My response to the "Learning From Losers" lecture this afternoon

I just returned from Dr. Anne M. Fletcher's "Learning From Losers-Healthy Weight Management for a Lifetime" lecture, which was sponsored by JMU Dining Services. As I mentioned in my previous post, this interested me since it is right on target with my advocacy topic, and it worked out perfectly that both of my afternoon classes ended up being cancelled (for differing reasons), which allowed me to attend the lecture. I arrived approximately 40 minutes early to ensure that I received a free, autographed copy of Dr. Fletcher's national bestseller Thin For Life.  There ended up being a standing room only crowd, likely due to the fact that this was a passport event and several teachers apparently required their dietetics students to attend. However, I can happily say that nobody forced me to go, rather, I attended because I am genuinely interested in diet and nutrition.

Dr. Fletcher started her discussion by sharing 2 disturbing statistics: 1 out of 3 teenagers and 2 out of 3 adults in the U.S. are overweight. Surprising? Unfortunately not, but certainly not something to be proud of. She then discussed obstacles that prevent college students from maintaining healthy diets, such as stress, lack of sleep, less physical activity than in high school, unlimited choices/portions in campus dining halls, low budgets of off-campus students, and last but certainly not least, partying.  Regarding that last factor, she then displayed a chart showing caloric value of some common alcoholic beverages:

• 12 oz. beer=160 calories
• 5 oz. glass of wine=100 calories
• 8 oz. margarita=270 calories
• 2 oz. shot of liquor=128 calories

Obviously, college students are not prone to being satisfied with only 1 drink, so multiply any of the above by 3 and that's at least 300 extra calories, (and on any given Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night, you would need to multiply that number by many more than 3).  Not to mention the fact that alcohol consumption lowers inhibitions and makes you likely to eat incredibly unhealthy food that you might not eat if you were thinking clearly (Chanello's at 3 am anyone?).  These facts alone are enough to make anyone run to UREC the next afternoon to work off all those empty calories, but even a rigorous workout won't be able to undo all of the damage.  Some students may not see signs of this yet, but my guess is that college partying behavior will catch up to their waistlines sooner than they might think.  Dr. Fletcher didn't elaborate about college behavior as much as I just did, but the information she shared was enough to make me start analyzing the situation.

She also shared her "12 Keys to Success" for losing weight and keeping it off.  This list included tips ranging from the obvious (i.e. not skipping meals, exercising, down-sizing portions, keeping track of what you eat, etc.) to ones not quite so typical ("Be realistic-find a comfortable body weight," "Don't deprive yourself," and "Get rid of the diet mentality").  In her book, Dr. Fletcher tells the stories of people whom she calls "masters of weight"-adults who diet, lose weight, and successfully keep the weight off for years after they lose it.  Their stories serve as an inspiration for others who want to be successful at maintaining a healthy diet.  Many times, we only hear negative stories and statistics about dieters who lose weight and then gain it back, so the author feels it is important to share success stories in order to motivate others and make them realize that this not an impossible feat.

Following her talk, attendees were invited to a mini reception next door where Dining Services had prepared several of the healthy recipes that Dr. Fletcher includes in her books.  Overall, I enjoyed the lecture, and I can't wait to delve into her book whenever I get some free time....whenever that might be. LOL.

Have a wonderful evening everyone, and as always, thanks for reading! :)

Now, go eat an apple! :P