DIET | DETECTIVE^®

Recently I went to two weddings that left me starved for two different reasons. The first started later it should have (something about the bride’s mother needing more hair spray) and the drinks and appetizers did not begin until after 8 pm. Since I am always afraid that any food in my hand will end up on my clothes, I avoid stand-up eating at parties. Since I had eaten last at lunchtime I was hungry by the time the doors to the banquet hall were opened and we were allowed to sit down. Alas, by the time the obligatory rituals of greeting the married couple, their first dance, a few early toasts had been made, another hour had passed without a morsel of food in sight. Finally, around 9:15, a salad was served.  More dancing followed and I am not exaggerating when I say that the main course was put on the tables no earlier than 11 pm. Since we had a long drive home, we left without eating.

By now many formerly thin people realize that antidepressant therapy, and related drugs for other mood disorders, come with a price, which is weight gain. This side effect, which can range from 10 to 125 pounds depending on the type of medication used, can have life-altering consequences. Formerly trim people find themselves unable to control newly experienced food cravings, in particular for carbohydrate junk food like candy and chips. People who were able to eat moderate amounts of food and feel full suddenly prowl the kitchen after dinner for more to eat. And as the medication-triggered weight gain creeps up, the formerly thin find themselves adopting the habits of those with lifetime overeating issues.

One of the television sets in my health club is always tuned to the Food Network. As I sweat off the calories from yesterday’s dinner, I marvel at the calories I could be consuming if I were to make some of the selections featured on the program.  The foods look delicious. But as I watch the “calories burned” slot on the treadmill inch up much too slowly, I know I would have to spend the rest of the evening in the gym to justify eating them. Why do even the skinniest cooks on these programs insist on adding so much butter, oil, cheese, cream and eggs to their recipes? Would adding smaller amounts of high-fat ingredients or using alternative lower fat methods of cooking (like steaming rather than frying) destroy the taste the chefs are seeking?

“Success will make you fat” may be the new mantra for the competitive employee.  An unacknowledged but obvious effect of contemporary working conditions is that the more competitive the workplace, the more likely an increase in weight and decrease in physical fitness.

Eating too much food and too much of the wrong foods at work can no longer be blamed on the occasional leftover brownies in the coffee room or the large jar of candy in the reception area. Nor is the decline in physical fitness from lack of health clubs, personal trainers and home gyms. The real cause of increasing obesity and decreasing stamina among many of today’s employees is the work ethic under which they are forced to labor. Department heads, team mates and co-workers expect you to be at your desk for long hours, starting early in the morning and ending sometime long past what used to be conventional quitting time.

Marlene, one of our weight-loss clients, told us, “When I worked for an investment firm in New York I would be at my desk at 7:30 am and never left before 9:30 pm. Once or twice when I was getting ready to leave at 9, my co-worker asked me if today was a holiday. She was serious because everyone believed they had to put in 14-16 hour days.”