Archive for the 'Philosophy' Category

Update

amy May 2nd, 2007

It’s been quite awhile since I’ve updated.  I did this blog hardcore for about a month, then realized I didn’t want to do it any more because it was turning into too much of a chore and made me too focused on food and my eating issues.  I believe I have an eating jeux videotournoi poker en ligne gratuitespoker internet gratuitestexas holdem rulesjouer poker internettournoi poker internet,poker internet,jouer au poker internetjeu poker omaha en lignele poker online françaispoker en ligne mac osjeu de poker gratuitesjouer pro poker tourtilt pokeronline poker rankingpoker en ligne gratuitestelecharger jeux pokerjouer poker casinotelecharger gratuitement jeu de pokertournoi de poker gratuitesjeu poker francaispoker machine casinofull tilt pokerpoker games onlinepoker le jeuapprendre a jouer au pokerjouer poker holdemapprendre a jouer pokerjeu poker macworld championship of online pokerstrip poker onlinejeu poker portablestelecharger poker compoker gratuites a telechargerpoker freerollvideo poker onlineкомпютри втора употребаjouer au poker en reseaustrip poker gratuitesgagner poker internetjeu de poker texas holdempoker hold hem en lignejouer poker omaha gratuitespoker gratuites frregles de jeux du pokerjouer 7 card studdes règles pokerjouer poker gratuitesgagner poker en lignejeux poker internetachat poker chips onlinejeu poker ligne gratuitesjeu world poker disorder, and spending a great deal of my time reading, thinking, and writing about weight loss and food issues hasn’t been a healthy thing for me.

This blog has still been helpful, though, because it’s helped me realized that I want to live life fully now instead of feeling like I have to lose weight first to deserve it.  I’m mostly working on having fun and feeling good instead of losing weight, and I can say that I’ve been genuinely happy for the first time in a long while.  I’ve started a new dance class, Jason and I just bought bikes and a trailer for James so we can go on weekend rides, I’ve been playing a lot of DDR recently because I want to, not because I feel like I have to, and I bought my first gunI casino online online che non pagano le vincite e non rispondano alle esigenze altissime dei certi fedeli non sono inclusi nella directory del suo casino online. for target shooting a couple of days ago.  This is the first time in awhile that I’ve thought about something other than food or dieting most of the time.

I’m still working on my food issues but I’ve given up dieting.  I’m currently reading Breaking Free From Emotional Eating by Geneen Roth.  It is about feeling good about yourself, trusting your body and learning to listen to its natural hunger and satiety signals, and being consciousWenn es langsam zugeht poker regeln einige vielleicht an mehreren Poker Tischen, das schwacht den genpool. about and truly enjoying the experience of eating.  A lot of her suggestions are ones I have come across before but never actually tried, because they seemed like too big of a step outside of my comfort zone.  She has a way of explaining the emotions and psychology behind emotional eating so that, when she explains why you should sit down at a table and eat slowly without distractions like the TV, it really makes sense and motivates me to try her suggestions.  So much of her book directly applies to my own experiences, I almost feel like she has written it just for me.

I may update this site again at some point, but for now I am focusing my energy on other things.  For those who have read my blog, thank you very much for all of your support!

Why do you want to be thin?

amy April 9th, 2007

Laura at Starling Fitness has some good questions for thought about what losing weight can do for you, and what it can’t.

Here are my own responses:

Why do you want to be thin?

I’d like to think that my main goal now isn’t to be thin, but to be healthy and feel good about myself. Losing weight will help that, but if I reach those goals and I am still considered overweight, I hope that I will be ok with that.

What do you think will be better for you when you are thin?

I’ll be able to fit into my skinny clothes and have more of a selection when shopping. I’ll be more comfortable in movie theater and airplane seats. I’ll be able to participate in more physical activities because I will be in good shape.

What problems do you think being thin will solve?

Being thin won’t solve my problems. I’ve been thin in the past and still felt unhappy about my body.

What if you get skinny and you still have all those problems?

I’m trying to work on my problems now so that hopefully I can be happy with the way I am at any size.

Is being fat really the issue?

No, the issue is when I use it as an excuse to not take care of myself. I’ve used fat as an excuse to eat poorly, not exercise, and engage in negative self talk.

Is there a way to solve those problems NOW while you work your way to being thin?

I’m setting healthy goals for myself each week that not only encompass healthy eating, but also taking better care of myself all together. I’m trying to live for today instead of an unrealistic future where being skinny will solve all of my problems. I’m eating healthier while still allowing for splurges; I’m taking more interest in my appearance and trying to look at myself in a positive light; and I’m starting to incorporate activity in my daily life in a way that is fun instead of a chore.

