Fear of getting fat: social situations, age and non-excessive exercise aren't always conspicuous weight-gain culprits

Many people eat carefully and exercise religiously out of fear of getting fat. They're afraid if they eat fat, they'll get fat, and/or if they don't exercise, they'll get fat. Although both fears have a foundation of truth, keep in mind there are many thin people who eat fatty foods and do not exercise. They simply don't overeat.

If you (or someone you know) obsesses about getting fat, the following may offer a helpful perspective.

Fear #1--I'll get fat if I eat fat.

Fat fearers commonly eliminate the obvious fats in butter, margarine, salad dressing and mayonnaise, as well as the hidden fats in muffins, cheese, meats and peanut butter. To hear people talk about their attempted no-fat diets, you'd think a little bit of fat would instantly transform them into blimps. If you are a fat-fearer, keep in perspective excess a fat calories are the culprit when it comes to weight gain--a little bit of fat can appropriately fit into a carbohydrate-rich sports diet. Moderation is the key. For example, if you are an active woman who typically burns off around 2,000 calories per day, you can, in good health, eat 20-30% of those calories (400-600 calories) from fat--and still have enough carbs to fuel your muscles. This is the equivalent of 45 to 65 grams of fat. An active man who eats 3,000 calories per day can target 600-900 calories (65-100 grams of fat per day). Although this may sound like an overwhelming amount, it is far less than the typical U.S. diet of about 40% fat.

Now, if you consistently overspend your calorie budget and routinely eat, let's say, ice cream for dessert after having eaten adequate calories throughout the day, your body will easily store the excess fat calories as body fat. But if you've had little to eat all day, some ice cream can fit within your calorie-budget--you'll burn off the ice cream calories as that day's energy allotment. Weight-gain problems surface when you overeat calories--especially calories from fat.

Research suggests people who eat a high-fat diet tend to eat more calories than needed. For example, when a group of 24 healthy women ate three different diets for two weeks, here's what happened: On the low-fat diet (20% of calories from fat), they ate about 2,100 calories per day and lost almost a pound (in two weeks). On the medium-fat diet (35% calories from fat), they consumed over 2,300 calories per day and maintained body weight. On the high-fat diet, the women ate about 2,700 calories per day and gained about two-thirds of a pound.

Fear #2--I'll get fat if I don't exercise.

Yes, exercise helps with weight control. Research suggests people who lose weight and successfully keep it off are those who maintain a regular exercise program. Exercise contributes to feelings of well being and these good feelings nourish you in a calorie-free way. This nourishment, perhaps more than the exercise, accounts for much of the weight control success. As one runner acknowledged, "When I'm tired, stressed and strung-out, I can easily talk myself out of exercising and instead treat myself to cookies." This overindulgence in food for comfort is a major weight-gain culprit--perhaps more than the lack of exercise. Rest days without exercise (and without over-eating) are actually an important part of a training program.

Fear #3--I'll get fat if I go to a

party or eat out with my friends.

Many weight-conscious athletes fear eating in social situations. They're afraid the food will have some fat in it, and/or they'll lose control and overeat. Research has documented people tend to eat more in social situations. The more people you're with, the more you're likely to eat. In social situations, you may also be confronted with foods you forbid to enter your kitchen such as chocolate cake. If you perceive a party as your "last chance" to eat chocolate cake, you may succumb to eating a huge piece. The problem is not the cake, but denial. Denial leads to binge-eating. Don't deny yourself at home, and you'll have no need to binge in social settings. Rather, you'll simply enjoy a reasonable portion of any food and be content to stay within your calorie budget.

Fear #4--I'll get fat with age.

Master's athletes, in particular, tend to fear getting fat with age. After all, their buddies are wearing spare-tires...Is anyone immune? As you age, keep in mind creeping obesity is due to lifestyle changes that result in less exercise and more food. Since exercise maintains your muscle mass, and caloric needs are directly related to your musculature, your best bet is to keep active despite aging. You'll be better able to maintain weight than your sedentary counterparts--and eat more.

The bottom line--moderation of food, fat-intake and exercise leads to a good weight.

Nancy Clark, M.S., R.D. is a nutritionist at Boston-area's Sports Medicine Brookline.

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