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Lifestyle is responsible for obesity

To the editor,

I am writing in regards to Anna Roe's "Where's the Beef?" commentary in the Nov. 4 issue of the Wildcat. I completely agree that too many Americans are overweight. But the solution to solving this problem will not come from changing the foods we eat, but from changing our eating habits and our sedentary lifestyles. I can personally attest to the success of the Dr. Atkins diet - I've read the book, and I've tried it. The December of my junior year in high school I began to consider my options for paying for college and the ROTC scholarship was looking really good to me, but I knew that my weight wouldn't cut it for my height. I was not overweight, I just wanted to take off 10-15 lbs. in hopes of making those scholarship requirements. I didn't end up going that route to pay for my schooling, but the Atkins diet works.

I ate salad, which was set to be a daily staple of the diet. I ate beef, I ate chicken, and yes, I ate pork! I ate cheese and peanut butter, eggs and spam! I ate it all, and I lost weight. But the reason I did was because I worked out everyday; I didn't stuff myself with 12 Big Macs a week, in fact, I didn't' even eat one Big Mac. All of the "greasy, fatty meat" that I ate was lean, cooked in a healthy fashion, and in reasonable portions. Another reason I lost weight was because I followed my doctor's recommendations: I followed the diet for two weeks, just as I was instructed. Then, I moved on to a diet that still included my daily work-outs, reasonable portions, and lean meat. Yes, I rejoiced when I could again eat bagels and bread, pasta and potatoes, but going without them for two weeks made me realize that I ate too much of them in the course of the day anyway. Think on it for a moment. How often do you eat a piece of bread, a potato, or anything with carbohydrates? It's what we reach for when we are hungry because it satisfies us. Carbohydrates are not evil and although the original Dr. Atkins diet recommended staying away from them for the rest of your life if you desired to keep the weight off, it is not realistic.

But let us not take everything so seriously - if we did, then I actually would have believed that by chewing gum that was not sugarless, I was ruining my diet. As Americans, we need to change our habits, we need to get off our butts and exercise, we need to cut back on the amount of food we eat, not just what we eat. This is how I lost weight, and this is how that overweight half of America can lose weight too. All in all, I lost 17 lbs., and I remember the struggle that it was, but it doesn't mean that I don't like to kick back in front of the TV with a Coke in my right hand and the left hand in a bag of cheesy poofs. The key to everything, including weight loss is moderation, and geez, don't be so harsh on the meat, it is good for you.

Kimberly Terpe

English and creative writing sophomore