Nutrition Myths

amy March 28th, 2007

Medical News Today has a great article that dispels 10 of the most commonly held diet and nutrition myths, including some of my favorites most hated:

  • Drink eight, 8-oz. glasses of water per day. You should replace water lost through breathing, excrement and sweating each day - but that doesn’t necessarily total 64 ounces of water. It’s hard to measure the exact amount of water you have consumed daily in food and drink, but if your urine is pale yellow, you’re doing a good job. If it’s a darker yellow, drink more H2O.
  • Eating carbohydrates makes you fat. Cutting carbs from your diet may have short-term weight loss benefits due to water loss from a decrease in carbohydrate stores, but eating carbs in moderation does not directly lead to weight gain. The body uses carbs for energy, and going too long without them can cause lethargy.
  • All alcohol is bad for you. Again, moderation is key. Six ounces of wine and 12 ounces of beer are considered moderate amounts, and should not pose any adverse health effects to the average healthy adult. All alcohol is an anticoagulant and red wine also contains antioxidants, so drinking a small amount daily can be beneficial.

Check out the article for some more logic on common food myths.

There are some additional diet myths not featured in the article that drive me crazy, including:

  • You shouldn’t eat after [insert your favorite number here] PM.
  • Drinking a lot of water will “flush out” the fat.
  • Organic foods are more nutritious.
  • Caffeinated beverages don’t “count” as water.
  • “Muscle weighs more than fat, which explains why I gained a pound last week after I exercised so much.”
  • Green tea and/or dairy products are miracle weight loss foods/beverages.

What diet myths have you come across? Or do you disagree that any of these are myths?

Update:

Here’s another good article with some additional diet myths, including one of my favorites:

Organic food is always more nutritious.

Myth. Few studies have compared organic and conventionally grown foods, according to food toxicologist Carl Winter, director of the FoodSafe program at the University of California, Davis.

Some evidence suggests that organic produce may be higher in certain antioxidants, but there appears to be no nutritional advantage to organic milk and meat, he said.

The descriptor refers to the practices on the farm and not the nutritional content of the final product. When it comes to the snack aisle, don’t assume that “organic” gives you the green light to load up. An organic cheese puff is still a cheese puff.

Don’t be tricked by low-fat labels

amy March 12th, 2007

Here’s a great article from MSNBC that explains why foods labeled as “low fat” and “light” do not always equal healthy.

Snack attack? Don’t be tricked by low-fat labels

This was especially eye opening:

For example, each low-fat Oreo cookie has 50 calories. The regular version has just over three calories more.

If compare the labels of the “light” and “regular” versions of foods, it often makes more sense to eat the regular version when you take the increased satisfaction level you get and higher price you pay for light foods into account. I frequently find that I get much more enjoyment (and save a lot of money) by eating regular foods and either eat a slightly smaller portion or take the (often small) calorie hit. There are still a few light foods that I buy, but in general I have switched back to regular bread, tortillas, ice cream bars, cheese, deli meats, crackers, half and half, eggs, frozen meals, yogurt, candy, etc.

One of the “series” that I have planned for this blog is to highlight certain “light” foods in comparison to their “regular” counter parts and show why light is not always better, so this article is a great introduction.

My thoughts on being “On Program” versus “Off Program”

amy March 11th, 2007

When I was on Weight Watchers, I was a big fan of their free message boards. (Even if you are not on WW, it’s still a good place to check out sometime for healthy recipes and general fitness and nutrition information.) My opinions about WW are based not only on my own experiences, but also the experiences of others that I encountered during my three years of reading the WW boards.

One common mentality is that you are either OP (On Program) or Off Program. If you are OP, you are a good Weight Watcher, counting points, drinking your water, and exercising. If you are Off Program, you have been eating without regard to points or binging. Others might call it being “on the wagon.” Why do I have a problem with this line of thinking? After all, that’s the point of a diet, it is something that you are either on or off,right?

