amy April 5th, 2007
amy April 5th, 2007
Here’s some more evidence against dieting. UCLA researchers have analyzed 31 long term diet studies and will publish their results in the April issue of American Psychologist. The researchers have concluded not only that diets are not an effective way to lose weight for the long term, but that in many cases dieting can actually be worse for you than maintaining your current weight:
“What happens to people on diets in the long run?” Mann asked. “Would they have been better off to not go on a diet at all? We decided to dig up and analyze every study that followed people on diets for two to five years. We concluded most of them would have been better off not going on the diet at all. Their weight would be pretty much the same, and their bodies would not suffer the wear and tear from losing weight and gaining it all back.”
People on diets typically lose 5 to 10 percent of their starting weight in the first six months, the researchers found. However, at least one-third to two-thirds of people on diets regain more weight than they lost within four or five years, and the true number may well be significantly higher, they said.
In some cases, the dieters ended up gaining more weight in the long run than those who did not try to diet:
“Several studies indicate that dieting is actually a consistent predictor of future weight gain,” said Janet Tomiyama, a UCLA graduate student of psychology and co-author of the study. One study found that both men and women who participated in formal weight-loss programs gained significantly more weight over a two-year period than those who had not participated in a weight-loss program, she said.
One interesting thing that the researchers mention is the negative effects yo-yo dieting can have on your body. I remember seeing an article on MSNBC years ago that said that yo-yo dieting was actually better for your heart than staying overweight, since your body still benefited from those times that you were at a lower weight. I haven’t heard much about the health of yo-yo dieting since, though, either because I totally missed it or it is not talked about at great length. I suspect it’s at least partly the latter, since it is not in the weight loss industry’s interest to scare us off from trying the same diets that have failed us in the past over and over again. This article suggest that yo-yo dieting has a negative effect, and other articles I found seem to agree.
Evidence suggests that repeatedly losing and gaining weight is linked to cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes and altered immune function. Mann and Tomiyama recommend that more research be conducted on the health effects of losing and gaining weight, noting that scientists do not fully understand how such weight cycling leads to adverse health effects.
The article is not all grim for those who wish to shed pounds, however, as it gives a slight nod to the importance of healthy eating and exercise, without dieting:
“Eating in moderation is a good idea for everybody, and so is regular exercise,” Mann said. “That is not what we looked at in this study. Exercise may well be the key factor leading to sustained weight loss. Studies consistently find that people who reported the most exercise also had the most weight loss.”
Here are some additional thoughts on the article:
You can find the full article here.
| del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | StumbleUpon | Yahoo MyWeb |amy April 5th, 2007
I tried a new recipe for dinner tonight, Fast and Friendly Meatballs from All Recipes. I served them over Barilla plus rotini topped with turkey gravy (made from a package of gravy mix that has been lurking in our cupboards since Thanksgiving). They were nothing fancy, but good for a quick weeknight meal and relatively healthy since they are made with ground turkey. I’ll definitely be making these again.
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (20 ounce) package ground turkey
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with the olive oil, and place it in the oven while preheating.
In a medium bowl, mix together the ground turkey, egg, and bread crumbs using your hands. Using an ice cream scoop if possible, form the meat into golf ball sized meatballs. Place about 1 inch apart in the hot baking dish. Press down to flatten the bottom just slightly.
Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then turn them over, and continue baking for about 5 more minutes, or until somewhat crispy on the outside. Serve with pasta and sauce or however you’d like. (I served with noodles and turkey gravy).
amy April 5th, 2007
Do you eat for reasons other than hunger? Emotional eating may be affecting your weight. Here’s a quick test I came across that can help you determine if you are an emotional eater. It has been taken from the book Fattitudes by Jeffrey and Norean Wilbert.
Results:
0 - 10 No or little emotional eating: Your weight management efforts should be relatively uncomplicated by emotional issues.
11 - 20 Mild emotional eating: You may experience difficulty achieving weight management goals due to emotional obstacles.
21 - 30 Moderate emotional eating: You will probably encounter emotional obstacles to healthy weight management and should consider counseling.
31 - 40 Severe emotional eating: Significant obstacles exist to healthy weight management, and counseling is strongly recommended.
amy April 4th, 2007
Tonight’s dinner was one of my old standbys, tacos with corn, chips and guacamole. I usually make black beans instead of the chips and guac, but we were out of canned black beans and I had avocados in the house because they were on sale when I went grocery shopping the other day. My guacamole recipe is pretty traditional but my taco recipe is a bit different. My 14 month old is a fan of both.
Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1 large potato, peeled and shredded
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1/4 cup diced onions
1/4 cup diced bell peppers
1 packet taco seasoning
water
Directions
Brown the ground beef in a large frying pan, then drain and set aside. Heat the pan over medium high heat, then add the oil and swirl to cover the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the shredded potatoes in the pan, covering the entire bottom of the pan in an even layer. Sprinkle the onions and peppers over the potatoes. Cook without stirring for 3 to 4 minutes until the potatoes are browned, then flip the potato patty over and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes on the other side. Break up the potatoes with a spatula, then add the beef. Add the taco seasoning and however much water the packet calls for (mine called for 2/3 of a cup), then stir to combine. Lower the heat and simmer for a few minutes until the taco filling is no longer watery. Serve with your favorite taco fixings (I like soft flour tortillas, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, garlic salsa, and light sour cream).
