Slim for Life (15 page)

About 70 percent of people in the United States are overweight, and in a cruel catch-22, many of the drugs used to treat obesity-linked conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and depression can themselves cause weight gain. The following
medications are known to contribute to obesity: Allegra, Deltasone (prednisone), Depakote, depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), Diabinese, Endep, Elavil, Insulase, Paxil, Prozac, Remeron, Tenormin, Thorazine, Vanatrip, Zyprexa, and Zyrtec. Some pretty provocative research shows just how much havoc these drugs wreak when it comes to your weight. Before you decide to do anything about these meds, if you’re on them or considering taking them, consult with your doctor.

Allergy Meds.
A 2010 study at Yale University that was published
in the journal
Obesity
found that individuals who take
antihistamines regularly (the primary drugs in question were both over-the-counter, Zyrtec and Allegra) are heavier than those who never take them. They also concluded that a person taking these drugs is
55 percent more likely to be overweight
than someone not taking them. Researchers can’t yet confirm the exact relationship between the drugs and
allergies, but other studies have shown that antihistamines trigger an increase in appetite and have a sedating effect. Who wants to exercise when you’re in the ozone and craving food? A 2006 survey of those who use oral corticosteroid drugs on a long-term basis (particularly the high doses needed in the treatment of asthma) indicated that 60 to 80 percent of those surveyed gained weight. The risk also seems to be higher when these drugs are taken orally than when breathed in through inhalants.

Antibiotics.
Here’s a good one. I’ve already suggested that you eat clean meat, without antibiotics and hormones. Doesn’t it make sense that if livestock are being fed drugs to fatten them up, then maybe humans who consume drug-infused meat will get fat, too? Researchers are now thinking the same thing, examining the relationship between antibiotics and obesity. They believe that these drugs may be impacting the bacteria in our gut and affecting our ability to metabolize nutrients, thus causing weight gain and metabolic syndrome. A recent study, published in
Nature,
shows a correlation between rising U.S. obesity rates and the use of antibiotics.

Antidepressants and mood stabilizers.
Depakote is used to treat bipolar disorder and seizures and to prevent migraines. A 2007 study tracking epileptic patients taking Depakote found that 44 percent of the women and 24 percent of the men gained 11 pounds or more over the course of about a year. One of its known side affects is to increase appetite, causing weight gain. Lithium shows a similar weight-gain pattern, though with a fewer adverse effects than Depakote.

Zyprexa and Clozapine are antipsychotics, used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. A 2005 study indicated that 30 percent of individuals using Zyprexa put on 7 percent or more body weight within 18 months. Both drugs promote heavy-duty potent antihistamine activity and inhibit serotonin, which researchers theorize may trigger weight gain.

Elavil, Endep, and Vanatrip (amitriptyline) are TCAs, or tricyclic antidepressants. These drugs influence neurotransmitter and antihistamine activity, which in turn affects energy levels and appetite regulation (affecting serotonin, dopamine, and acetylcholine); they are the probable cause of related weight gain.

Insulin.
This one is interesting and frankly seems a little backward: take a drug to control type 2 diabetes and get fat from it? A study found that individuals dependent on insulin gained an average of 11 pounds during their first three years on the drug. Half of the weight gain generally occurred in the first three months.

Beta blockers.
Tenormin, Lopressor, and Inderal (propranolol) are used to control high blood pressure. These drugs are known to slow calorie-burning potential and cause fatigue, making it pretty difficult to seriously exercise and pretty easy to pack on the pounds. In a study, those taking Tenormin gained about 5 more pounds than did those in a placebo group in their first few months on the drug. While your blood pressure may stabilize, your weight may not.

Again, make sure to talk to your doctor about the side effects of any medication you’re taking. If weight gain is one of them, ask if there’s an alternative medication that doesn’t produce this unwanted side effect. If not, ask if your doctor can wean you off the drug over time in tandem with your other lifestyle changes.

Now you know how to navigate taking nutrition and fitness into your own hands, and how to construct a home environment that will keep you healthy and slim. Next we need to address how to manage environments and circumstances where you can’t control every aspect, so the outcome will still work out in your favor. This is the area where most people get lost.

I can’t tell you how many people’s weight-loss regimens have been ruined because they binge at a party, or don’t know how to eat out properly, or don’t get in their workouts while they’re on the road, or suffer from a grueling work schedule, and so on.

This chapter tackles it all. It will give you everything you need to know so your exercise and diet regimen will be failsafe when you’re away from home.

We’re going to start off with one of the most challenging “out and about” scenarios: eating healthy at a party. This one is tough; you don’t want to be rude and tell the host what they should and shouldn’t be serving. You can’t really bring your own food, unless you’re specifically asked to contribute a dish (more on that in a moment). What to do? Follow my lead, with these simple ways to stay on track while whoopin’ it up.

Eat before you hit the party. If you’ve eaten, you won’t be tempted by foods that are less than healthy. If it’s a dinner party where the sole purpose is to eat, you can still have a little snack before you go. Then if the food at the party isn’t on your personal food list, you won’t be hungry, so you can eat much less of it.

Bring a healthy dish for everyone to share. You’ll be helping the hostess and being a considerate guest. Plus, you’ll get to hide your secret agenda of bringing something slimming you can eat, if there’s nothing else healthy there.

I can’t understand why anyone who wants to lose weight would congregate by the buffet table—it’s the ultimate diet danger zone. It’s much easier to avoid mindless munching if you station yourself with your friends, and a plate, away from a laden table.

At most parties you will find at least a couple of healthy, or healthier, choices to nosh on. Pass by the deep-fried junk and the pigs in a blanket and head for the veggie platter, shrimp plate, fruit platter, and cold cuts instead.

If you’re the host of the party, be responsible when deciding what food to serve. Pick the lighter options from among your party food favorites. Offer baked corn chips and salsa instead of Doritos and fattening cheese or bean dips. Go with baked chicken wings instead of fried. Use hummus instead of ranch dressing for your veggie sticks. Pick raw or dry roasted nuts instead of those salted and roasted in oil. Order a thin-crust veggie pizza with light cheese instead of the deep dish with the works on top. You follow me? Good. Now, go have some fun.

You don’t have to deprive yourself. If there’s something that you really want to try, or you’re just feeling left out of the festivities, you
can
have a treat. You just can’t eat
full
servings of all the treats. Remember to follow the
80/20 rule and indulge appropriately. Fill up on healthy stuff, so that you’ll be full when you get to the treat. You’ll naturally eat less of it. Then pick one thing you want to indulge in and go for it.

Use a small plate and
take a taste
of everything you want to try. That way you’ll get to enjoy and participate fully in the party, but you won’t get a ton of calories. In other words, undersize your portions, and you’ll enjoy yourself as well as watch your waistline!

You can still be in party mode even when you aren’t drinking. The entire time my partner Heidi was pregnant, she got all her beverages in a wineglass, so she felt like she was part of the festivities. Try some sparkling water with a splash of cranberry—it almost looks the part.

If you do want to drink, remember to slim your drinks as I mentioned in
Chapter 1
, then alternate every cocktail with a glass of water. This will help you hold your liquor, so you’ll drink less, and it’ll keep you from being ravenously hungry—a twofer if I do say so!

If you like to party hard, watch your daily calorie intake during the daytime, in the hours before a party. Don’t skip meals—you’ll be starving by the time you get to the event. Just choose your foods wisely all day and be calorie savvy. Eat a lettuce-wrapped sandwich or a salad with protein for lunch, to save calories for a party splurge later.