DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am a 35-year-old woman who took up weightlifting about six months ago. At the start of weightlifting I weighed 110 pounds. I weighed myself today and was horrified to find I now weigh 120 pounds. I have never weighed this much. I can’t see where I put the new weight. My clothes still fit perfectly. Where is this extra weight? – P.R.

ANSWER: I don’t know your height but, for the sake of discussion, let me make you about 5 feet 5 inches.

You should not be shocked. If your clothes still fit and if you cannot see new fat deposits, your weightlifting program has added 10 pounds of muscle to your body.

Body weight is a misleading measurement. The significant measurement is the percentage of fat that contributes to body weight. For a young woman, 25 percent of body weight can be fat and be considered healthy. For a young man, 15 percent of body weight is an ideal number. Women with more than 35 percent of body weight as fat (men with more than 25 percent) have too much fat.

Body fat just sits on the body, doing nothing terribly important until it is called on to act as fuel for muscle energy. Muscle, however, even when a person is at rest, is metabolically active and burning calories. A well-muscled person, therefore, can eat more calories without gaining weight because of the metabolic activity of muscle.

How do you determine your percentage of body fat? There are a number of scientific ways of doing so, and one includes underwater weighing. If you want a rough estimate, then measure the width of a pinch of skin over the muscle (the triceps) on the back of the upper arm. If it measures an inch, you have a body fat percentage between 23 and 28. Men measure a pinch of skin on the abdomen. A three-quarter-inch width pinch there yields a body fat percentage of 13 to 18.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am a senior citizen interested in starting an exercise program but not sure of how to go about it. I plan to begin walking daily. If I strap weights to my ankles, how much more benefit do I get from walking? – S.W.

ANSWER: Many exercise specialists are not keen on strapping on ankle weights, because they can throw a person’s stride off and stress knees and hips.

You can get a greater workout by holding hand weights. Keep your elbows bent 90 degrees and swing your arms so the forward hand rises as high as the breastbone and the backward swing rises to a level where the upper arm is parallel to the ground. Not only will you burn more calories, but you will be getting muscle exercise for the arms and shoulders, and you will be building stronger bones. Start with a light weight, 1 pound.

You say you are a senior. I have to give you the warning I give all seniors who begin an exercise program. It can be dangerous to plunge into such a program without first seeing your doctor.

The aerobics pamphlet outlines a typical program for people of all ages. Readers can obtain a copy by writing: Dr. Donohue – No. 1301, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.50 U.S./$6.50 Can. with the recipient’s printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I wear goggles when I swim. I have taken up diving. The last time I dove, I ended up with two very blood-red eyes. What is this? – J.K.

ANSWER: I bet that you have subconjunctival hemorrhages, something that looks and sounds much worse than it is. A dive into deep water compresses the air trapped under the goggles. That, in turn, creates a vacuum, and tiny blood vessels under the transparent eye cover, the conjunctiva, break. The red will go away in a week or two. If you don’t begin to see improvement soon or if your eyes hurt, see the doctor. I am only guessing.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: During my last examination, my doctor listened to my neck. He heard something. I don’t remember what he called it, but he said I need an ultrasound of my right carotid artery. He thought there might be a buildup there. I do have a 40 percent blockage in that artery. He says surgery is not necessary. When is it? And what should I be doing now? – R.E.

ANSWER: Your doctor heard a bruit (BREW-ee), a noise caused by partial clogging of a carotid artery. The right and left carotid arteries, located in the neck, supply blood to the brain. A buildup of cholesterol, fats and blood platelets can obstruct blood flow there just as it does in heart arteries. The critical percentage blockage is in the 60 percent to 70 percent range. When one of the carotids has that much obstruction, surgery is often recommended for removal of the clogging material. The surgery is called an endarterectomy (END-are-tur-ECK-toe-me). An alternative to surgery is placement of a stent in the carotid artery. Stents are wire gadgets that are carried to the point of obstruction by threading a catheter – a soft, pliable tube – from a groin artery to the neck artery. Stents are also used in opening blockages in heart arteries.

Your blockage is not at a critical stage. You do not need surgery or placement of a stent.

You do need to do those things that prevent artery blockages from enlarging. If you need to lose weight, do so. You must not smoke. Exercise is a necessity. A brisk walk that takes 30 minutes is about all that is asked of you. Don’t start out walking 30 minutes. Gradually build up your time. Keep a close watch on your blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides. These are the same instructions given to those who have partially clogged heart arteries.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475.

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