[OCT. 16, 2000]  As you know, winter is just around the corner. With gas prices going up, the colder months will surely have a bitter bite. Lincoln Junior Woman’s Club would like to help keep your costs down by giving you a few energy saving tips. Oct. 15 through 21 is Lincoln Junior Woman’s Club Week. Each day, an energy awareness tip will be posted. See below.

Tips to save energy

Don't move your thermostat temperature up and down during the day; try to keep a consistent level of heating. Changing the thermostat temperature back and forth to extremes causes your heater to work harder, costing you more money.

You can purchase a programmable set-back thermostat to raise and lower the temperature automatically. Program it to lower the temperature after you leave for work and then raise the temperature about an hour before you arrive home. This works well in the summer when you're cooling, too.

If you're going to be out of town several days, lower your thermostat's cooling temperature. Remember not to jeopardize your pet's health while you are gone.

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Use screw-in-type compact fluorescent bulbs rather than ordinary incandescent household bulbs. You'll save between 75 and 80 percent on energy per socket. Also, compact fluorescent bulbs last 10 to13 times longer and operate cooler than incandescent bulbs.

Remember: When you permanently leave rooms in your house, turn the lights out and appliances off, including the television and radio.

[OCT. 14, 2000]  Swimsuit season is over. Cool weather is fast approaching, and, believe it or not, the holiday season is only a few months away.  As the hours of sunshine decrease and the degrees dip into the lower double digits, it’s only natural that people stay inside more and tend to be less active. Coupled with that, as the holidays approach, they bring a time of gift-giving, helping those in need, spreading good cheer....and food. Lots of food. It’s important to start watching your eating habits now and preparing for those calorie-laden times.

 If you’re planning for a slimmer, trimmer you, experts advise checking out the facts first.

Most of the popular diets now are based on the idea that carbohydrates are bad and many people are insulin-resistant, which causes them to pack on the pounds when they eat things like sweet potatoes, corn and pasta. Authors of these diets point out that people eating more carbohydrates are heavier than before. But people are also eating more calories, which is the real reason they are gaining weight, according to the ADA. Besides the low-carb diets, there are always the over-the-counter liquid meal replacements and very low-calorie diets that require medical supervision. These aren’t advised for long-term weight loss, but rather serve a short-term purpose because they don’t teach lifelong habits.

Most diet books make promises they can’t deliver, because their concepts are based on short-term results. The ADA recommends in its book "Dieting for Dummies," co-written with Jane Kirby, R.D., to nix the short-term diets that swear off favorite foods, focus on denial, promise immediate results, allow no room for mistakes and ban some foods while emphasizing eating in general. Instead, people should adopt long-term life goals and concentrate on making healthier choices; focus on enjoying feeling better, healthier and more energized; establish flexible, short-term attainable goals; leave room for indulgences; and encourage variety while eating healthy and exercising.

It’s been said before and still remains true — the best way to lose weight is to pick a sensible eating plan that includes a variety of foods and is easy to live with, accompanied by daily exercise. The answer isn’t found in fad diets or a magical powder drink but in a healthful eating plan and lifestyle.

Olson said if a person just needs to lose an extra five pounds packed on during the holidays, then they probably don’t need to see a doctor before they start dieting. But if a person has been overweight for a few years and has high blood pressure, for example, then they should consult their doctor before beginning a weight loss program.

The ADA recommends the following steps to lose weight and keep it off:

*Eat a variety of foods.

*Balance the food you eat with exercise.

*Choose a diet with plenty of grains, vegetables and fruits. These foods are low in fat.

*Choose a diet low in fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. Fat should be 30 percent of your total calories.

*Eat sugar in moderation. Sugary foods are low in nutrients and have unnecessary calories.

*Use salt and sodium in moderation.

*Drink alcoholic beverages in moderation. They supply calories but few or no nutrients.

Olson said she recommends staying away from junk foods that contain refined sugar and from fat and fried foods. She also recommends eating smaller amounts of food, spread out during the day, eating in moderation and eating sensible meals from the basic food groups: fruit, vegetables and lean meat. Breakfast is important. If a person cuts out 500 calories a day — the equivalent of two donuts and a small bag of chips — they can lose one pound a week.

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"It doesn’t have to be low-protein, because protein will fill you up," and low-fat cheese, lean meat and skim milk are good choices, she said.

Another key to successful weight loss is keeping a written food diary and making note of everything you put in your mouth. She said many of her patients who say they have tried every diet under the sun start eating 500 less calories a day, getting daily exercise and keeping a food diary, and they usually lose weight.

