KNOX – Teresa Sickmiller is the new clinical dietician at Indiana University Health Starke Hospital.
In the 20 years she has been in the field, Sickmiller has seen the effects of obesity and diabetes. “I’m really worried if these two, one a condition and the other a disease, are not brought under control we are going to be looking at a real epidemic in a few years,” she said.
She subscribes to the adage that losing weight is a lifestyle issue, and points out that those who rapidly and dramatically lose weight rarely keep it off. “There are 3,500 calories in one pound of body fat,” she observed. “Reduce your calorie intake by 250 a day and take off another 250 by exercising and you’ll lose a pound a week.”
Sickmiller pointed out we’re no longer a society that eats meals at the table. We’re eating on the run, often times at work or in the car. This makes it doubly difficult to eat right. “Take a healthy snack to work with you, watch those late night munchies and especially have the right kind of treats ready for the kids after school,” she advised.
