One Size Fits All

Many of you have seen those articles of clothing that say "One size fits All" or the more politically correct phrase, "One size fits Most." I like how SparkPeople's Coach Tanya says:

"Weight loss is not 

a one-size-fits-all activity!"

I was listening to a podcast today that talked about a blog called The Token Fat Girl. The blogger was giving up on blogging for a while. Her blog is about her battles with losing weight. She was tired of all the things that come with blogging about her struggles with her weight control. She's tired of counting calories day after day without seeing the weight drop. In the podcast the narrator said she shows pictures of what she eats. He says, "For breakfast she had a breakfast cookie." The voice inflection was one of shock. Granted a cookie for breakfast sounds odd, it seemed to be a healthy recipe though, and she doesn't do it every day. I didn't see 'guilt' or 'sinful' in the list of ingredients either.

When I went to her blog I glanced at some of the content. She has a lot of interesting recipes for low-cal stuff. I may look at her blog more in depth. A lot of what she seems to be doing is real similar to what I eat or strive to eat on a daily basis.

The podcast was going on and on about how it is wrong that we should count calories so religiously. The example given was that we don't have to think about breathing or pumping blood throughout our systems, so eating should be the same. The guest being interviewed on the podcast says that this is a calorie myth...calorie counting should not be the main way or method to our weight control. The guest was a proponent of the 'set-point' theory. This is where your body has a set point that it will fight to stay at, no matter what you do. It is in your genes to be fat, no matter what you try. He says that we need to know what our hormone balance is to reset our set-point. He says that the hormones we had as teenagers and the hormones after menopause, were of course, different. All those hormones caused us to gain or lose weight.

(Ack, this all gives me a headache. I don't like blogging all the time either. However it keeps me motivated. I've said before that it is hard to admit when things don't go right but it keeps me more honest with myself.)

Anyway, back to the podcast. It is yet another one that says you need to eat MORE, not less, to lose weight. However, the MORE you need to eat is more 'real foods' more vegetables, more whole grains, etc. We all know what we are supposed to eat more of. So why don't we? I know, I know!!!! Because the fake foods taste so damn good! The guest on this podcast is also saying that eating healthy and keeping ourselves healthy should be second nature to us. We shouldn't have to make such a big deal out of it. Our ancestors didn't count calories. Most of our Grandmothers or Grandfathers did not count calories. Why do we have to count calories to live healthy? How do we measure without counting calories? I guess we magically can do it by eating only natural foods and avoiding starchy ones. That is what I am getting out of this person's take on weight control anyway.

The guest basically says to eat this way and don't count calories: 

1. Fill up on fluffy foods like salads, non-starchy veggies, and foods with lots of fiber.
2. Remember what your ancestors ate and try to match that. If it is advertised on television, you can bet this food is not good for you or even considered a REAL food.
3. Buy in bulk when you can so that you have plenty of real food available.
4. Drink lots of water or green tea.
5. Do what works best for you. Start with a 33/33/33 division of fats, proteins, and carbs. If that doesn't work for you, eat more of one type and less than the other type. 

Real food is called "sane food" by the guest. It infers that manufactured foods are insane, right? Now I kinda like that way of thinking!

All in all, I am sure this food plan works just fine. I am even more sure I won't be following it. I like being able to check my calories. Like the scale, it is a nice tool for learning how to eat and live healthier. Perhaps I will think differently someday. I know I get tired of checking calories but I am still working to be sure I am eating a true portion and knowing what is in that portion. It takes time to retrain the eye.

In other news, I feel great. Not only have I resisted cigarettes still, I was able to go out for a walk this morning. I am not back to the trails yet as it is still a bit too hot and my son is still on summer break from school. (I don't like leaving him home alone too long) Even though it was just a mile and a quarter around the neighborhood, I feel so much better! I think my self doubts about my muscles atrophying and my weight coming back on and all those things I worried about, will be for naught. When I mentioned, to my sometimes too wise husband, that I was worried the weight would all come back on, he pointed out to me that in the past...when I have had the weight come back on, I would just give up and let it happen. He doesn't see this happening this time. That boost of confidence by him, for me, really helped!

So, let's all go for a walk or three this week and boost ourselves up! Walk On!!!