Dr. Dana Ruiz-Sesante &Cindy Ruiz Garaña, R.N.women’s world

DEAR Cindy,

Hello! I hope your Christmas Holiday was happy. Mine was truly joyous and merry.

There’s just one thing: I gained almost 20 lbs. in the last two months. I practically ballooned from 120 to 139. Now my pants and shorts are almost impossible to fit into. Of course I wanted to look good but I was not committed enough to diet and exercise. After looking at myself in the mirror, I have made up my mind to do something about my weight gain—soon and fast.

I talked about this to my friends and there were several unsolicited advice as to how I should go about accomplishing my crash program. Some of them advised me to skip meals, like breakfast for instance.

I’m a little bit alarm because most of my family members are overweight, with the tendency to be obese. So now you understand why I want to lose my weight.

Jasmine

Dear Jasmine,

Post-Christmas holiday blues, yes, this is the scenario when we regret the willful and sinful indulgence for the abundant
foods and sweets and everything else.

So, it’s payback time now, but despair not. All is not yet lost. The fact that you are critical of your figure is the first step towards recovery of a beautiful body. Add that to your determination and will, and the battle is almost half-won.

Now the two words that should dominate your waking hours should be diet and exercise, D & E for short. When I say diet, I mean proper diet, please, no skipping of meals.

Health professionals warn weight watchers not to skip meals as a method to lose extra pounds. Their rationale here is that persons who skip meals to lose weight will miss out on a lot of nutrients; also when you skip a meal there is a tendency to fill out on the next meal.

To help you maintain the desired weight, I recommend some practical and do-able tips:

eat on a small rather than large plate eat slowly and chew your food well avoid distractions, such as watching TV or reading newspapers/magazines while eating use the stairs rather the elevator walk, rather than drive or ride in going short distances
take out from your room that executive/buddy-size ref where you place chocolates and other sweets.

You are wise to have observed the propensity of your family to obesity. Take note that obesity not only increases health risks, it also reduces life expectancy. Thank you for allowing me to touch your life in the most rewarding manner.

God bless,

Cindy

What to do about ‘parenthesis’ legs

Dear Dra. Dana,

I am a new mother; I recently gave birth to my now three-month-old daughter. My concern involves not myself but this gem in my life.
You see, I’m bowlegged (or what we call in Cebuano bakang). So are my two sisters, and so is my husband. This made me wonder if being bowlegged is hereditary.
If so, does this mean that my daughter is destined to have the same “parenthesis” legs that her parents have? Or is there something I could to help her have beautiful, shapely legs?
Please help me, I have grand plans for my little princess, and I want to be able to take the necessary step to make sure that she gets the best of everything in this world including shapely beautiful legs.

Maricris

Dear Maricris,

HEREDITY or genes (DNA) has nothing to do at all with one’s bow legs. Try to imagine the shape of a woman’s womb. It is somehow circular in shape, isn’t it? Take a look at a pregnant woman’s silhouette, and you know what I mean.

Because of the way the fetus is positioned inside the womb, crouched and bent, in order to fit snuggly in it’s home for nine months, there is the tendency for the baby’s legs to be curved at birth. The situation is exacerbated or made worse by the way the diapers are worn, leaving the baby’s lower limbs once again in that “parenthetical” position.

Another possible culprit is the way the baby is carried around, saddle like, at the side, perched on one hand, with the bearer’s body between the baby’s legs. This is very commonly practiced by the caregiver, the yaya, so that the other hand is free to do other chores.

You can also do some exercise on your baby’s legs. Each morning, have your baby lie down.

Holding her ankles, move her legs as if she is jogging, continuing the motion tenderly for about a minute or two. After this, stretch the baby’s legs, with knees and heels kept as close as possible, all the while applying baby oil to the legs in a soothing motion. Do this every day.

We have to remember that baby’s bones are quiet tender. It is possible to “check” the prenatal tendency of the baby to bowlegged by regular exercise. Instructions should be clearly given to the yaya and other caregivers, to refrain from carrying the baby in that incorrect and destructive way I earlier described.

Yes, babies may be born bowlegged. The good news is that “wow legs” are not inborn; they are made. You’re just in time to start making your baby’s legs as beautiful as possible.

Very truly yours,

Dr. Dana Ruiz Sesante

Dana Ruiz-Sesante, M.D. owns and operates Ruiz Derma & Spa which offers a wide variety of beauty services. There are branches at SM City Cebu Ayala Center, SM-Cebu and other locations.

Cynthia Ruiz-Garaña, RN, supervises Ruiz Beauty and Healthcare Training Institute located at 132 Don Mariano Cui St., Capitol Site, Cebu City. E-mail them at ruizderma@yahoo.com

For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here.(Januar 4, 2009 issue)Write letter to the editor.Click here.