Weight loss - Show me the motivation

I recently received an e-mail from someone asking if I knew of or had any information on the problem of "Winter Weight Gain."

Vanity had always been enough to keep me in line when it came to my weight. But those extra 10 pounds no longer seem to care what the mirror is saying.

So show me the motivation.

I asked Dr. John La Puma to do just that. He ought to know; he is the medical director of Institute for Medical Nutrition and Healthy Weight and a best-selling author on the subject.

And boy did he give me an earful.

According to La Puma, men should be motivated to lose weight for medical and nonmedical reasons, especially men in their 50s and beyond. The social, financial and medical effects of excess weight start getting more consequential as we reach the half century mark.

"The medical reasons are straight forward," says Dr. La Puma. "Over 60 percent of new onset high blood pressure in middle-aged men is directly related to being overweight. High blood pressure is usually silent until a stroke or kidney disease or heart attack occur."

The doctor points out that cholesterol levels rise with the numbers on the scale and fall when the weight falls off. As most of us know by now, cholesterol levels are an important risk factor for heart disease. And, according to La Puma, they are completely controllable with food and nutrition.

And the doctor has more:

"Diabetes is up to 50 times more common in men who are overweight. For example, the relative risk for diabetes increases by approximately 25 percent for each additional unit of BMI over 25."

(By the way: "overweight" is considered anything over a BMI (Body Max Index) of 25; "obese" was defined in this study as a BMI of 40 plus. To calculate yours, go to: nhlbisupport.com/bmi.)

And, of course, we have our arthritis. That's right, extra pounds will increase arthritic pain in feet, hips and knees.

Are we motivated yet?

If not, consider this: cancer. That's right, the Big C.

If you think Dr. La Puma is trying some scare tactics to make his point, you obviously haven't paid attention to one of the most important health news stories of 2003: the relationship between obesity and cancer.

A study published in the April edition of the New England Journal of Medicine found a definite relationship between excess weight and cancer risk.

The study findings showed that overweight men were 52 percent at greater risk from dying from any form of cancer than their less hefty brothers. And, by the way, if women are feeling concerned about their men at this point but relieved of their own concerns, time to reconsider. Women with the highest BMI scores had a 62 percent greater chance of dying than their female counterparts in smaller dress sizes. There were some specific cancers found to be significantly higher in overweight women: breast, pancreatic, uterine and kidney. Men were subject to these same statistics but could add prostate and stomach cancers to their increased risk list.

At least Dr. La Puma can offer some encouragement. "Most of these diseases can improve with even a modest weight loss of 10 pounds. And sometimes, they can be totally corrected by weight loss."

Dr. Michael O.L. Seabaugh is a Cape Girardeau native who is a licensed clinical psychologist with over 20 years experience helping individuals and couples with their emotional and relationship issues. He has a private practice in Santa Barbara and Santa Monica, Calif. Contact him at mseabaugh@semissourian.com.