  1. It’s too black and white. Eating is eating. There is no such thing as good eating and bad eating. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if you have eaten 500 more or 500 less Calories than your body has burned. Honestly, it doesn’t even matter at the end of the week. If you eat 500 extra Calories a day over the entire week, you will technically gain a pound (1 pound equals 3500 Calories). So what? That pound canbe just as easily lost (with more) in the next couple of weeks if your Calorie consumption is less than what you burn. What matters is that over a long time period, you ultimately eat less Calories than you burn. Your body doesn’t care if you count your points, keep a food journal, drink all 8 glasses of water every single day, eat something that is not “on program,” or otherwise follow an arbitrary diet plan.
  2. It encourages feelings of guilt. Being off program implies that you have been “bad,” and only perpetuates the power that food has over your emotions. (Face it, if you are 50 or more pounds over weight like me, you must have some sort of emotional relationship with food.) There is no such thing as good food or bad food, just as there is no such thing as eating good or eating bad. We must learn to separate our feelings of self-worth from the foods we eat, and the good/bad implicationof being on or off program does not help.
  3. It can perpetuate a cycle of eating to the extremes. Because eating is seen as either black or white, if you are off program, you might as well be way off program. I know I am not the only one who has fallen into this trap, because it is a common complaint of WW’ers. In the past, when I was not being a perfect little WW’er, I used it as an excuse to eat all of the foods that I had beendenying myself. Not only did I eat anything that tickled my fancy without regards to points, but because of the weekly structure of the plan, there was no point on trying to get back “on” until my week restarted with my weigh in. On the WW message boards, I’ve heard the following analogy many times: “If you tripped and fell down a couple of stairs, you wouldn’t throw yourself the rest of the way down, would you?” Or, “If you accidentally broke a couple of eggs, you wouldn’t say oh well and throwthe entire dozen on the floor.” Of course the answer is no, but if you avoid “On Program” and “Off Program” thinking in the first place, then there won’t be any broken eggs or a fall in the first place.

If your goal is to eat like a “normal” (meaning healthy-weight) person, I believe it’s important to get away from the “On” of “Off” state of mind. You shouldn’t do something to lose weight now that you don’t want to do for the long term. Ask yourself, do you really want to be “On” or “Off” for the rest of your life?

Introduction

amy March 10th, 2007

Three years ago I thought I had mastered weight loss. I went from pushing morbidly obese at 274 pounds down to a barely overweight 176—two pounds above my initial goal weight—in about a year in a half with Weight Watchers online. Aside from the occasional fall “off the wagon,” I lived, ate, and breathed the points system. I reveled in the compliments of my friends and coworkers who watched me lose 98 pounds, relished shopping in the “regular” clothing section, and ran my first 5k after completing CoolRunning.com’s Couch to 5k program. I had finally left my former fat persona behind and could look forward to a new life of “normal.”

Three years, two incredibly stressful semesters of working full time and going to school part time, one pregnancy, and four diet attempts later, I’m back to an obese (but at least not pushing morbid) 243 pounds. Part of me wishes If Only…If Only I had stayed on Weight Watchers…If Only I had kept running…If Only I hadn’t put myself under way too much stress by going back to school…If Only I had seen a nutritionist when I started gaining an excessive amount of weight during my pregnancy, instead of listening to everyone who validated my bingeing by pointing out that I was “eating for two”…If Only I had fully committed myself during one of my many diet attempts after giving birth. If Only, I could be at my goal weight now.

The bigger part of me would like to think that my yo-yo dieting hasn’t been for naught. If I’d actually followed through with one of my “If Only”s, I’d still be back at this same point, overweight and out of shape, if not now then at some point. I’ve finally come to a realization that someone else’s magic bullet, once size fits all plan/diet/system for wellbeing cannot undo a lifetime of food abuse. If diets work, then why is weight loss a multi billion-dollar industry? With 40% of women and 25% of men attempting to lose weight at a given time, why are the waistlines of Americans still growing?

I believe it’s because most people (yours truly included) focus on a quick fix that might yield impressive results in the short term but don’t confront the daunting task of retraining their attitudes towards food to help them maintain the weight loss for a lifetime. When someone works up the motivation to change their eating habits, they don’t necessarily want to spend the time figuring out why they are overweight and what causes them to overeat (emotional triggers, boredom, habit, lack of knowledge about nutrition, peer pressure, lifestyle, environment, etc.) Most people who seek to lose weight want a structured plan that has been tested and guaranteed (or at least promised) to work if the person follows the program. They want results. These diet plans (not only fad diet but “reputable” diets like Weight Watchers and South Beach as well) deliver their results by imposing some sort of artificial control on how people eat, whether it is limiting certain foods or counting calories or other nutritional units. The dieter loses weight and may even get to goal and maintain their weight loss for awhile, but they don’t learn how to live and eat outside of these boundaries by controlling their weight naturally. Many weightwatchers point out that WW is a “lifestyle, not a diet”, but do they really plan to count points or carry around a set of measuring cups for their entire lives?

Having lost weight the Weight Watchers way, then gaining most of it back, I’ve come to realize that I need to learn to lose weight my own individualized way, by listening to my body, eating healthy, low energy-dense foods 80% of the time, controlling my eating for reasons other than hunger, and incorporating more activity into my life, without counting, measuring, or excluding foods.

This time, I’m not in a big rush to lose weight like I was before. Even if I manage to lose 10 pounds a year, if I can do it in a way that truly changes my attitudes towards food, then it will be 10 pounds that are gone forever.

So, here is my commitment to changing my health, 10 pounds at a time.