January 14, 2008

  • Healthy and Weighty

    Season asked yesterday whether getting healthy still means losing weight in my book. 

    The markers of health can be subtle, but I've learned to notice a few.  I'll come back to weight in a minute, but here are some of the other factors that create or indicate good health to me.

    • adequate sleep
    • physically active enough to do what I want to do when I want to do it
    • balance of time between work and pleasure
    • good nutrition (with vitamins and supplements)
    • mentally active and learning/discovering new things
    • time with friends
    • comfortable surroundings
    • financially organized

    That's really about it.  Not an extensive list although I'm sure I'm not fooling anyone into thinking that those categories aren't broad enough to constantly be in a state of going deeper and learning more.

    So where does losing weight fit in there?  Well, when I was at my heaviest, I was very unhealthy.  I had problems with knees.  I had major problems with back pain.  I had sleep apnea.  I had issues with blood sugar and high blood pressure.  And my breath was bad.  I can happily report that I don't have those problems now and I like it.  Okay, maybe my breath could still need some help, but I'm not nearly as unpleasant as I used to be.

    I haven't had a physical in years, so I can't really say for sure what my Dr. would suggest if I had one, but I know that I'm far enough over the weight considered "healthy" on the actuarial tables that I'd get a talking to. 

    Bill and his wife are doing Weight Watchers and between them they've lost an entire small person.  I like Weight Watchers' point system and I highly recommend it to anyone who will listen.  However, I'm not exactly doing Weight Watchers.  I'm doing my own version of Weight Watchers.

    I'm counting points just the way they do, but I'm doing low-carb. 

    I'm doing this because of an interesting bit of information I learned last summer.  When you eat, your body first metabolizes the carbs and takes all the energy it can from them.  Next it metabolizes fats and last it metabolizes proteins.  Proteins are necessary but are inefficiently processed by the body. 

    In order to lose weight you have to take in fewer calories than your body requires for it's energy needs.  I guarantee you that your energy needs are different from mine, and mine are not the same as Tucker's.  The amount of energy you need depends on your activity level, your level of over all health (it takes more energy to recover from an illness than you would need if you were perfectly healthy), yout gender, and your stature. An active 5' 10" man has a very different energy need than a relatively inactive woman who's ten inches shorter.

    Food isn't just energy.  It's also the building blocks you need to maintain healthy blood, organs, and bones.  You need vitamins and fiber.  And it would be nice if the food had enough taste to be enjoyable.  So right now you're saying "duh" right because this is all stuff you've heard before. 

    Okay, here's the dilemma.  Eat enough calories to meet dietary and nutritional needs without exceeding the number of calories needed to either maintain a healthy weight or lose weight.  The hardest part for a seriously overweight person, isn't cutting back calories.  Anyone can cut back calories for a while.  The hard part is that the long term need to have decreased calories means decreased vital nutrients.

    Add this to the fact that many overweight people are also suffering from a nutritional deficiency to start with, and you have a recipe for failure.

    Does that surprise you?  The food that most people eat is terribly deficient.  It's bleached flour, rancid fat, and some salt. 

    So here's my plan, eat a few carbs.  Carbs can be great, and contain a lot of great nutrients.  But if I get a lot of energy from carbs then every gram of fat I eat becomes stored fat.  So I eat not many carbs, and not much fats.  I'm planning to get my energy from proteins.   Most people dieting do get most of their energy from proteins, its just that fot most that energy is coming from their body breaking down lean muscle which is what your body will do before it breaks down stored fats.  And I'm keeping my total calories below the level that is required to maintain my weight.

    For me that's a ridiculously low amount.  I'm barely five feet tall.  And I don't have anything like an activity level.  I'm okay with that.  Really.  I would be happy eating 200 calories a day if it meant that I didn't have to sweat.  Happily, I don't have to limit myself to quite that few. 

     ((( If I'm right, I'll be 30-40 pounds lighter and quite a bit healthier by my birthday in six months -  That's the present I'm looking for.)))
     


Comments (7)

  • That will be a great birthday present for yourself. 

  • I know you probably already know this, but here is what I believe:  you don't need to worry about carbs and fats and calories if you eat whole foods.  People think they can be on a diet and still eat processed foods or "diet" or "sugar-free" foods, or just smaller portions of foods that, healthwise, are truly horrible.  I lost 22 lbs. last year and I haven't gained any of it back.  And, although I was going to the gym regularly when I first starting losing the weight, I haven't been to the gym since last March and have still kept it off.  What I did was simple, and works toward good health in general, not just weight loss: 

    - NO sodas, not even Diet.  I have now read that aspartame and other artificial sweeteners may have zero calories, but for some people it "simulates" sugar in the body, making you crave more sweets and carbs. 

