When Nancy Mabasa’s doctor warned her that her love for pap and vetkoek were putting her at risk of high blood pressure and diabetes, she knew it was time to change her unhealthy lifestyle. Knowing that it would be no easy feat, Nancy committed to making small changes that would have major rewards. Here’s how changing her relationship with food and getting up at 3 am helped her lose 53 kilos.

Nancy Mabaso

Occupation: Administrator and training to be a health coach

Age:43

City: Johannesburg

Weight before: 116kg

Weight after: 63kg

Height: 163cm

The time required to reach current weight: 4 years

The secret weapon to her weight loss: Don’t wish for it, work for it. Healthy eating and staying active

READ MORE: “I Was As Wide As I Was Tall Before I Started My 25kg Weight-Loss Plan”

The Gain

Nancy says that she’s always been overweight but it wasn’t something that she was really concerned about. ” I come from a family where we grew up eating pap and vetkoek every day, and being big was a way of life, something you’d get praise for. When I put on a lot of weight, my family dismissed it as genetics as most of my aunts are big, so I just accepted myself and learnt to live with being big,” she says. She says that her unhealthy eating habits have always been her downfall. Every meal was washed down with gassy cooldrinks, vegetables were only ever eaten on Sundays, and biscuits and cakes were regular treats. Nancy says that these were her habits for many years but they soon started catching up with her.

The Change

“I was always sick, and I remember my doctor telling me that I would die if I didn’t start taking care of my health. He pointed out that I was at risk of high blood pressure and diabetes. I knew I had to either start living a healthier lifestyle or die young. It was a much-needed wake-up call,” explains Nancy. She admits that changing her bad eating habits and her relationship with food was difficult.”It was so hard and lots of tears were shed. My constant worry was whether I’d ever lose the weight. But I always reminded myself that nutrition made up 80% of your wellness journey”.

Nancy started eating out of smaller plates to help her eat smaller portions. And since she was a serial meal skipper, she made sure to eat at least three meals a day with healthy snacks in-between meals. “I was learning to resist temptations and enjoy my green vegetables that are low in kilojoules and rich in source of dietary fibre, ” she says.

READ MORE: “I Lost 50 Kilos By Giving Up Sugar And Carbs”

The Lifestyle

Once Nancy got the handle on her nutrition, she started working on the other 20% of her wellness journey- fitness. “My days began at 3 am when I do my home DVDs for an hour in my living room. Then after work, I would go to the gym for another hour. On the weekends I would run, do some skipping and other forms of cardio,” she explains. And her workouts didn’t stop at the gym or on the road, Nancy would find ways to sneak in some exercise in her day-to-day activities. ” I would take the stairs at work and use my bathroom breaks as a chance to squeeze in some squats or light jogging”.

Nancy committed to her new lifestyle by ensuring she was sticking to good, healthy foods and exercising every day. Her commitment soon started paying off and little changes became major rewards. “It became a lifestyle, now I don’t stress about my weight. I started looking at myself and loving what I see. It’s priceless and now I realise how hard work and discipline pay off.”

The Results

In the four years since she started her journey, Nancy has gone from a size 42 to 34 and her relationship with food has improved dramatically. “I now have a great relationship with food and I’m no longer abusing food. I just feel healthier, I feel so brand new,” she says. Nancy isn’t the only one who is viewing herself in a new light, other people have a hard time recognising her too. “It’s so funny when I show people my before and after photo’s and they don’t recognize me. But seeing how much weight I loss, gives them the courage to try.”

READ MORE: “I Lost 14 Kilos In Three Months — And Gained A Whole Lot Of Body Confidence”

Nancy’s Tips

• Do it for you: “Just do it. Not for summer, not for your ex, not to be the skinny friend. But for you and your body”.
• Eat to live, don’t live to eat: “Let food be the source of your energy that enables you to live but don’t live to eat”.
• You don’t need the gym: Exercising is important, but you don’t have to go to the gym to be active. Walk, jog, jump rope or do a simple functional workout all from the comfort of your home”.

^{This article was originally published on www.womenshealthsa.co.za} 

^{Image credit: iStock}

Chandré Davids

Do you have that one friend who can eat whatever she wants without gaining weight? Maybe she credits a speedy metabolism for her ability to chow down on fries and never feel like her favourite pants are feeling the tiniest big snug. Meanwhile, you’ve been trying to eat nutritiously for months and still can’t seem move the numbers on the scale. Been there.

Here’s the thing: It’s actually possible that your metabolism is just different, (meaning, slower) than your friend’s. In case you’ve forgotten from your high school biology class, metabolism is the rate at which your body burns calories for energy. And it’s a complicated process that also involves your oxygen intake and carbon dioxide output (a.k.a. your breathing), the Mayo Clinic explains.

