When it comes to weight gain, most women are masters at making excuses. “It’s not me, it’s my metabolism,” is a perennial favourite, with “I don’t have enough time”; “It’s hormonal”; “It’s because I’m stressed” all vying for second place.
While these factors may play a minor role, the bottom line in weight gain is quite simple: if you consume more energy than you burn off, you’re going to outgrow your skinny jeans. But it’s also true that there are ages and stages that we go through during our lifetime where the weight seems to pile on more easily.
Identifying those danger zones and learning how to tackle them is your best guarantee for long-term good health — and a body you can proud of well into your 70s!
DANGER ZONE: LEAVING HOME FOR UNIVERSITY
Nineteen-year-old Nandipha Sekeleni has added 10 kilograms to her petite frame since she began studying medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits). She is one of many university students who not only expand their knowledge and social activities during their tertiary education, but also their waistlines. Dr Marjanne Senekal, head of the Department of Human Nutrition at the University of Cape Town, has been researching the topic of student weight gain for the past 20 years, and found that the majority of female students gain between one and 25 kilograms during their first year.
There are a number of factors that make the university environment a high-risk weight gain zone. Dietitian Olga Rossouw says students often don’t have time to sit down for meals and are likely to eat junk food on the run. Many students are away from home for the first time and so they eat to compensate for feelings of loneliness, homesickness, or boredom.
Some also comfort eat because of stress from demanding workloads. For many students, starting university means they have the freedom to make their own meal choices for the first time. With this sudden independence comes responsibility and many students make bad decisions when it comes to food. According to dietitian Loreine Saunders, alcohol also plays a huge role in student weight gain, as social activities usually revolve around drinking.
WHAT TO DO
You can’t manage your weight without being physical, says Senekal, and a decrease in physical activity is true of most students as they no longer participate in after-school sports. Aim to get moving for at least 30–60 minutes, three times a week. Walk or cycle to lectures, join a gym, take up a new sport, and don’t get trapped into thinking that drinking is the only way to socialise at university.
Cut back on your fat intake, and bulk up on fibre, fruit, vegetables, chicken, and fish, Senekal advises. A good rule of thumb is to ensure the dominant component of any meal is plant food — like salad, vegetables and fruit.
Limit your alcohol intake. Just one drink can lower your inhibitions and leave you more likely to have another drink and overeat. Try to plan social occasions around physical activities rather than food and drinks wherever possible.
Keep a food diary. Half the fun of life on campus is that it can be erratic and spontaneous but often this makes it difficult to keep track of what you’re eating. By writing it down, you’ll become more aware of how your lifestyle and emotions may be affecting your eating habits.
DANGER ZONE: GOING OVERSEAS
“Nutritional research has found that carbohydrates trigger the brain to crave more carbohydrates, leading to a cycle of carbohydrate eating that becomes difficult to control,” says nutritionist Vanessa Ascencao, and for Tracy Muller, 27, going to work in London was just one big carb fest.
She lived on pastas, sandwiches, chocolates and beer. “The London lifestyle is not really conducive to exercise and we spent most evenings just drinking beer in the pub and then grabbing a take-away for dinner afterwards. I’d usually skip breakfast, grab a toasted sandwich at about 11am, have another sandwich for lunch, and then usually a chocolate for my mid-afternoon snack,” says Tracy. She put on 10kg within four months, and is still battling to lose this weight almost two years later.
“Eating the wrong types of foods, especially the wrong types of carbohydrates, is one of the main reasons our cravings get out of control,” says Ascencao, and to overcome this she believes we need to get back to basics: eating food in its most natural state unprocessed, unrefined, with no additives and preservatives; and eating carbohydrates in the form of fresh fruit, vegetables, beans and pulses to stabilise blood sugar levels.
WHAT TO DO
Incorporate protein into every meal. Protein promotes feelings of fullness and satisfaction so you’ll be less likely to overeat and snack unnecessarily between meals. Protein can also help to block the triggering effect that carbohydrates have on the brain, says Ascencao.
Never skip meals. You’ve heard this one before, and research has shown that people who skip meals are more prone to obesity than those who regularly eat three meals a day. Make this a priority, no matter how busy you are, or how tempting it may be to choose a box of chocolates over dinner.
Avoid foods that trigger cravings (such as soft drinks, chips, peanuts, cheese, pizza, chocolate, cookies etc). It’s no coincidence that all these foods are available from takeaway places, says Ascencao. “They are so readily available and have crept into our daily routine without us even realising it. We are hungry, busy, distracted, and soon one serving leads to another as the triggering effect takes place in our brains.”
Remember, healthy snacks don’t live in a vending machine, so plan and prepare these at home. This will help you cut back your kilojoule intake as well as your spending.
Walk the weight off. According to research by Dr James O. Hill, author of The Step Diet (Workman Publishing), adding just 2 000 extra steps to your day can help prevent weight gain.
DANGER ZONE: GETTING MARRIED
Research at the University of North Carolina in the US has found that couples who marry or move in together are more likely to pile on kilos than those who stay single. The study also found that married or co-habitating couples were more sedentary than their single peers.
For Janine and Chris Young, these findings come as no surprise. Before they moved in together, both enjoyed relatively active lifestyles, but after their wedding they soon found themselves trading evening gym sessions for cuddling up on the couch with a packet of chips and a bottle of wine before dinner.