[Penny Zimmerman-Wills]

[OCT. 13, 2000]  Swimsuit season is over. Cool weather is fast approaching, and, believe it or not, the holiday season is only a few months away.

As the hours of sunshine decrease and the degrees dip into the lower double digits, it’s only natural that people stay inside more and tend to be less active. Coupled with that, as the holidays approach, they bring a time of gift-giving, helping those in need, spreading good cheer....and food. Lots of food.

First the traditional Thanksgiving meal brings noodles and dressing and pecan pie. Then come Christmas celebrations, school gatherings, office parties and family dinners with tables heavy with crab dip, meatballs, cheese trays, and more cookies and pies. Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the kitchen, New Year’s Eve parties lie ahead, which means champagne toasts and calorie-laden tidbits to snack on while ringing in the new year.

Even though all that seems so far away, it’s important to start watching your eating habits now and preparing for those calorie-laden times.

More than 50 percent of citizens in the United States are overweight and are eating seven percent more calories than they did 20 years ago. To combat the problem, they spend more than $30 billion every year to lose weight, according to the American Dietetic Association (ADA). But many times the diet plans and gimmicks don’t work. "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is," said Amy Olson, registered dietitian and certified diabetics educator at SIU School of Medicine.

There is certainly no lack of information on the subject. Everywhere you look there are testimonials, statistics and advice from nutritional experts to entertainers touting their own version of how to lose weight. There’s the cabbage soup diet....the low-carbohydrates diet...the three-day diet...the SlimFast diet...the Scarsdale diet — the options are endless.

Many of the most popular diets making the rounds today are based on the Atkins diet, which preaches a low-carbohydrate regime. Other versions include the Carb Addict’s diet, which limits carb consumption by eating them less frequently and more quickly; the Suzanne Somers diet, which advises not to eat fats with carbs and to eat fruit alone; the Zone, which touts a low-carbohydrate consumption balanced with the right amount of protein and fat; and the Combo Diet, which allows eating proteins and starchy carbs together to keep the food from being stored as fat.

These fat-embracing, low-carb diets are a resurgence of the craze started in the ’70s by the Scarsdale and Dr. Atkins’ diets and are topping the bestseller lists and being discussed on the talk show circuits. They allow you to eat all the steak you want but not with a baked potato on the side. You can go through the drive-through at your favorite fast food hangout and order the cheeseburger; just throw out the bun. Eat all the ribs and pot roast you want, just not pasta or rice. It’s hard to argue with a diet that lets you have bacon and eggs for breakfast, a bacon cheeseburger and salad for lunch, and a porterhouse steak for dinner. What’s not to like?

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"It’s not a balanced nutritious, healthy diet," Olson said. "I wouldn’t recommend it for a lifestyle diet. It’s a fad that has come and gone over the years. For many people, weight loss is difficult but weight maintenance is really difficult," so any kind of fad diet is going to be hard to maintain for life. "It’s not a healthy way to lose weight. If you follow it, you will probably lose weight, which will be mostly water," but the pounds will come back when you start eating normally again.

Olson isn’t alone; many nutritional and medical experts aren’t jumping on the fat bandwagon quite so fast — disapproving of the fad diets’ high levels of protein and fat and lack of fiber. Despite their popularity and testimonials from everyone from Oprah to Suzanne who praise their results, experts warn that these diets aren’t heaven on earth. Risks include an increased chance of heart disease from eating more high-protein foods, which are also high in fat.

The ADA, which is a professional organization representing the nation’s licensed nutritionists and dietitians, claims that the Atkins diet and similar diets trigger short-term weight loss through ketosis, which occurs when the body lacks a sufficient supply of carbohydrates, a primary source of energy. So after losing water weight, you will eventually lose muscle mass. The diets also largely dismiss fruits, vegetables and whole grains, which are proven to be healthy.

So if you’re planning for a slimmer, trimmer you, experts advise checking out the facts first.

(To be continued)

[Penny Zimmerman-Wills]

[click here for Part 2]

Animals for adoption

These animals and more are available to good homes from the Logan County Animal Control at 1515 N. Kickapoo, phone 735-3232.

Fees for animal adoption: dogs, $60/male, $65/female; cats, $35/male, $44/female. The fees include neutering and spaying.

Logan County Animal Control's hours of operation:

Sunday  –  closed

Monday  –  8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Tuesday  –  8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Wednesday  –  8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Thursday  –  8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Friday  –  8 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Saturday  –  closed

Warden: Sheila Farmer
Assistant:  Michelle Mote
In-house veterinarian:  Dr. Lester Thompson

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