More Information on Healthy Body Weight

Being overweight and obese is very common in the United States. Two-thirds of all adults in the United States are overweight or obese. This is nearly 70% of the adult population! However, this does not make it any less important to address this health problem right now in your own life. This is especially true if you are working on a total healing plan after a diagnosis of cancer.

Examine Your Risk

Look at your current height and weight and be honest with yourself about whether you are overweight. This may be harder than it sounds!

Researchers have found that many overweight and obese adults do not know that they are above a healthy body weight (1-3). The first step toward a healthy body weight is accepting where you are so that you can focus on how to manage your weight and improve your health. Let go of self-blame and move onto self-care!!

How do you know if you're overweight or obese? You can use a measure called Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is a way to measure body weight, while taking into account a person's height. To determine your BMI, please see our Body Mass Index Calculator.

Be Easy With Yourself!

Being kind to yourself is very important, especially if you are dealing with a serious health issue such as cancer! Keep these points in mind as you take care of yourself and focus on a healthy body weight goal.

• The bad news is that weight gain after treatment for some types of cancer is common (4,5).
• The good news is that researchers are now beginning to understand reasons for this weight gain. Important research tells us that one of the reasons why many people gain weight after a cancer diagnosis is lack of physical activity and loss of muscle mass that can occur when we are inactive (6).
• This means you need to....

Get Moving

This is so important that researchers are studying the best ways to help cancer patients exercise to build and maintain muscle mass and to maintain a healthy body weight (7-11).

Be sure you receive clearance from your doctor BEFORE beginning an exercise plan! Some cancer treatments, such as surgery, may limit what you are allowed to do for exercise. However, with the help of your health care team, you can develop a safe and effective exercise plan that is right for you.

• Talk to your health care provider about a good exercise plan for you.
• Exercise plans do not have to be fancy or very hard. Simply taking a long, brisk walk each day can be enough to aid with weight loss and make you healthier.
• Find an exercise buddy such as a family member or co-worker. It is harder to skip exercise when you plan to meet someone for it.
• Schedule exercise, even 10 minutes, into your day. WRITE IT on your calendar. If you don't make time for it, you won't do it.

Find A Supportive Health Care Provider!

This is one of the most important things you can do to help yourself succeed. Research tells us that many health care providers have a very negative view of men and women who are obese (12). When you want to lose weight and improve your health, the last thing you need is a health care provider who is critical and unsupportive!

• Talk to your doctor honestly about your desire to lose weight and improve your health.
• Tell him/her that you would like help with your goals.
• Ask for a referral to a weight loss specialist such as a Registered Dietitian.
• If your doctor is not supportive of your goals or places the focus on blaming you for being overweight, consider finding a more supportive health care provider.

Modify Your Views & Goals

One of the most important things you can do to increase your chances of success with weight loss is to view these changes as A GIFT!

• Losing weight to improve your health is NOT a punishment. It is a gift.
• Realize that weight loss won't be easy, but when you succeed, you will feel better, you will have a better quality of life, you will decrease your risk of many serious diseases, and you will live longer!
• This is a gift to you, but it is also a gift to your family and friends. Anyone who cares about you will benefit from the gift of health that YOU give yourself by maintaining a healthy body weight!
• Make your goal IMPROVED health, NOT 'looking better'. While improvements in appearance are a great benefit of weight loss, focusing on the HEALTH benefits of weight loss will help you meet your goals today and for the long-term!
• Health benefits include ANYTHING that will help motivate you. This can include sleeping better; having less joint & muscle pain; having more energy; lowering your risk of cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke and other serious conditions; improving your sense of well being and self-image; and just about any other health improvement you can think of. Weight loss will help with all of these goals!!

Eliminate High Calorie/Low Nutrition Foods

New research is telling us that certain parts of our diet might be contributing a lot to the problem of obesity. One potential obesity contributor is high fructose corn syrup. Studies tell us that the eating a lot of high fructose corn syrup may be making the obesity problem worse (13,14).

What is high fructose corn syrup?

High fructose corn syrup is a sweetener found in many commonly eaten foods and beverages. One of the biggest contributors to the higher levels of high fructose corn syrup in our diets is soda pop. There are many other sources of high fructose corn syrup too. To address this problem...

• DROP THE POP habit. Soda pop is nearly pure high fructose corn syrup. This includes both 'brown' and 'clear' regular soda pops.
• Let me say that again. DROP THE POP habit. Regular soda pop is nothing but PURE sugar, in particular, high fructose corn syrup. Worse yet, it is liquid, which means it affects your body more quickly than sugar in foods.
• When you switch from regular soda pop to water, decrease the amount of soda pop you drink slowly. This will help prevent symptoms of caffeine withdrawal, such as headaches.
• If you do not like plain water, try carbonated water that does not contain high fructose corn syrup. Look at the label. If the water contains calories, PUT IT BACK. Instead pick a brand that does not contain calories. Plain, flavored or carbonated water will not contain calories.
• Small amounts of diet sodas are ok, but they do not add anything of nutritional benefit to your diet. For this reason, think of a diet soda as a treat, not a daily necessity.
• Other sources of high fructose corn syrup include fruit punches (6 ounces of 100% fruit juice is ok to count as one serving of fruit per day); baked goods such as doughnuts, cookies, cakes, candy bars, hard candy, and other desserts; jams; jellies; sauces and dressings; and many other highly processed foods such as instant meals and snack foods.
• What are highly processed foods? Think of foods that are as close to their 'natural form' as possible, such as fresh vegetables and fruit. Now think of a more processed food, for example, a corn chip. A corn chip is made of corn, but it's NOT a whole food, it is highly processed! To make a corn chip, first the corn is picked, then ground and crushed. Next the fiber portion of the corn is thrown out. Then the corn is fried in processed fat (hydrogenated fat). Next it is treated with artificial flavors, dyes, and preservatives. This hardly looks like corn anymore!
• Now think of corn on the cob. It is picked, shipped, and ends up on your dinner table! It is not processed. It is a WHOLE food. The less processing that a food undergoes before you eat it, the better it is for you.
• Make dessert an OCCASSIONAL treat. There is nothing wrong with having a sweet treat now and then. Just make sure 'now and then' only means 2-3 times per week.