“After a couple of glasses of wine, cooking a proper meal usually seemed like too much effort and we’d often order pizza or just cook a microwave meal,” says Janine, “or eat out on weekends.” Six months later they had to upsize their wardrobes, and decided it was time to make some lifestyle changes. They gave up the chips and the couch and started cycling together in the evenings. “This is great bonding time for us, and now we’re making an effort to cook and eat healthily too,” says Janine.
WHAT TO DO
Take up a new sport with your partner. That way you can encourage each other when you need motivation, and it’s a great way to spend more quality time together.
If your partner is not enthusiastic about changing his habits, take the lead. Research shows that when one spouse upgrades his or her health habits, the other is likely to follow suit.
When you’re at a restaurant, order a big bottle of water as soon as you sit down and try to limit alcohol intake as far as possible, advises dietitian Karlien Smit, of Shelly Meltzer and Associates at the Sports Science Institute of South African (SSISA).
“It’s also important that you don’t arrive at the restaurant feeling famished, or you’ll end up polishing off the bread on the table and ordering a bigger meal than you need. Rather have a healthy snack such as a piece of fruit and some yoghurt before you go.”
“Remember, healthy eating starts with shopping,” says Smit, “since what you put in your trolley ultimately ends up on your plate or being devoured straight out of the packet.” If you make healthy choices at the supermarket, you won’t have to battle with unnecessary temptations at home.
DANGER ZONE: HAVING A BABY
For Carla Venter, having a baby had a major impact on her weight, and two years later she’s still carrying an extra 15kg that she’s finding hard to shift. “When I fell pregnant, it felt like my metabolism just stopped. It seemed that every single thing I ate just made me put on weight,” she says, and after the baby was born she found life wasn’t quite as rosy as people often made it out to be. “Maternity leave is not really much of a break. You’re highly stressed, hardly get any sleep, and don’t have any time for yourself. It’s not exactly an easy time and healthy eating and exercise just don’t seem to be a priority.”
WHAT TO DO
Don’t make the mistake of “eating for two” while you’re pregnant, warns Smit. During the first trimester you don’t really need additional kilojoules, and during the second and third trimester you only need about 1 200kJ extra — which you could get from a piece of bread with peanut butter, a banana and a yoghurt (although women who are more active may have higher energy requirements).
Get back into a routine. Try to go back to eating and exercising the way you did before pregnancy. If you didn’t have complications you should be able to start exercising about six weeks after giving birth although you’ll have to start out slowly at first and consult your obstetrician beforehand. “If you were not active before your pregnancy, it’s a wise idea to consult a biokineticist or exercise professional before jumping into an exercise regime. This way they can design an individual programme to meet your specific needs,” recommends SSISA biokineticist Nicola Hayes.
Don’t get disheartened. Remember that the weight has been accumulating for nine months and it may take even longer than that to shake it off the healthy way.
“The best advice is to be proactive, rather than reactive,” says Hayes. “You know that you’re going to put on some weight with pregnancy, you know that you’re going to be overwhelmed, sleep deprived, and emotional — so set up a plan for coping with this before you get there. Call on your support group to help you with looking after the baby, cooking and so on so that you can take an hour or two for yourself every day.”
DANGER ZONE: 40+
“Women generally find themselves gaining about half a kilo a year in their 40s as they approach menopause, unless they reassess their diet and lifestyle,” writes Dr Rosemary Leonard in The Seven Ages of Women (Bantam Press).
For accountant Zenobia Baker, 42, weight has crept up on her slowly over the past seven years. She attributes this to a slow down in metabolism, as neither her eating habits nor activity levels have changed drastically over the years. Zenobia has decided not to accept this weight gain as inevitable, and has joined a healthy weight programme in order to make lifestyle changes that will help her manage her weight now and in years to come. “For me it’s defi nitely an age thing,” says Zenobia. “We have to change our lifestyles as we age, just as we change our beauty and skincare routines.”
WHAT TO DO
“Metabolism plays a big role in weight gain after 40,” says Hayes, and one of the major factors here is a decrease in lean muscle mass. Many women tend to become less active as they age, and so they lose lean muscle mass, which further slows the body’s metabolism (in addition to the natural slow down due to age and hormonal infl uences). Your best bet to prevent the “middle age spread” is to keep active including both cardio and resistance training to your workout regime.
The tendency with menopause is an increase in fat mass, especially around the waist, says Smit, but small changes in your eating habits can make a big difference here. One strategy is to cut out dairy fat without forgoing the benefi ts of dairy (it is a good source of calcium, protein and other nutrients). If you use fat-free milk instead of full cream, you can save 10g of fat per cup which adds up to a significant amount in the long run. Also opt for low-fat hard cheeses and use yoghurt instead of cream in recipes.
Get enough sleep. Research has shown that those who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to put on weight. Make sure you have a ritual in place before bedtime such as taking a hot bath, or reading in bed. This prepares your body for sleep and will help make sure you get your eight hours.
Make healthy living a family priority. Look for ways to exercise with your kids, and teach them to enjoy healthy foods by getting them involved in cooking meals or even getting them to grow their own herbs and vegetables.
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