QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Be sure to check out the other questions posed to Miriam Nelson, PhD and Rebecca Seguin, BS, CSCS on our web site at FAQs.

Q: How can I keep my knees together during the leg curl exercise when the ankles cuffs are so thick they keep my legs apart?

A: This is a great question - and probably one that many other readers have had. The goal should simply be to keep your legs as close together as possible with the ankle weights on. If your legs are as far apart as the width of the ankle weight, that is perfectly fine. The recommendation to keep your knees together is just to ensure that the thighs stay as parallel to each other as possible throughout the exercise.

Q: I am very confused as to the differing recent articles on the value of the Atkins diet. It is so detrimental to the lay public to have these diametrically opposed points of view presented, and I would like to hear your opinion on this?

A: I share your sentiment. Basically, the Atkins diet, and all the other very high protein diets (less than 20% of calories coming from carbohydrates), is not one that I would recommend. Yes, you do lose weight on these diets but you do so in an unhealthy way and it is very unclear whether you can keep the weight off. If you cut carbohydrates drastically and add a corresponding amount of protein, your body is forced to turn to an inferior fuel source: protein metabolites called ketones. Your kidneys go into overdrive to flush them and the excess nitrogen from the protein out of your system. In the process, you drain water from your body and you become dehydrated (and lose weight). There’s good news on the scales, perhaps, but bad news for your body. You’ve lost mainly water - along with calcium from your bones and protein from your muscle and not as much fat as you might think. Moreover, your kidneys and heart muscle are under stress. People often become light headed and weak when on very high protein diets, and they develop bad breath! In addition, you are missing out on all the health-promoting elements of fruits and vegetables, not to mention fiber from whole grains. Finally, all that saturated fat is not good for your heart or arteries!

The weight loss diet that I recommend (and outlined in Strong Women Stay Slim) is one that is comprised of about 55% of calories from carbohydrates, 15% from protein, and no more than 30% from fat. For the carbohydrates, focus on whole grains, fruits, and vegetables - with as few refined and processed grains as possible. Fat calories should ideally come mostly from unsaturated fats - from olive and canola oils, and especially cold-water fish, which contain health-promoting omega-3 fats. Foods such as poultry, fish, lean meat, and low-fat dairy should comprise the majority of calories from protein foods. This basic diet is safe, wholesome, and health promoting. If weight loss is necessary, the structure of the diet should stay essentially the same, with a decrease in the number of calories consumed from snack foods and refined grains, along with a focus on reducing portion sizes.

FROM THE MAILBOX

Here are excerpts from a few of the inspiring letters we've received recently. If you enjoy reading them, check out the collection of reader mail on our web site at Success Stories.

"I had been doing the 'Strong Women Stay Young' programme for nearly 12 months, with results that pleased me beyond expression, when I injured my foot quite badly. As an informal caregiver, I couldn't afford to have plaster cast on the foot as I needed to drive 120 miles to my mother, so I carried on with a pressure bandage. That put a stop to the lower body work. My mother then broke her neck of femur, which left me 120 miles away from my weights, and how I missed them! Leaving the boring details aside, this week I got back to my weights. I dropped the leg weights from 15 lbs to 11 lbs, and the free weights from 5 kgs to 4kgs, and did the exercises at a reasonable level of effort. Pretty mundane, but the reason for writing to you is that after the first return to weights this week, my energy level shot off the scale! One repeat of the programme, and my energy level was almost frightening. Is it a mental thing or a physical thing? I don't know. I only know that two days of exercise in a seven-day period, for the first time in several months, I am firing on all cylinders. It is so amazing that two sessions in a seven-day period with the weights made this difference. The demands of a really demanding job in one city, and the privilege of being a caregiver in a city 120 miles away have become easier. Thanks so much from me and my most loved Mom."

-- Lynda

"Approximately two years ago, my first bone density test revealed osteopenia. I was not accustomed to anything but good results from any type of medical test, and at the age of 50, it was a bit difficult to come to grips with the fact that continued good health might require some effort on my part.

I've always been skeptical of the wisdom of taking a pill to solve the problem at hand. My physician ran down the list of things I might want to consider--Fosomax, HRT, Evista, etc. I discussed my situation with a friend, a health-promotion professional. She told me about "Strong Women, Strong Bones," and later dropped off a copy of the video at my office.

I bought a set of dumbbells and ankle weights. Of course, at 4'11" and 105 pounds, I did not believe that I would ever be able to exceed 7.5 pounds per ankle, and so I bought the less expensive 15-pound set. Before long, I plunked down the 100 bucks to get the set you recommended. Despite the fact that I quickly progressed, as your books and video predicted, I was not religious in my practice.

My follow-up bone density test actually indicated increased bone density! My physician told me that when the results came back, she insisted upon seeing the report herself. She could not believe that I would actually show an improvement. Of course, I told her about your program in the hopes that she'll include it in the list of possible remedies for other women. Since that time, I have approached my weight training with more seriousness and more frequency.

I am so grateful to you for the work that you have done to educate women at risk of osteoporosis about their non-drug options for fighting this disease. You are doing incredible work for women like me, and I thank you with all my heart (and bones!)."

-- Mary

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