On Wed, 1 Jun 2005 10:19:34 -0500, "None Given"
> wrote:

>"Karen Sexton" > wrote in message
.. .
>>
>> My mom is 76, and even though she has no diabetes, I am concerned- she
>> is terribly overweight and eats so much sugar and starch. She knows
>> what she's doing is bad, but doesn't have the willpower to stop (she's
>> very depressed and eats "comfort foods". We both have physicals
>> regularly, but if a person doesn't have the willpower, what can you
>> do? I've tried to get her to go to weight-watchers, to no avail.
>
>
>Take baby steps, start with a high protein breakfast.

Not sure if you're speaking of my mom or I. She knows very well what
she should do and not do- she's just having a hard time practicing it.
She's been through a lot of stress- we all have, emotional, financial,
etc. The trouble is, stress alone can do damage, even more of a
reason to eat healthy.

>When carbohydrates
>are a problem, morning can be the worst time to eat them, if you have any
>foods containing carbs at breakfast make them lower carb ones, like peppers,
>onion, mushroom, etc in an omelet or berries in plain yogurt, etc.
>Adequate protein in the morning can help reduce carb cravings for the rest
>of the day, whereas I found that eating oatmeal first thing in the morning
>can actually triple my appetite for the rest of the day.
>
>Also, add more non starchy veggies throughout the day for lunch, dinner, and
>snacks. They have lots of water and fiber in them besides the vitamins and
>things so they help fill you up. You can prepare ahead of time, carrot,
>celery, or other raw veggie sticks/chunks for dipping, a sour cream, plain
>yogurt, or cheese based dip, salad greens torn and mixed in a ziploc bag or
>large plastic container and have other things ready like radish or cucumber
>slices, small tomatoes, cheese cubes, boiled eggs, grilled chicken, whatever
>sounds good to be eaten with the salad greens with some type of oily
>dressing which helps your body metabolize the nutrients in the veggies.
>Fill yourself up with good things and drink plenty of water to keep things
>moving and you will almost automatically develop the willpower to reduce the
>amount of bad things because it probably isn't willpower that's the problem
>in the first place. Just make sure it's as easy to reach for the good
>stuff as the bad stuff and eat often enough that you never get to the point
>of being ravenous.
>
>Many older women do not get adequate protein, especially when they are
>filling up on comfort foods. Getting your mother to promise to add some
>things to her diet may be much, much easier than getting her to promise to
>reduce her comfort foods.

That's the problem- she has no trouble eating healthy foods- she LOVES
veggies and fruits- but still loves her pastries.

KS

>Eating carby comfort foods raise serotonin levels
>in the brain temporarily, then they crash again making you want more, I
>think the effect is worse in the carbohydrate intolerant than in normals and
>can be a factor in depression. Getting more exercise can help with that,
>also, maybe you can get your mother to take walks with you, or if mobility
>is a problem there are exercise videos available for special needs, the PBS
>series Sit and be Fit is one resource. Make sure to consult with her
>doctor about any health problems, for example, kidney disease may require
>her to keep protein fairly low and go with mostly vegetable sources of it,
>heart disease may affect what kind of exercise she can do.