Weight Loss

Yup, I'm going to comment. ;-)

I'm going to assume most of you have read "Good Calories bad Calories" for those of you that haven't here's a wonderful little synopsis courtesy of Barnes & Noble. As difficult as this book was for me to understand, (I had to read it twice) it opened my eyes and confirmed many issues for me.


"For decades we have been taught that fat is bad for us, carbohydrates better, and that the key to a healthy weight is eating less and exercising more. Yet with more and more people acting on this advice, we have seen unprecedented epidemics of obesity and diabetes. Taubes argues persuasively that the problem lies in refined carbohydrates (white flour, sugar, easily digested starches) and sugars–via their dramatic and longterm effects on insulin, the hormone that regulates fat accumulation–and that the key to good health is the kind of calories we take in, not the number. There are good calories, and bad ones.Good CaloriesThese are from foods without easily digestible carbohydrates and sugars. These foods can be eaten without restraint.Meat, fish, fowl, cheese, eggs, butter, and non-starchy vegetables. Bad CaloriesThese are from foods that stimulate excessive insulin secretion and so make us fat and increase our risk of chronic disease—all refined and easily digestible carbohydrates and sugars. The key is not how much vitamins and minerals they contain, but how quickly they are digested. (So apple juice or even green vegetable juices are not necessarily any healthier than soda.) Bread and other baked goods, potatoes, yams, rice, pasta, cereal grains, corn, sugar (sucrose and high fructose corn syrup), ice cream, candy, soft drinks,fruit juices, bananas and other tropical fruits, and beer. Taubes traces how the common assumption that carbohydrates are fattening was abandoned in the 1960s when fat and cholesterol were blamed for heart disease and then –wrongly–were seen as the causes of a host of other maladies, including cancer. He shows us how these unproven hypotheses were emphatically embraced by authorities in nutrition, public health, and clinical medicine, in spite of how well-conceived clinical trials have consistently refuted them. He also documents the dietary trials of carbohydrate-restriction, which consistently show that the fewer carbohydrates we consume, the leaner we will be. With precise references to the most significant existing clinical studies, he convinces us that there is no compelling scientific evidence demonstrating that saturated fat and cholesterol cause heart disease, that salt causes high blood pressure, and that fiber is a necessary part of a healthy diet. Based on the evidence that does exist, he leads us to conclude that the only healthy way to lose weight and remain lean is to eat fewer carbohydrates or to change the type of the carbohydrates we do eat, and, for some of us, perhaps to eat virtually none at all.The 11 Critical Conclusions of Good Calories, Bad Calories: 1. Dietary fat, whether saturated or not, does not cause heart disease. 2. Carbohydrates do, because of their effect on the hormone insulin. The more easily-digestible and refined the carbohydrates and the more fructose they contain, the greater the effect on our health, weight, and well-being. 3. Sugars—sucrose (table sugar) and high fructose corn syrup specifically—are particularly harmful. The glucose in these sugars raises insulin levels; the fructose they contain overloads the liver.4. Refined carbohydrates, starches, and sugars are also the most likely dietary causes of cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease, and the other common chronic diseases of modern times. 5. Obesity is a disorder of excess fat accumulation, not overeating and not sedentary behavior. 6. Consuming excess calories does not cause us to grow fatter any more than it causes a child to grow taller. 7. Exercise does not make us lose excess fat; it makes us hungry. 8. We get fat because of an imbalance—a disequilibrium—in the hormonal regulation of fat tissue and fat metabolism. More fat is stored in the fat tissue than is mobilized and used for fuel. We become leaner when the hormonal regulation of the fat tissue reverses this imbalance. 9. Insulin is the primary regulator of fat storage. When insulin levels are elevated, we stockpile calories as fat. When insulin levels fall, we release fat from our fat tissue and burn it for fuel. 10. By stimulating insulin secretion, carbohydrates make us fat and ultimately cause obesity. By driving fat accumulation, carbohydrates also increase hunger and decrease the amount of energy we expend in metabolism and physical activity.11. The fewer carbohydrates we eat, the leaner we will be".
I've avoided the controversial subject for some time now, but I feel like giving my opinion today.
It seems a lot of folks eating the primal/paleo/ef way, are still struggling with weight loss.
Everyone sees (and probably more important, feels) some success right away. The simple fact is that when you lay off the bagels, pasta and other processed foods, it will bring immediate results. Eat REAL foods and your body says, thank you, quickly. Your pleased with yourself, you eat good 90% of the time, you exercise the right way and life couldn't be better. Then the weight loss suddenly stops..............




Now what I'm going to write does certainly not apply to everyone and I'm not a trained professional. But....if you eat the primal/paleo/ef way, you are in good health and you are still struggling, I humbly say, consider looking into my suggestion.




I've gotten so many emails with questions. Questions with detailed lists of what people are eating and asking what they are doing wrong because they can't seem to slim down.

It is not my intention to insult or discourage anyone, but I want to be honest and I want to help. So read this and before you say anything, read it again and think about how it applies to you.




YOU EAT TOO MUCH.

You see, the reality is we ALL eat too much. I can only truly state the above because I learned it myself by trial and error.

You want to look like Mark Sisson or Art Devany? They look dang good for their respective ages right? Start eating less.



Steve wrote a great post on his blog Applied mastery, soon after Chris at Zen To Fitness also put up a post. They both addressed portion control

I want to show you something. I plugged yesterdays food into FitDay.
Take a look at my break down:

Fat 59%)
Carbs 6%)
Protein 27%)
Alcohol 7%)

Total Calories


2048



What amazes me is the how little food this really was. (you saw my breakfast yesterday)
and if I took a picture of all the food, I think you would be surprised too.
So what did this breakdown consist of;

1 cup of coffee with splash of heavy cream
1 small avocado
3 oz of ground beef
3 cherry tomatoes
Large green salad
1 tomato
shredded carrot
7 oz of grilled salmon
4 tbspoons evoo
1.5 cup of chicken (crockpot)
onion garlic broth (from the crockpot)
1 large glass of red wine



Yesterday was a non-activity desk day.
Like I said, I think you would be amazed if I put all this on a serving tray and took a picture. (I will soon).

You see how easy it is to quickly come into the 3000-3500 calorie range? Or even 4000 calorie range. I'm not saying it's as simple as calorie in calorie out mind you.......BUT, how much fuel does your body need? REAL foods nourish your body, but you don't need a whole lot of it.

As an example, look at these beautiful strawberries. Strawberries are so big these days. If you are trying to slim down, a portion of them should consist of 2 or 3, not 8 ;-)

There are some really smart bloggers out there, I'm not learned enough to explain the physiology, nor give links to studies that take me hours to read and that I struggle to comprehend, but I CAN share with you what I've learned by carefully observing myself and others. So I hope that this gives some insight and something to think about if you are still struggling with your weight, even though you are doing everything "right".

What do you all think? Does it make some sense? Do YOU eat too much?