Since many of the physiological adjustments are dependent on changes in body composition, we will first examine that before considering the adaptations themselves.

Counteracting body composition changes. Exercise is usually promoted as a means of reducing FFM losses to a minimum. Prentice and his colleagues cite eleven studies which were carried out to 1991, nine of which show exercise to be effective in reducing muscle loss. There have been many more since. However, it is likely that the more restrictive the dietary regimen, the less likely FFM losses will be reduced by exercise.

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On some parts of the body subcutaneous fat is thicker, and fat cells more numerous, than on others. The abdomen, as we’ve seen, is a site of greater adipocyte size and numbers in men; the buttocks and gluteal region more so in women. Women also tend to store more fat around the triceps than men, and this area is harder to pinch using traditional skin fold measures, in some women. The female breasts are almost entirely composed of fat and connective tissue, the former serving as an extra energy reserve during pregnancy and lactation. The extra energy requirements of breast-feeding have been estimated at between 300—400 kcal per day.

Harvard University’s Dr Rose Frisch, who is an expert in female body composition and fat stores, claims that subcutaneous fat stores in the hips and buttocks, as well as the breasts, also help to augment food supplies during pregnancy. Says Frisch: The main function of the 16kg of stored female fat, which is equivalent to 600MJ [about 140 000 kcal], may be to provide energy for pregnancy and for about 3 months lactation’. Intra-abdominal fat stores on the other hand may be less functional and may interfere with liver function leading to different disease risks.

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Tammy, a 33-year-old resident of Jamestown, New York, admits that she knew very little about good nutrition when she was younger. Even though she routinely ate high-fat foods such as Buffalo wings, pepperoni pizza, and french fries, she couldn’t understand why she kept packing on the pounds. “I just didn’t know any better,” she says. By age 21, she weighed 253 pounds.

Then, during a routine checkup, Tammy found out that she had alarmingly high blood pressure. The news jolted Tammy into action. Determined to slim down, she began paying more attention to her diet. She switched from 2 percent milk and regular sodas to skim milk and diet sodas—and lost 30 pounds. She had never considered how her beverage choices contributed to calorie intake. This surprised her so much that she decided to learn everything she could about healthy eating.

“I went to the library and signed out every nutrition book I could find,” she says. “I was determined to make better food choices so that I could lose more weight.” She also read dozens of cook-books and discovered how to turn fat-laden recipes into nutritious meals with a few simple ingredient substitutions.

All of that reading transformed Tammy’s eating habits. Within about a year, she lost a total of 147 pounds. And she has stayed at era’

106 pounds ever since, thanks to 12 years of healthy eating. ”

WINNING ACTION

Find out what you’re really eating. For one day, write down everything that you eat and drink, along with the fat and calorie content of each item. At the end of the day, add up your numbers. Surprise! You’re probably eating more than you realized.

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