Everyone’s metabolism is different, and those differences are generally based on height and weight, your activity levels, and the biggie, genetics. But knowing how your metabolism operates could be the key to losing weight more successfully — although getting deets on your metabolism is not as simple as, say, taking your temperature or timing how fast you can run a kilometre on a treadmill.

Understanding how your metabolism works requires specific kinds of testing, as well as a qualified professional to interpret those results and translate them into a customized weight-loss program. Interested in learning more? Here’s all the info from experts on what various types of metabolic testing involve, plus who should be getting tested.

First: What does a metabolic test reveal exactly?

Metabolic testing measures how many calories a person burns while at rest (also called resting metabolic rate, or RMR), according to the Center For Metabolic and Weight Loss Surgery at Columbia University.

RMR tells you what your basic daily caloric needs are for maintaining your weight if you sit around doing nothing all day. Knowing that rate paves the way to more accurately calculating how many calories you would need to consume per day to lose weight.

In other words, if you’re dieting constantly but not getting the results you’re hoping for, metabolic testing could help you understand your body better and lead to more weight loss.

“A metabolic test can be very helpful for weight-loss goals because it is a fairly accurate way to know how many calories you need [to lose weight] while still allowing your body to function properly,” says Dr Joanne Donoghue, exercise physiologist and associate professor at NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Striking that just-right caloric balance is important, says Donoghue. On a very basic level: Consume more calories than your body requires at rest and you gain weight; too few calories, and your body may slow down its metabolism in order to conserve energy, which can also lead to weight gain.

If your metabolism seems like one big mystery, that’s because it typically is for the average adult who hasn’t done a metabolic test. But a metabolic test gives you actual numbers to work with so you aren’t just guessing at your caloric needs.

READ MORE: 9 Ways To Prep For Your Fitness Assessment And Score Better Results

What are the different types of metabolic tests out there?

There are a few different ways to approach metabolic testing, but not all of them are the best choice — or even available — for the average person. These are the most common metabolic tests and what they involve:

• Direct calorimetry: This measures your body heat to determine the number of calories you burn. Typically, you would sit inside a special chamber for about an hour while the machine does its thing. It’s basically considered the gold standard for RMR testing in terms of accuracy — but it’s so expensive and high-tech that it’s very rarely used outside of a research or laboratory setting.
• • Indirect calorimetry: This measures how much oxygen you consume compared with the amount of carbon dioxide you breathe out. It’s more portable, affordable and accessible than its counterpart, meaning this is likely the option you’ll be given if you’re signing up for testing through your gym. You simply wear a mask or lie down under a hood while a machine takes your oxygen and carbon dioxide measurements for about 15 to 20 minutes. Even though it’s lower-tech, Donoghue says it’s still pretty accurate.
  • VO2 max test: If you are an athlete who wants to optimize caloric intake or lose weight, you may also benefit from something called a VO2 max test, which measures your body’s ability to consume oxygen. For this test, you wear a breathing mask while running on a treadmill to determine how much oxygen you consume when you’re running at your hardest. It’s one of the most accurate tests for cardiorespiratory fitness, according to the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

  If you’re not an athlete, you should probably stick with just testing your RMR using one of the first two options.

  How accurate is metabolic testing?

  In general, metabolic testing via indirect calorimetry is a reliable way to obtain information about your body that you might not otherwise have. But it’s also important to remember that a lot of the testing accuracy comes down to the equipment being used and who’s doing the testing and interpreting the results — more on that in just a sec.

  Be wary of body composition tests that claim to predict your RMR and stick with indirect calorimetry, when possible. “There are body composition tests like hand-held dynamometers or scales that try to predict RMR, [but those] are prediction values and some more accurate than others,” Donoghue explains. “Indirect calorimetry, when done correctly, has the least amount of error.”

  A 2017 review of data in the Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism concluded that while predictive methods of testing are “questionable,” indirect calorimetry is a valuable resource for calculating nutrition needs and managing chronic health conditions.

  If I want to get my metabolism tested, where can I do it? How much does it cost?

  Originally, getting a metabolic test was a pretty exclusive thing, offered only at hospitals and weight-loss clinics. Now, it’s much more accessible, with many gyms and fitness centres, sports medicine facilities, and dietitian offices offering the testing.

  Of course, that’s a “buyer beware” situation. Private- or corporate-owned facilities, like your local health club, may not be using the most accurate equipment (or keeping it running smoothly). Don’t be afraid to ask questions about the equipment being used and the professional guiding you through the test. Ideally, it should be a certified personal trainer, registered dietitian, or an exercise physiologist.

  Anything I need to know before going in for a metabolic test?

  There’s not much you need to do to prepare — except fast the morning of your test, and not just from food.

  “Restrain from having any caffeine, alcohol, or nicotine — and don’t exercise,” advises Donoghue. “If you’re tested within a few hours of any of these, the accuracy of your test will be greatly affected.” Beyond that, because it’s your resting metabolic rate that’s being tested here, there’s no pressure on you to do much of anything (basically, you get to chill).

