Romancing the Diet

Quitting smoking was not easy, but in retrospect, it was far easier than losing a measly 15 pounds and keeping it off. To stop smoking (seven years ago), I had to change my thinking and my desires.

It turns out, though, that I had help I wasn't aware of. And I now believe that made all the difference, a difference that doesn't exist for the process of weight loss.

From two different perspectives, the article "Beating Obesity" by Marc Ambinder in the May 2010 issue of The Atlantic, and the book Savor, by Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr. Lillian Leung discuss the issue. Both discuss the interconnectedness of everything. Because of this interconnectedness, we are fat. Only together with everything, can we become healthy and less fat.

First, the bad news -  according to Ambinder, the forces of society, technology, industry, government policy, culture, genes, and demographics work in concert to make and keep us fat.

Technology changes work, changes behaviour, changes patterns and amount of movement; Industry constructs food - food molecules actually - that some suspect create virtual "neurochemical addiction...change our brain chemistry in ways that make us overeat;" non-food industries expose us to chemicals that correlate with obesity.

Society's demands create stress which leads to obesity; society's expectations affect sleep patterns which can help make us fat; society's planning and design of towns and cities affect our level of exercise; business production and distribution models make fast food not only the most calorically dense, but the cheapest and most widely available.

"Agricultural production and subsidies"  - corn fed beef, high fructose corn syrup, for example - increase our waistlines. Advertising with its images of food and the normalization of food as entertainment and acceptance help make us fat. Cultural norms regarding portion sizes have increased dramatically.

It's a wonder that anyone can lose weight and keep it off with all of this, and more, ranged against the individual. According to Ambinder, "America has erected two lines of defense: name-calling, and hectoring about diet and exercise."

Both of these defenses put the entire responsibility for health and weight loss on the individual - rather silly when you think about it. Even with Olympic-class will power, the individual fights a losing battle.

This is the point at which the Thich Nhat Hanh/Leung book Savor enters the picture. Drawing on Buddhist practices of mindfulness and meditation, the authors stress how we are not alone, how weight loss, like anything else, is together with everything. We cannot lose weight in isolation; people have to work together to create an environment that is healthful for all. We have to be mindful of eating - and of living.

That unseen help I had to stop smoking came from society - policy, regulation, advertising, education, technology, culture - many of the things ranged against the individual when it comes to weight loss. Society is against cigarettes in ways that it is not against cheap food, fast food, hypertasty food, large portions of food, junk food, processed food.

Right now we expect each single, tiny will to stand up to the whole of society. Many will say that the game isn't rigged, that each person can make a rational decision about what's beneficial. It doesn't work.

Only collective will power can get this done. And it's so easy to discuss it over a nice bowl of something and a supersized drink!

Soiree's Past Week

At My Soiree Jan 11 - 17

In case you missed one. Enjoy!

10 Things I Know About Losing Weight -January 11

Archaeology for English Majors - January 12

My Short Unsuccessful Acting Career - January 13

Help Haiti! - January 14

Fighting the Grammar Police - January 15

Weird, Wild, Wonderful 4 -Jan 10-16 - January 16

10 Things I Know About Losing Weight (and Sometimes Forget!)

Almost seven years ago, I quit smoking for good. Since then, I have struggled with all or part of the same twenty pounds, over and over again. What in the bleep, bleep, bleep do I have to do to lose that twenty pounds and keep it off?

This post is not about the usual tips for weight loss that are repeated over and over again everywhere. It's about what I have figured out to do and remember to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.  

1. It's never over. How many times have I thought about weight control as something that would end when the "correct" number of pounds was gone - suffer for a time; then resume life as usual. As unpleasant as it is, the fact that weight maintenance involves lifelong change is totally true! This is probably the hardest one for me. The time when I reach an optimum weight is the time when I'm most likely to forget all my own advice.

2. It's an equation. Calories in, calories out - calorie excess, calorie deficit. I know that many things can affect the equation, but people get hung up on the details. Emotions and beliefs don't negate the equation, as in "It's my birthday, so it's okay."  It's old math; 2 + 2 = 4. Period.

3. If not now, when? Procrastination is my enemy when it comes to losing weight. Always after the - party, summer, weekend, birthday, dinner, trip. Well, when then? When I hear people say that they just can't lose weight, I always think to myself that they can lose, but they can't START.

4. Eat now what you will eat always. It's trite, but dieting is bad. The best number of calories is the number required to maintain the desired weight. I learned this from the vet when one of the cats had to shed a few pounds. He said to give the cat the amount of food listed on the bag for the weight she should be. It worked (see 2 above!). So simple - although the cat didn't like it much.

5. Love yourself. I am absolutely convinced that weight will not go away and stay away when I hate what I see in the mirror. It also seems counterintuitive to fight against oneself; how can conflict produce a good result. I remind myself that I want to lose weight because I want to treat myself better, that I'm doing it for me. If weight loss is to fix something, I believe it won't work.

6. Keep going. I always want to give up after I eat french fries or a piece of cake. I try to remind myself to forget it and keep going.

7. Know the Triggers. Triggers to overeat are different for everybody. Mine involve anything upsetting or stressful - the furnace quits forever; I'm sick; my husband is sick; a fender bender; someone's road rage. Triggers are things that make me feel entitled to eat whatever I want, equation be damned. Part of this is to have strategies because there will always triggers.

8. Be kind. Life is happening now, not later. I know I will not go through this life without eating pie, potato chips, and fries. Moderation is key and so is being realistic. Friday is chocolate day at our house. Always a little dark chocolate for dessert. Knowing that I grant myself that treat without guilt allows me to avoid the chocolate aisle otherwise. (It doesn't work at Christmas which is just one of those times when the best I can do is manage overindulgence.)

9. No timelines. I find that the very least productive thing is to have a date/event in mind by which time I will have lost X pounds. Almost every time I do this, I end up heavier by the appointed date rather than lighter. Maybe I'm just perverse, but having a deadline seems to invite negative behaviour.

10. Don't obsessively focus on losing weight.  When I spend any siginificant part of my day focused on losing weight - counting calories, writing down food consumed, planning meals, and, mostly, continuously thinking about it all - I get sick of the whole business. This can result in giving up on the weight loss instead of just giving up thinking about it too much.

I know what to eat and how much. I know how important exercise is. I know where to find information about calories and nutrients, about exercise and cardiovascular health. I need to get the whole weight loss thing straight in my head. These ideas help me sort it out.