    - NO alcohol (sugar/carbs)

    - Cut back on sugar in general.  I went completely sugar-free for several months, but now my motto is "moderation."  ;)  

    - Read labels - don't buy and eat even "diet" or "low-fat" or "low-carb" foods that have the following ingredients:  sugar, artificial sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils.  Products with these ingredients take what could be healthy foods and turn them into nutritionally deficient (as you mentioned) and even HARMFUL foods.   I'm talking everything from peanut butter and jelly, to yogurt, to pasta sauce and ketchup. 
    I really think this is a pitfall for many people looking to lose weight but also wanting a healthier lifestyle.  If you are just counting carbs or calories or fat grams, these unhealthy and overly processed foods will fit into your diet.  That doesn't make sense.  It's like my friend who had gestational diabetes and so her pregnancy diet consisted mostly of beef and cheese and eggs to keep her blood sugars down.  She avoided taking insulin (her main goal) but she still gained a TON of weight, which she still struggles to lose many many years later and she has all kinds of other problems because of her continued bad diet (kidney stones, high blood pressure).  I said, geezus, why don't you have a peanut butter sandwich once in a while?  Or some fruit or salad??  Oh, no no, fruits and lots of veggies have too many carbs, and bread is the enemy, and p.b. has sugar in it  But it doesn't have to!!  But she was afraid of whole wheat bread and non-sugared peanut butter, because that's not what she's used to.   I thought her doctor was being VERY irresponsible for sanctioning this "diet."
    Peanut butter is healthy IF it doesn't have sugar or corn syrup or hydrogenated oil in it.  Yogurt is healthy IF it doesn't have those things in it (and brands such as Yoplait and other "low-fat" yogurts do have all that junk).  Why deny yourself a nice piece of sourdough bread and then fill up the rest of the day on all these sugar-laden (and sugar-simulating) foods that are artificial anyway?  

    -  DO eat whole grains, lean meats, and all the fruits, veggies, nuts, and beans you want!  I was a vegetarian for 13 years, including through two pregnancies which still packed on an extra 40 lbs. for me.  But I could not lose ANY post-pregnancy weight until I started eating meat again - turns out chicken and fish and even lean pork, etc. are healthier than slabs of cheese at every meal!   Who knew, haha. 

    You are absolutely right - cutting the calories or losing the weight is not the hardest part (although that is hard enough!) - but you won't do it in a nutritionally balanced and healthy way unless you are eating the right foods.  Do you read Michael Pollan?  He has a new book on "Food" (can't remember the exact title) - I heard him on NPR and he said the "big" secret to good health and a healthy weight is:  "Eat real food.  Not too much.  Mostly plants."   I think those were his exact words ;)  

    Sorry for the blog within a blog here, but I've always been interested in natural foods and health, etc.  I used to be a Health section editor and book reviewer for Vegetarian Baby and VegNews magazines.  Like I said, I am no longer a vegetarian, and I do not even consider myself "crunchy" about it (I go to Del Taco for their fish tacos at least once a week ;) ,  but I try to be health-conscious and am raising my kids to at least read labels ;)  

  • I am clapping for you on the embarkment of a new way of eating. I need to do the same thing for myself, but I'm still in the pity-me and excuse-making stage. I think lo-carb is a great way to lose, and the only way I've ever lost reliably and half-way kept it off. I think carbs are easier to convert to fat for some people than others. I feel better on a high-protein diet, and I hope you do too. A great website and forum is http://www.livinlavidalocarb.com if you are looking for a place to learn about it.

  • Love the pics & this is an inspiring post!

  • I agree with the DrTiff about the whole foods. I tried the low carb thing, and sure I lost some weight but almost immediately put it back on again. Most low carb diets don't even allow carrots because they contain too many carbs, yet they are laiden with all kinds of nutrients that the body needs. Supplements are great ( I take a calcium supplement and 1200 IU of vitamin D daily, because in this northern climate we don't get enough sunlight in the winter to adequately absorb calcium) but there's nothing quite as good as getting most of your nutrients from the foods that you eat... including whole grains in moderation.

  • If you stick to complex carbs, like veggies, and the lots of fibrous protein like beans, some good fat like in nuts, and low fat meats like chicken, you'll be all set.

    I very sadly said goodbye to red meat a few years ago.

  • i figure i need to do something.  my self-esteem [okay...i just typed elf-esteem and cracked myself up] is at an all time low.  but so's my motivation and determination to do anything about it.
    grr.

    but?  i've thoroughly enjoyed reading this and the next post and, i even copied them to read over again later on.  :)

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