CAN YOU BE BOTH FIT AND FAT? THE ANSWER IS SURPRISING
Dear Rivka,
I’m a 5’4” woman who weighs 170lbs. I exercise regularly, eat healthily and don’t generally overeat. I am in good physical shape. My blood work and blood pressure has been consistently good, but I dread going to the doctor. Whenever I go to the gynecologist or to my primary care physician, I am told I need to lost weight. I’ve tried dieting, but it makes me miserable, and I usually end up gaining weight.  I think it’s possible to be fit and fat, but everyone around me seems to think otherwise. Am I deluding myself?
Sue
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ADDICTED TO THINNESS
Dear Rivka,
People tell me I’m too thin, including my doctor. I don’t like to admit it, but they may be right. I eat small amounts of food, no fat, I count calories and exercise all the time. Lately, I’ve been feeling depleted and my periods are getting very light. I know gaining weight would be in my best interest, especially because I want to be healthy enough to have kids, but I love all the attention I get for being thin. People always ask me what my secret is. I get tons of compliments about how good I look in clothes, and I know I am envied. Although I know I need to gain weight, being thin makes me feel special and I don’t want to lose that feeling. Any thoughts?
 Addicted to Thin
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HELP WITH END-OF-THE-DAY SNACK ATTACKS
Dear Rivka,
When I come home from work, I immediately hit the snacks, even if I’m not hungry. I think I do this as a way to ‘nurture’ myself after a long day. Do you have any ideas of other things (quick things) I can do for myself when I get home so that I don’t run straight to the cabinets???
-Frustrated in Milton
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DON’T LET THE COLD WEATHER DERAIL YOUR EXERCISE EFFORTS
Dear Rivka,
The winter weather really effects my ability to exercise. I like to go for walks, but it is either too cold, snowy, windy or icy. I hate going to the gym, so I just end up sitting at home, avoiding exercise and feeling guilty, as well as not feeling so great physically. Any suggestions?
-Housebound in Harvard Square
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ACCEPTING MENOPAUSAL CHANGES
Dear Rivka,
I’m a 50 year old menopausal woman and am finding it more and more difficult to lose weight, particularly in my stomach. I work out at the gym, eat the right foods, don’t like junk food, do eat too much at night…but even when I have dieted, I can’t lose the paunch. What can be done with the middle-aged spread? I’m seriously thinking about liposuction.
Menopaunch, Cambridge Street
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WHEN MOM’S HELP REALLY HURTS
Dear Rivka,
Yesterday, I got a "gift" from my mom — an article about the South Beach Diet. I’ve struggled with compulsive eating for years, and I’ve talked to mom before about how dieting hints are not helpful. But she sent this anyway. How can I respond appropriately (she is my mom, after all) and still defend my boundaries? I am working hard to eat in a healthy way, and to take care of myself. Her unsolicited help is really destructive. It makes me angry and I don’t know what to do.
-Struggling in Somerville
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SHOULD LEARNING HOW TO REDUCE STRESS BE A STRESS ON YOUR POCKETBOOK?
Dear Rivka,
I was interested in trying Transcendental Meditation because I’ve heard it is very helpful for reducing stress, but I was put off by the cost. I called a few TM instructors, and they each said I could come to 2 free introductory lectures, but in order to practice, I need to pay $2500 up front for instruction. They said I couldn’t learn it from a book. This sounds really expensive. Is it worth it?
-Larry, Oxford Street
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