Is there a word for oft-repeated, widely accepted nonsense? Bullshit with an agent?
Do you ever read fat-loss or healthy eating advice that says to only eat when you are truly hungry and to eat slowly “savoring” every bite? I’m sure I can’t be the only person who finds this advice to be bizarre.
First, where in fact is the “truly hungry” line? I’ve known people to whine about starving when they haven’t eaten in four hours. I’ve known people who go days without eating and still say they’re not hungry. There are two basic definitions of hunger: a) A strong desire or need for food and b) The discomfort, weakness, or pain caused by a prolonged lack of food. I would say that the whiner’s hunger definition is “a” and the faster’s definition is “b.” So which definition do the “eat only when hungry” advisors refer to? Maybe something in between? I’ve heard some people say you’re hungry when your stomach growls. Well, I must have one confused stomach – it’s been known to growl just after eating and yet it doesn’t growl when I’m on the verge of fainting from lack of food. Maybe it just surrendered. As far as I’m concerned if you’re not slightly weak or dizzy you’re not really hungry. Just sayin’.
Now about that savor bit.
I find that while a lot of healthy food tastes good it’s not delicious. Delicious is an adjective I normally reserve for vice foods: Pan pizza with maximum cheese or fudgy hot brownies or (hell yea) cookie dough. If I’m eating healthy food (which is the norm) I really just want to get it over with so therefore I eat too fast. It’s not exactly entertaining. If I’m eating unhealthy delicious food (which usually is accompanied by a large side-order of guilt and a strong premonition of a larger ass in the a.m.) then that might be the moment to “savor every bite.” However, unless you live alone, if you fart around with your savor moments you’ll be out of luck if you want more. You finally had something worth savoring and… it’s gone. Sucka! Instinctively, we eat faster when food is delicious so we’ll get more – yea, it’s greed, it’s primal, it’s why wolves fight over the kill but cows don’t fight over pasture – it’s nosh but it ain’t going anywhere.
And doesn’t it seem that it’s always the vice food that seduces you to overeat? Most people aren’t tempted to go back and fight over a third plate of broccoli. It’s the grains, white potatoes, and sugars that beckon you back for more. Brownies don’t last 12 hours in a house with a family. The only way to avoid overeating is to not buy the foods that make you want to overeat.
I think the advice in question reflects our sick relationship with food. You need to show it who’s boss. Sounds silly, I know, but you should always be able to turn down food. If you ever go 40 days without food then maybe you will become acquainted with real hunger. It’s a revelation in itself and puts food in perspective.
Showing posts with label Fat loss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fat loss. Show all posts
Monday, January 18, 2010
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Fat loss ... it's not for the experts.
O.K. people (especially women … most especially moms), I’ve got to set the record straight about fat loss.
I spent over 10 years doing what the fat loss experts said to do. I spent an enormous amount of time researching. I gave the most credence to the most accepted plans and forced myself to believe in the calories in, calories out theory. It sounded good. It was “scientific” – thermodynamics and all that, right? It made sense. But it didn’t work for me. Maybe it works for some people – I’m assuming they’re not all liars – I’m assuming they mean well.
So for over 10 years I counted calories, I weighed and measured. I used online food diaries, etc. I ate tuna and egg whites and frickin’ oat meal. I was hungry almost all the time. You know what I got? Fat. Yep. I remember following a particular mainstream diet to the “T.” I mean I was Miss Anal Retentive. I was being “good.” I gained six pounds in ONE WEEK. No, it wasn’t water. It took weeks to get it off.
I kept thinking that if I was “perfect,” if I calculated more accurately, if I worked out just a bit harder I would lose fat. (I’ve always been active. I was an athletic kid and a gym rat as an adult so exercise was not a problem with me.) The problem was at the core. The problem was that I believed a calorie was a calorie as far as fat loss is concerned. I really believed it because it was no bullshit and it was quantifiable. It was my failure.
So I accidentally stumbled across the solution to my problem and, I suspect, the problem for many people – especially women and most especially moms. For the first 34 years of my life I was always between thin and normal weight until I had my second child. Then I began to gain weight. The harder I tried to lose it the more I gained. It was like quick sand. I had become hypothyroid and even though I began to feel better when I started taking (natural) thyroid medication the fat didn’t budge. If you are hypothyroid you know exactly what I’m talking about. You can check out story after story on thyroid web sites. People don’t just gain 20, 40, 60 and more pounds of fat after being thin for decades and eating the same amount or less.
Because I suspected I had a systemic yeast problem I went on an anti-yeast diet. At the heart of the diet is a complete avoidance of sugars and grains. I stopped eating sugars and grains COMPLETELY. I stopped counting calories. I stopped being concerned about dietary fat. I even stopped exercising as hard and as often. Basically, I just took it easy. And guess what? I lost 15 pounds in six weeks.
