BNA Magazine

We don’t always even notice… a pound this month, five pound this year. You buy the next waist size up, loosen you belt, and there is still a little bulge over the top of your pants. But, you are no different from everyone else you know. I came across an issue of Nutrition Action Healthletter (Dec., 2008) that has a tongue in cheek article on “How to get a Gut”. So for those of you that may feel like your lagging behind the larger waist crowd, and you’d like to join in the expanding action here are some “tips” for helping you bulk up around the belly.

•    Don’t bother getting up. You can carry on a lot of life in your car, in front of the TV and on the computer, so why bother to get up and move when you can sit.
•    Keep on eating as much as you did when you were 20. You always put 3 slices of cheese on your sandwich, get the extra large fries with your burger, and take the piece of cake with the most frosting on it. Keep it up!
•    Bump up your calories per bite. Yummy things like chocolate, donuts, chips, and ice cream are full of fats and very calorie dense. Bite for bite they pack a lot of calories.  Lots of calories for lots of fat.
•    Drink your calories. Thirsty? Take a soda—a big one.  Have juice with breakfast; stop by for a Mocha at the corner coffee shop. Drinking calories just helps us get hungrier sooner, so drink up.
•    Eat out more often. It is easier to eat out after a long, busy day than cook something. No matter that restaurant foods are over sized and packed with calories and salt.
•    Look for trans fats. You can still get trans fats at restaurants and if you read labels carefully you can still find foods with it. It is better than all the other fats at increasing the fat around the belly.
•    Surround yourself with food. And certainly do not turn down anything that’s offered to you, even if you just ate.  Certainly do not use will-power or it will defeat the quest for the big middle.
•    Get less sleep. Since it is known that people, who sleep less than 5 hours per night gain weight, make that your goal- do not get the recommended 7 hours.

Obviously, these “tips” highlight the opposite that research has shown us about eating and weight gain. Be a rebel, ignore these tips and see if the waist line shrinks- just a little.