New Day

Holiday weekends are not known for being diet friendly! The extra holiday day just seems to turn our heads to mush and we eat foods that we normally resist, and portions that are large scale! Many of us started out today with renewed thoughts of finally getting this weight game under control!

Today, I watched the first installment of Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition. I usually do not like these shows because they are not real life. Most of us do not have an army to back our weight loss. This show was different. There will be eight chosen clients, who will strive to lose half of their weight in a year. Each show is about a separate client and their year long process. So you get it, the year is over. They are not competing with anyone. This weight loss is for them. They are doing it for them. They have help in the beginning for one week, because they must learn what they need to do, and then they are on their own for the next year. They are reweighed every three months and their progress is registered. If they lose half of their weight by the end of the year, then they qualify for skin surgery to take off all of the hanging skin from their weight loss. Seems like a great deal!

Last nights show was about Rachel, a PE teacher. She was 220 pounds overweight. She had been the homecoming queen in high school, as well as valedictorian, an overachiever in other words. She was tired of being disappointed in herself. She started out at 369 pounds.

I do not want to give the show away. It is worth watching. What I loved about it is:

• I liked that they showed Rachel as so vulnerable. She said of her weight, "This is all about the mistakes I have made and all the things that I have done to myself"
• They showed how difficult weight loss is and how family often brings you down. Her family was behind her, but not supporting her in their actions. They left all kind of junk food out and around and did not buy healthy foods. It took a few months and tears for them to come around completely!
• Rachel only met her first goal completely. She almost met her second goal, but was 5 pounds off. She only lost 3 pounds from 6 months to 9 months but was still given the weight loss surgery. She ended up losing to 208 pounds and looked amazing. She was still 23 pounds above her original goal to lose half of her weight.

Even though Rachel did not meet all of her goals, and one time only lost 3 pounds in a three month period, she was honest and dealt with it. Together they solved her problems honestly, and gave her more training in nutrition. I loved that. The show was real. Most of us are not machines. We are real people. Weight loss is complex, but do able. It is about figuring yourself out. Practicing honesty with yourself. Even though Rachel did not make every single one of her goals, she pressed on, and she was rewarded for her persistence and looked wonderful. I loved that. Do not give up when you feel like it!

Obesity and Next Generation Food Pyramid

Are Obesity and the Food Pyramid related?

I wanted to let you know about some new changes taking place out there. I have never loved the USDA's current food pyramid. It is heavily into grains and people use it to justify eating junk food. Well, I need grains, but alas cookies do not count! Well, the USDA has made some new guidelines and will publish a new food pyramid later this year! Wow, I won't have to recommend the Mediterranean Food Pyramid anymore! Maybe? Well, here are their new recommendations:

•  Enjoy your food, but eat less.
•  Avoid over-sized portions.
• Make half your plate fruits and vegetables (The half plate rule)
• Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.
• Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals – and choose the foods with lower numbers.
• Drink water instead of sugary drinks.

These healthy diet habits are not difficult to incorporate into your life!

Another very scary piece of info I ran into was on the Obesity.org site. There have been a lot of studies done on children and adults and exercise does not seem to help in the development of obesity. Eight year old kids that exercise heavily do not seem to be thinner or have better BMI's than those eight year olds that do not exercise. That does not mean exercise is not important because it is very important for your general health, but not that helpful if you are overweight or obese or hoping not to become. What are we to do as a society?

I believe that you are what you eat! It is of extreme importance to eat healthy, avoid sugar and processed foods, develop a meal plan for calories and follow it with your family, and follow the above guidelines by the USDA. Practice portion control, eat less, follow the half plate rule, go for low fat milk products and watch salt intake and stop drinking sugary drinks. Please do not buy them for your family. The average person drinks 450 calories of drinks per day and that adds up to 45 pounds of weight gain per year! Each person needs have a food policy that says, "I don't drink calories!" I was at a dinner last week and there were various sodas, and only one diet soda that had caffeine. When the hostess asked me what I would like to drink, I said "I would love a glass of water!" It was not that hard. This one "food policy" that you develop for yourself, could be the difference between obesity and health!

Yes, I do believe that Obesity is related to food choices more than exercise habits. It is hard to make a general rule, because I believe that there are other causes too. Obesity is complicated, and I do not believe that scientists totally understand what causes it, at this point. Dieting and Genetics and Hormones are all factors to be considered too!