I can eat enormous amounts of raw nuts, seeds, raw fruit, and any veggie other than potatoes and still lose weight. The little brainwashed voice in my head said I would gain weight if I ate a grapefruit, two oranges, two apples, an avocado, an enormous salad with cheese and loads of olive oil, handfuls of raw almonds, protein shakes with 2% milk, whole yogurt and frozen fruit, whole eggs fried in coconut oil, several carrots and several coffees loaded with half and half. Nope. Fat seemed to melt away. BUT, if I ate even one piece of bread and hardly anything else I would gain weight. The numbers don’t add up because you’re body is not counting calories. It doesn’t give a sweet damn about your calories in vs. calories out equation. Honestly, when in the history of the world have people needed to calculate food to maintain a healthy weight? It’s all about balanced nutrition.
So I no longer care what any of “the fat-loss experts” say. I have become my own fat-loss expert and I hope that this info helps others who are in the same situation. I’m keeping a “diary” of sorts and once I’ve reached my fat loss goals I’ll elaborate more and publish it. I’m also going to add more basic info on the blog tomorrow. But for now watch this:
http://dhslides.org/mgr/mgr060509f/f.htm
I wish every single one of you magnificent health.
I spent over 10 years doing what the fat loss experts said to do. I spent an enormous amount of time researching. I gave the most credence to the most accepted plans and forced myself to believe in the calories in, calories out theory. It sounded good. It was “scientific” – thermodynamics and all that, right? It made sense. But it didn’t work for me. Maybe it works for some people – I’m assuming they’re not all liars – I’m assuming they mean well.
So for over 10 years I counted calories, I weighed and measured. I used online food diaries, etc. I ate tuna and egg whites and frickin’ oat meal. I was hungry almost all the time. You know what I got? Fat. Yep. I remember following a particular mainstream diet to the “T.” I mean I was Miss Anal Retentive. I was being “good.” I gained six pounds in ONE WEEK. No, it wasn’t water. It took weeks to get it off.
I kept thinking that if I was “perfect,” if I calculated more accurately, if I worked out just a bit harder I would lose fat. (I’ve always been active. I was an athletic kid and a gym rat as an adult so exercise was not a problem with me.) The problem was at the core. The problem was that I believed a calorie was a calorie as far as fat loss is concerned. I really believed it because it was no bullshit and it was quantifiable. It was my failure.
So I accidentally stumbled across the solution to my problem and, I suspect, the problem for many people – especially women and most especially moms. For the first 34 years of my life I was always between thin and normal weight until I had my second child. Then I began to gain weight. The harder I tried to lose it the more I gained. It was like quick sand. I had become hypothyroid and even though I began to feel better when I started taking (natural) thyroid medication the fat didn’t budge. If you are hypothyroid you know exactly what I’m talking about. You can check out story after story on thyroid web sites. People don’t just gain 20, 40, 60 and more pounds of fat after being thin for decades and eating the same amount or less.
Because I suspected I had a systemic yeast problem I went on an anti-yeast diet. At the heart of the diet is a complete avoidance of sugars and grains. I stopped eating sugars and grains COMPLETELY. I stopped counting calories. I stopped being concerned about dietary fat. I even stopped exercising as hard and as often. Basically, I just took it easy. And guess what? I lost 15 pounds in six weeks.
I can eat enormous amounts of raw nuts, seeds, raw fruit, and any veggie other than potatoes and still lose weight. The little brainwashed voice in my head said I would gain weight if I ate a grapefruit, two oranges, two apples, an avocado, an enormous salad with cheese and loads of olive oil, handfuls of raw almonds, protein shakes with 2% milk, whole yogurt and frozen fruit, whole eggs fried in coconut oil, several carrots and several coffees loaded with half and half. Nope. Fat seemed to melt away. BUT, if I ate even one piece of bread and hardly anything else I would gain weight. The numbers don’t add up because you’re body is not counting calories. It doesn’t give a sweet damn about your calories in vs. calories out equation. Honestly, when in the history of the world have people needed to calculate food to maintain a healthy weight? It’s all about balanced nutrition.
So I no longer care what any of “the fat-loss experts” say. I have become my own fat-loss expert and I hope that this info helps others who are in the same situation. I’m keeping a “diary” of sorts and once I’ve reached my fat loss goals I’ll elaborate more and publish it. I’m also going to add more basic info on the blog tomorrow. But for now watch this:
http://dhslides.org/mgr/mgr060509f/f.htm
I wish every single one of you magnificent health.
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