Starving for standards

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Rachelle Coleman
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  The push for a lean and mean Air Force has many Airmen looking for different workouts and diets to run faster, push harder and lose a couple inches off of their waists.

Dieting can be slow and frustrating, and for those looking for a quick fix, it can be dangerous. Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, or hCG, a hormone found in pregnant women, is becoming a popular diet for those seeking to lose weight. The hormone is usually detected in the blood or urine as a pregnancy test, intended to indicate the presence or absence of an implanted embryo.

Air Force members are expected to be healthy and "fit to fight" but taking hCG lowers the possibility of meeting those standards. The hCG diet recommends a 500 calorie per day diet and reduced physical activity.

According to Susan Runyan, a 354th Medical Group Health and Wellness Center dietician, the minimum calories for a woman is 1,200 and 1,500 for a man unless they are medically supervised.

"Usually a medically supervised diet is in the hospital," said Ms. Runyan. "Occasionally when people are extremely obese they may be put in the hospital and on an 800 calorie diet and it's like a liquid fast. They're in the hospital so [doctors] can monitor and make sure there are no problems. If you lose weight too fast, you're losing a lot of fat and it can go into your blood stream and cause a heart attack."

According to Ms. Runyan, contestants on television shows like "The Biggest Loser" are medically supervised. Doctors are monitoring contestants and making sure they're safe, and though they do limit calories, contestants lose most of their weight from extreme exercise.

Minimum calorie levels are needed daily to satisfy hunger, fuel daily activities and provide all the nutrients needed for good health each day.

"You will be hungry. You won't be as efficient at your job. You certainly won't have the energy reserves to participate in physically demanding jobs or physical training activities - it's just not healthy," said Capt. Jon Farley, a 354th Medical Group physician's assistant.

While the hCG diet isn't banned for military members, it is highly discouraged by medical personnel.

"It's really counterintuitive to what the Air Force expects because, yes, we want our members to be fit and look good in uniform ," said Captain Farley. "We do have waist circumference requirements, however the conditioning requirements are every bit important, if not more important than, the waist circumference. Incidentally, we have the waist circumference requirement, by my interpretation, because abdominal obesity is a good predictor for cardiovascular disease as people get older."

When calories consumed are low or close to starvation level, the human body not only burns fat, but also muscle. The last thing any dieter needs is to lose precious muscle mass, because that is what maintains good metabolism.

Instead, Captain Farley encourages diets high in protein, relatively low in carbohydrates and low in fats.

According to a recent study in Popular Science, people that participate in weight loss support groups that don't follow a stringent diet but go to a support group and count calories tend to lose weight more efficiently. They also keep that weight off over time as opposed to people who have used diets like the Atkins diet or the South Beach diet.

"It's really about calorie counting, making conscious, healthy choices when eating and exercising," said Captain Farley. "And then you have that additional support from a group of people with similar fitness goals, I think that's the way to go."

While diet and exercise remain important to maintaining a healthy lifestyle for Airmen, choosing the right diet is vital to mission success. Before starting a diet, Airmen can visit the Health and Wellness Center and talk to a dietician for the best results.