do anything because I believe in me! It I can do it. anyone can ALCOHOL (jinnnurd fnm fhift I Other medical researcher* dont believe that alcohol has anything to do with preventing heart disease. "There is no direct proof that it's the alcohol that protects against coro nary heart disease," says heart disease researcher William ( minor of I he Oregon I Icaltli Sciences ('enter. Conversely, studies have shown that people who drink moderately have a lower risk of heart disease. Unfortunately these studies do not prove that alcohol prevents heart dis ease. And we do not have a more convincing explanation for this link between alcohol and HDLs. Another point that researchers have made is that alcohol association with a lower risk of heart disease could actually have nothing to do with alcohol. This is not likely, but it is possible. Mavbe moderate drinkers lead a less stressful or less rigid life than non drinkers. Most research in this field has l>ecn on men, and the research that has recently been conducted involv ing women has not had favorable results. Researchers have iound that in women alcohol has the same effect in increasing I H)t-s, but it also increas es the chance for breast cancer. At this point in research on the connection between alcohol con sumption aiul heart disease, I feel that if you are a person who drinks moderately, you may be doing vour self more good relaxing than some one who never takes the time out to relax. By no means am 1 suggesting that anyone go out and start drinking. We need to remember that there are many ways to prevent heart disease, such as diet and exercise, but every thing should be done in moderation. Food for better thought Hr Trtuty < juLmh Growl ...rumble rumple., .growl! Suiv slowly and quietly sinks lower into her scat and notices that every eve in I SO Columbia is on her Oh no! I lere comes another one - anti oh, it s going to be loud; she quickly pushes on her stomach to stop the growl before it starts. As she sits there paranoid, her ton centration is far from where it should be. Not only is her stomach embarrass ing her and driving everyone else cra/v, but her mind is fuzzy and she cant seem to focus on the essay question in front of her. Suddenly, Suzy draws a blank on everything she knows; she begins to squirm and breaks out into a cold sweat when it comes time to hand in the test. On her way home, Suzy reflects back on her recent study habits to determine what could have possibly caused her to suddenly draw a blank; this is the third time in the past week it has happened. After carefully evaluating her habits, she still fails to find a cause for her spaciness and decides to make an appointment with a counselor at the Student Health Center. After a couple of sessions, the coun selor determined that Suzy s problem lies not in her study habits, but rather in her eating habits! Suzy has never been a breakfast cater, but she will now include this meal in her morning agen da. One week later, Suzy sits in her das', and awaits yet another examination. This time, however, she’s attentive, well-focused and prepared for the test Why? Because Suzy ate a nutritious breakfast! lor many of you, breakfast may seem pointless, but many researchers and doctors consider breakfast to be the most important meal of the day. Scientific studies prove that beginning the day with a good breakfast leads to increased awareness and allows people to have a more productive morning than those who skip it altogether. Working all morning without eating anything for breakfast is analogous to spending money before it has been earned. If you begin eating at noon each day. the food you consume is used by your system to make up for what you didn't eat earlier rather than pro vidmg nutrients and the energy need cd to help get you through the rest of the day. Because everybody is different, our loot.! preferences and amounts sve con sume individually tend to vary. Some people prefer large breakfasts and consider it the largest meal of the dav, whereas others who aren’t accus tomed to eating breakfast, may cat nothing or very little. These people usually begin their breakfast regimen by eating small por tions and gradually work their way up to larger servings with the essential nutrients. Breakfast foods need not be high in calories, but they should include serv ings from at least three of the four food groups to ensure maximum nutrition. The following menu is a simple sug gestion lor a quick, easy and nutritious breakfast: Tuud iintup !ko mat Lsaruvlt Vcgctablc-Truii I 1/2 Cirjpcfruil Bread ( !ereal 2 f oast/t .ereal Hairy I I cup Milk With the winter months already upon us, it is especially important to make time in your morning to cat a nutritious breakfast to help give your self a boost through the dark and gloomy days. Not only does eating breakfast pro vide energy and nutrients, it also helps to increase metabolic processes, thus preventing the body front putting on unwanted pounds. The body’s natural tendency during the winter is to store extra calories as fat to provide insulation for warmth. Therefore, eating a low caloric breakfast every morning will prevent your metabolism from slowing down. So if you think that eating breakfast is a waste of time that could be spent sleep ing an extra ten minutes, think again. Just by eating something small, whether at your kitchen table or on your way to class, your overall perfor mance can and will improve signifi cantly - you will be surprised by how good you feel at the beginning and even at the end of the day. Workshops Helpful information for a healthy lifestyle Smoking Cessation Two 4-wcS workshop* which will follow lhe American (juicer Society Guideline*. Monday*; 2:00-3:20pm. Medical library Kt Sewnm January 25th, February I u. 8rh and I5ih 2nd Seuion; February 15th, 22nd. Marcli In and 8th Weight Management 7-wcek workshop Wednesday*. 2:00-3:20pm Medical library January 20th, 27th, Feb 3. 10. 17, 24. and Match 3rd Vegetarianism Workshop 3- week workshop Tuesdays: 1:30-3:00pm, Medical Library Ecb 9th, Ibth and 23rd Women, Weight & Food Issues 4- week workshop Wednesdays: 1:30- 2:30pm, Group Room Begins January 27th Call the Health Education Center to pre-register for workshops at 346-4441 or 346-4436. 1 Resources for well-being Conflict Revolution: University Counseling ('.enter 13th Street 4t Agate 346 (227 UO Crists ('.enter hotline 346-4488 24 hours a day Sexual Assault Support Services 484-9795 U of () Mediation Program EMU Room 318 346-4240 Oflitc of Student Advocacy EMU 318 346-3722 Women's Resource and Referral Center Suite 3 EMU 346-3327 Physical Ailments: Student Health ('enter 13th Street at Agate 346-4441 Health Information: l ifrttyln Planning Program Health FJticaiion ( timr 346-4456 Financial Concern!: Office of Student Financial Aid 260 Oregon Hall 346-3221 Student I mployment Office I 2 I Icndricks 11.ill 346 32 14 Academic (Concerns: Office of Academic Advicing and Student Scrviccc 164 Oregon I tail 446 3211 Career Planning and Placement 244 Hendrick- Hall 346-3235 ('.enter lor Academic learning Services 68 PI C 346 3226
