The diet is the other side of the weight control coin. I am re-reading a favorite book of mine
called Ultrametabolism by Dr. Mark Hyman. I am going to blog a little on that tomorrow,
but I highly recommend this book, in particular if you have worked at losing
weight by both diet and exercise and are seeing little results. This book could give you keen insight as to
why.
I have been working with a Nutritionist on evaluating my
diet. I eat pretty clean and eat foods
that one would consider to be very good for you. With a rigorous exercise program, making sure
your diet is giving you proper nutrients is essential, so I have sought
professional advice. She sent me a
Health History Questionnaire to fill out.
As we cover these things, I will share (no, really!?) my
progress.
Today though, I am reflecting on a question I had to answer
because it was a real eye opener. There
were two sections, one asked, “What were your meals like as a child?” and the
other was, “What are your meals like now?”
I have fought weight issues my entire life. As I thought this through, I also considered
how long I had followed this pattern.
The answer was not good.
Here is my response:
Breakfast: Sugar based cereals…Quisp/Quake (some of you may know what this is, and your age is now showing), Captain Crunch,
PopTarts (a favorite), Trix, Lucky Charms.
Hmmm. Great beginning of the day
for a fat kid.
Lunch: Ham or Turkey sandwich on white bread, usually the
Wonder bread. Cookies. Chips.
Lots of Hostess treats from Twinkies to the Cupcakes. Lots of processed wheat, flour and starch.
Dinner: Pretty much what was cooked, in quantities large
enough to fill me. Given what I know
today, and given the breakfast and lunch I just listed, my insulin spikes must
have really set me up for this meal.
There was always a dessert, and it was always calorie rich. Dessert was never missed.
Snacks: Sweets…cookies,
candy, etc.
Beverages: Milk and
Kool-Aid. I wasn’t a big soda drinker,
thank god.
Holy crap. That’s all
I kept saying as I listed these things.
Do you have any idea how dramatically different this is from how I eat
today? If you read this blog regularly
you do! If you don’t, it’s radically
different. Who the heck set up THAT
diet? The witch from Hansel and Gretel
who wanted to put fat on the kids' bones? Thank God that in the late sixties and seventies High Fructose Corn Syrup was not vogue yet as a replacement sweetener like it is today. I would have been in critical care.
It made me think about what kids eat today. My kids as well as other kids. It made me think about the childhood obesity
epidemic we face currently. It made me
realize the eating patterns that set up my weight issues as huge obstacles I
would face for years to come.
The only way that the diet I had as a child would NOT result
in a plump kid is if I had the exercise regimen of a world class athlete…and I
did not. My favorite exercises were
getting up to turn the channel (no remote back then, not until 1980 or so),
getting up to go to the refrigerator (kind of self defeating), and walking to
the busstop. I played with the other
kids outside when a game was organized, but that was ‘activity’... not always
‘exercise.’
So this was an eye-opener for me.
I will keep you apprised of my Nutrition evaluation.
If you are having issues with weight, READ Ultrametabolism! And hydrate.
See you tomorrow.
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