Ingredients
2 ripe avocados
1/4 cup diced onion
1 small tomato, diced
1 large or 2 small cloves of garlic, minced
juice from one half of a lime
1/2 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
Tabasco or Frank’s Red Hot to taste
Directions
Cut the avocados in half length wise around the pit. Twist the avocado halves slightly while pulling them apart. Remove the pit and scoop out the flesh into a medium sized bowl. Mash the avocado with a potato masher or large fork. Add all other ingredients and stir to combine. Leave the avocado pits in the guacamole to help keep it from browning and eat as soon as possible.
amy April 4th, 2007
amy April 4th, 2007
Aside from one time in my life, I’ve always been generally lazy about my appearance for as long as I can remember. I preferred guy’s clothes in high school because they fit. I have never been one to wear makeup or style my hair because it seems like too much effort. I go for long periods of time without getting my hair cut or my eyebrows waxed. My typical uniform consists of jeans or plain capris, tennis shoes or flat sandals, and a solid colored t-shirt. I choose the clothes I wear because they are cheap, easy to clean, don’t take any energy (everything goes with everything else), and it is easy to find pieces that fit.
By designing my look about what is easy and convenient, I have neglected to consider what makes me look good and feel good. Part of my neglect has been pure laziness, but it also stems from poor self esteem. I figure that since I am overweight and unattractive as it is, why bother sprucing myself up and trying to look girly? I actually feel silly wearing feminine clothes because I worry that people think I look awkward or overdressed, like a tomboy with braces and a dirty face dressing up in her mother’s frilly dress, bright red lipstick and too-big heels. I recognize that this is ridiculous and that I can look as nice as the next woman, but it is still how I secretly feel.
The one time in my life that I have enjoyed taking care in my appearance was after I had lost a significant amount of weight. I wasn’t exactly a Barbie doll, but still enjoyed shopping for fun clothes and accessories, had my hair cut regularly, and actually wore makeup on occasion.
To feel good about myself, I need to stop being lazy about my appearance and invest some time and money in looking nice, because I am worth it. I’ve already made some progress. Last week I bought a number of (very overdue) new clothing items. These were things that I would not normally buy such as a frilly mesh black and white shirt with a v-neck and ribbon under the bust; a white t-shirt with flowers and rhinestones on the front and rouching at the bottom; and a see-through button down purple shirt with subtle stripes that is gathered at the back. I also got my eyebrows waxed last week and bought some Burt’s Bee’s shimmery lip gloss with a pink tint (I don’t think I can pull off a full makeup routine during my busy morning so this will have to do for now!)
Here are some other things I’m going to do this week to improve my appearance:
amy April 4th, 2007
I’ve struggled a bit to find a “theme” for my weekly goals for this month. I’ve had a vague feeling for what I want to focus on, things that will help me to feel better about myself and my body now, but nothing to really tie them together. I just came up with the theme during a short walking break from work: Living for Today.
For many years now I have been guilty of focusing on what was “wrong” with me and using that as an excuse to feel bad and not enjoy life as fully as I could. I was too fat, too plain, too reserved, had too many physical problems, etc. I thought that if I could lose weight and be “normal” that I would feel good about myself and be happy. I realize now that weight loss isn’t the key to happiness. Even when I weighed 176 and could fit into a size 12, I still constantly examined my “flaws” in the mirror and felt like I still had a long way to go until I was happy with my body, when in fact that was a good weight for me.
I’ve come to realize that in order to change my attitudes about food, health, and my body, I need to learn to be happy with the way I am now. I need to stop yearning for an unrealistic future where I will look like the airbrushed photos in magazines and start living for today. By improving my self esteem, hopefully I can begin to loosen the hold that food has on my emotions.
| del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | StumbleUpon | Yahoo MyWeb |amy April 3rd, 2007
Here are some interesting articles from the last few days:
amy April 3rd, 2007
I’m back from my road trip to Arizona. I’d hoped to update my blog a few times while traveling, but between all of the driving and chasing James around that just didn’t happen. I’ll be updating daily again starting today.
We left Tucson at 7 am yesterday and drove all the way back to Longmont without stopping for the night (about 15 hours total after rest stops). James did remarkably well in the car and probably slept half of the way home. He went to daycare today so that Jason and I can have a day to rest at home and get caught up before going back to work tomorrow. I have at least 500 nutrition related articles to skim through in Google Reader for Blogging Light. Massive quick links post coming soon 
Blogging Light
Diet is a four letter word.
My quest for weight loss without counting, measuring, surgery, excluding foods, taking pills, or another arbitrary diet plan. Also a commentary on nutrition and the diet industry based on my own experiences dieting over 10 years.
There are 62 Posts and 43 Comments so far.