Watch Portion Sizes

• If you do eat in restaurants, watch your portion sizes! Instead of eating everything on your plate, try asking for a 'to go' box at the BEGINNING of your meal. Place a portion of the food into the 'to go' box and then enjoy the rest of your meal.
• When eating at home, try measuring your portion sizes for a while. For example, a serving of pasta is 1/2 cup cooked. Try measuring this out to see what it looks like. If you want more than one serving, this can be ok, just be sure you KNOW you are eating more than one serving. Sometimes, just being aware of what you are eating can help you make better choices.

More Tips For Maintaining A Healthy Weight  

The first thing to remember is that weight loss is not easy. Don't be hard on yourself if you've struggled with maintaining a healthy weight. This is a health concern for many people. If you've tried to lose weight in the past and have not succeeded, don't give up! Just because you haven't met your weight loss goals in the past does not mean you won't be able to succeed this time!

We know that many, many people struggle with weight loss. Nobody is immune from the difficulty of making healthy food choices when confronted with fast food restaurants and vending machines! However, by changing the way you think about food and health and improving a few habits, you CAN succeed at weight loss. Use the tips below to get started on the road to maintaining a healthy, long-term body weight.

• Consult with a Registered Dietitian (RD) or receive support from a weight loss organization such as Weight Watchers©. Either of these approaches will work to help you develop a sensible and successful weight loss plan. 
• Be sure you think about weight loss and healthy eating as a lifestyle rather than a temporary diet. This is important! For long-term weight loss success, you must change your eating and exercise habits permanently.

NOTE: If you are in cancer treatment, these diet changes may not be right for you. Please discuss your nutrition needs with your health care team. Weight loss during cancer treatment generally is not helpful. Instead, you may need to focus on eating well through treatment and maintaining your weight.

After treatment is over, you can talk to your doctor about a healthy weight management plan.

References

1. Kuchler F, Variyam JN. Mistakes were made: misperception as a barrier to reducing overweight. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2003;27(7):856-61.

2. Madrigal H, Sanchez-Villegas A, Martinez-Gonzalez MA, Kearney J, Gibney MJ, Irala J, Martinez JA.Underestimation of body mass index through perceived body image as compared to self-reported body mass index in the European Union. Public Health. 2000;114(6):468-73. 

3. Blokstra A, Burns CM, Seidell JC. Perception of weight status and dieting behaviour in Dutch men and women. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 1999;23(1):7-17.

4. Demark-Wahnefried W, Rimer BK, Winer EP. Weight gain in women diagnosed with breast cancer.
J Am Diet Assoc. 1997;97(5):519-26,529.

5. Demark-Wahnefried W, Hars V, Conaway MR, Havlin K, Rimer BK, McElveen G, Winer EP. Reduced rates of metabolism and decreased physical activity in breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. Am J Clin Nutr. 1997;65(5):1495-501.

6. Demark-Wahnefried W, Peterson BL, Winer EP, Marks L, Aziz N, Marcom PK, Blackwell K, Rimer BK. Changes in weight, body composition, and factors influencing energy balance among premenopausal breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. J Clin Oncol. 2001;19(9):2381-89.

7. Brown JK, Byers T, Doyle C, Coumeya KS, Demark-Wahnefried W, Kushi LH, McTieman A, Rock CL, Aziz N, Bloch AS, Eldridge B, Hamilton K, Katzin C, Koonce A, Main J, Mobley C, Morra ME, Pierce MS, Sawyer KA. Nutrition and physical activity during and after cancer treatment: an American Cancer Society guide for informed choices. CA Cancer J Clin. 2003;53(5):268-91.

8. Djuric Z, DiLaura NM, Jenkins I, Darga L, Jen CK, Mood D, Bradley E, Hryniuk WM. Combining weight-loss counseling with the weight watchers plan for obese breast cancer survivors. Obes Res. 2002;10(7):657-65. 

9. Chlebowski RT, Aiello E, McTiernan A. Weight loss in breast cancer patient management. J Clin Oncol. 2002;20(4):1128-43.

10. Demark-Wahnefried W, Morey MC, Clipp EC, Pieper CF, Snyder DC, Sloane R, Cohen HJ. Leading the Way in Exercise and Diet (Project LEAD): intervening to improve function among older breast and prostate cancer survivors. Control Clin Trials. 2003;24(2):206-23. 
 
11. Demark-Wahnefried W, Clipp EC, McBride C, Lobach DF, Lipkus I, Peterson B, Clutter Snyder D, Sloane R, Arbanas J, Kraus WE. Design of FRESH START: a randomized trial of exercise and diet among cancer survivors. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2003;35(3):415-24.

12. Harvey EL, Hill AJ. Health professionals' views of overweight people and smokers. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2001;25(8):1253-61.

13. Bray GA, Nielsen SJ, Popkin BM. Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup in beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004;79(4):537-43.

14. Wharton CM, Hampl JS. Beverage consumption and risk of obesity among Native Americans in Arizona. Nutr Rev. 2004;62(4):153-59.