Regardless of the guru, my answer's always the same, "It doesn't need to be so complicated" I'll tell them.
Even if the nutritional gurus and zealots were absolutely, 100%, scientifically bang-on with their edicts and commandments, I'd still stick with that message.
Not because I necessarily know better about nutrition, but rather because I work with actual people, real life folks who go to work, who worry about their finances, who shuttle their kids back and forth to hockey, who are trying to do their best. And while there's no doubt that it's possible one of these nutrition gurus will actually, indisputably, get it right, it won't change the fact that real people need to like the lives they're living, even if they're not nutritionally perfect.
Real life folks? Here are my recommendations:
And while those instructions may not satisfy the gurus and zealots who demand perfection, I'm guessing they'll take you a very long way health wise.
- Cook more.
- Use whole ingredients.
- Eat out less frequently.
- Cook together as a family.
- Eat together around a table.
- Exercise regularly and with joy.
It doesn't need to be so complicated.
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How many times to I say this! Not only for dieting and exercise but for my own discipline of horticulture. Look for the simple things first! The basics. The 1001 diet and exercise "experts" out there would have nothing to sell, they would have no marketing edge if it wasn't for the fact they make it complicated.
ReplyDeleteExcellent advice.
ReplyDeleteHowever, just cooking from scratch doesn't necessarily mean a good diet.
My mother cooked everything from scratch. To my parents, going to a restaurant was a rare event. My mother cooked a lot of fried food, potatoes with butter & sour cream , vegs with cream sauces, etc. And she baked - cakes, cookies, pies, fancy pastry for special occasions and white bread for everyday. She was also very concerned that we all get good nutrition - she just thought lots and lots of delicious food would do that. It worked for my father - he was lean and muscular and worked a hard physical job. But for me and my sister , it was a real problem - we, like my Mom herself, were very overweight.
She just didn't see it. She thought we were "a little chubby", but that was better that being "too skinny".
It took me a long while to recover from all that home cooking. Much as I love my mother, I get healthier food at McDonalds (salad with grilled chicken and no dressing vs Mom's fried chicken, biscuits, potato salad with mayo.)
My philosophy exactly, and a healthy way to live. The problem is, people keep getting pounded into their heads from all the societal messages that the one and only path to good health is weight loss. I do all these things, and tend to cook pretty healthy, unlike the situation Anonymous describes (I had the same situation as a child -- Mom was from the South. Need I say more?) My weight is stable, but it doesn't go down. These habits can improve health considerably, but won't necessarily lead to weight loss. They don't for me. I'm OK with that, but not everyone is. I'm fortunate that I have doctors who treat me as a whole person and not an unacceptable BMI (my cholesterol is so low I get error messages on the AHA's heart attack calculator), but many people get browbeaten by medical professionals about it.
ReplyDeleteI think this is great advice...for preventing obesity and health problems. The problem, though, is that once you are overweight or obese, it is not as simple. I was fed a pretty poor diet as a child (processed, high sugar) and was overweight by age 10. Now, after finally discovering what good nutrition was in my late-20s (I "dieted" a lot before that, but the focus wasn't on whole foods) I continue to struggle with my weight (I'm in my late 30s now). I cook entirely from scratch, eat almost zero sugar (fruit as a treat every few days, no "sweets"), rarely have a snack between meals, live in a walkable town and walk between 2-4 miles per day, but my weight hovers at about 50 pounds overweight. This style of eating is just maintenance for me, and I think that is true for most people. If I want to lose weight I need to measure and count and deprive. There's no way around it.
ReplyDeleteSo I think your message is very important and as a baseline everyone should be eating that way. But to imply that people who are 40, 50 or 100 or more pounds overweight would lose it and be healthy by doing that is missing the fact that metabolic changes occur when someone becomes overweight and there is a new set-point....and breaking through that is truly the hardest part. I think people who search out gurus and zealots are searching for answers or clues (I know I have) about how to break through.
Anonymous, if I may ask -- if you took BMI off the table, would you be healthy by all other conventional measures? For me, I'm 30 pounds over BMI 25. Since I'm a woman, I'm guessing my theoretical "ideal" weight would be less, so I could be considered to be 50 pounds overweight. All my numbers are good -- cholesterol, BP, resting pulse, fasting glucose. For the most part, I maintain an active lifestyle and healthy diet, as you do -- but probably not as well as you do from your description. You are doing everything right. I know weight seems to be considered the be-all, end-all of health, but I'd really encourage you to look at the whole picture.
DeleteYes, you're right - I am very healthy. Great numbers all around. I am 5'4" and my weight seems to hover around 185. I agree, that weight loss is not the end-all-be-all and I don't plan to go to extreme lengths to lose the weight (that's what got me here in the first place, all those super low-cal diet plans). But, when push comes to shove, I'd LOVE to lose this weight...for purely vain reasons, but I think they're valid. I know how well I take care of myself and I guess for pride reasons I'd kind of like my outsides to show that. Maybe I'll get over that eventually!
DeleteI hear you. I feel much the same way. There are days when I'd love to be 30-40 pounds lighter even though I believe I am healthier working on my habits at the weight where I am now. Vanity, and wanting to the world to acknowledge that I'm not automatically a walking heart attack. It's a tough one to get over. Especially since you're working so hard, but the world seems to say that you must not be working hard because if you WERE, you'd be thin... right? Argh!!
DeleteUh-oh. You just gave me the perfect synopsis for the book I wanted to write on this topic... :)
ReplyDeleteExcellent, excellent post. You hit all the nails squarely on their heads. Nice.
Ok this post totally confirms it! I have a "crush" on your way of thinking. There are not enough ways to thank you for your continued recommendations, your sensible thinking, and reality of what exactly my life is, but here is a start.
ReplyDeleteTHANKS!
You're right. Those behaviors promote health.
ReplyDeleteYour readers are right. They won't make fat people thin.
Now, the best thing you could do for us is shout it from the rooftops. Let primary care physicians know that fat people who say they have healthy habits aren't, by definition, lying. Let them know that weight loss is not always the right advice. Sometimes fat people deserve a pat on the back for exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet, and we need to be told that we're fine as we are and that trying to lose weight by unhealthy means is not the best course of action.
I agree, for most of us, it doesn't need to be so complicated. (I could say more about guru-ism, but I'll refrain). However, what about cases like this Dr. Freedhoff, and Dr. Wortman's research?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.drjaywortman.com/blog/wordpress/2012/04/27/carbohydrate-intolerance-institutional-intransigence/
I think too many people hold off on being healthy just because they think they need to "know it all first" before they even start. I'm strongly believe that if you have to be willing to take the first step before you worry about all the steps that come after it.
ReplyDelete