  One final thing: Remember that your results are just numbers, and without a plan in place to do something based on those numbers, it won’t change your weight-loss results.

  The bottom line: Metabolic testing can definitely give you insight into how many calories your body burns at rest and how to create a calorie deficit. But shelling out for a metabolic test is only step one; step two is working with a personal trainer or registered dietitian to create a personalized caloric goal and fitness routine for weight loss.

  ^{This article was originally published on www.womenshealthasa.co.za}

  ^{Image credit: iStock}

  Sarah Bradley

  

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Breast cancer affects both women and men, yet there’s a popular misconception that this type of cancer is a women’s issue. Now, a new study shows that men with breast cancer are more likely to die than their female counterparts, across all stages of the disease.

Even more concerning, the study indicates, is that this disparity persists even when clinical characteristics, such as cancer types, treatment, and access to care are considered.

The study was carried out by Vanderbilt researchers and published in JAMA Oncology. It looked at a 11-year registry of data from January 2004 to December 2014.

The cohort consisted of 16 025 male and 1.8 million female patients with breast cancer in the US. The five-year mortality rate for the male patients was 19% higher than their female counterparts.

Possible reasons

The following reasons may be responsible for the lower overall survival rates, the study’s senior author and associate director for Global Health and co-leader of the Cancer Epidemiology Research Program at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Xiao-Ou Shu, said:

• Distinct cancer biology
• Less effective treatment
• Men not being compliant with hormonal treatment
• Unhealthy lifestyles among men, including smoking, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity and obesity

Shu also pointed out that additional studies are needed to identify the causes, but that it would require international consortia, considering male breast cancer is so rare and accounts for less than 1% of breast cancer cases.

“It is so rare, it would be extremely difficult for any single institute to recruit a sufficient number of patients for research,” said Shu.

About 85% of male breast cancer is ER-positive, a proportion that is higher than female breast cancer patients (75%).

“That is a cancer type where patients usually fare better because we have a hormonal treatment,” Shu said, concluding by stressing the importance of conducting more studies that are specifically focused on male breast cancer.

Shu explained that in theory, men should have better outcomes and lower mortality than women if the treatment is equally effective.

“The question is whether there are some other biological differences between ER-positive male breast and ER-positive female breast cancer. We don’t know,” Shu commented.

Breast cancer in men is often ignored

According to the Breast Health Foundation, in South Africa, 1–3% of all breast cancers happen in men and it seems to be on the rise for men who work on electrical lines. Factors such as radiation, X-rays and electromagnetic waves have also been implicated in incidents, notes the foundation.

Since breast cancer in men is so rare, it often goes undiagnosed as men are less likely to go for screenings. But ignorance is a killer and there needs to be more awareness around this, and men need to do self-checks too. Most men don’t go to the doctor until they develop severe symptoms such as bleeding from the nipple, at which point the cancer might already have spread.

“The most common sign of breast cancer in men is a firm, non-painful mass located just below the nipple,” says CANSA to Men’s Health South Africa.  

The symptoms are similar to those of women, and treatment too, although men may have more of their breast tissue removed as their cancer is usually nearer the chest wall. You can perform a simple self-exam by looking out for:

• Red spotted breasts
• Nipple discharge
• Inverted and painful nipples
• Breast swelling
• Shoulder pain leading to the shoulder muscles

^{Image: Getty}

Compiled by Zakiyah Ebrahim

People with severe insomnia may find that a sedative helps them sleep and banishes thoughts of suicide, a new study suggests.

“If you have a patient who complains that their sleep has taken a turn for the worse, then there is reason to open the door to a question about suicide,” said corresponding author Dr W. Vaughn McCall. He’s chairman of the department of psychiatry and health behaviour at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.

Attempted suicide

“If your patient says their sleep problem is really bad and they have had thoughts of killing themselves, maybe they should have a targeted treatment for their insomnia,” he added in a college news release.

For the study, the researchers recruited 103 adults, aged 18 to 65, who had a major depressive disorder, insomnia and suicidal thoughts. Of those, 30% had previously attempted suicide.

Participants were given antidepressants for eight weeks. Half also took zolpidem (Ambien) at bedtime. The patients kept a nightly sleep diary that described how many times they woke and how long they actually slept.

Those taking Ambien saw significant improvement in their insomnia, the study found. Both groups also saw improvement in feelings of hopelessness, quality of life, nightmares and suicidal thoughts.

Antidepressants and a sleep aid

The sleep aid was most effective in curbing suicidal thoughts in patients who had the worst insomnia, the study authors said.

No suicide attempts or deaths occurred during the study, McCall’s team noted.

The researchers don’t think all such patients should be prescribed a sleep medicine, but they added that the findings do suggest that a combination of antidepressants and a sleep aid may help suicidal patients with severe insomnia.

The research was funded by the US National Institute of Mental Health. The report was published online recently in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

^{Image credit: iStock}

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