Renovating Kaeti

Whether you’re trying to lose weight or simply find your way to a healthier relationship with food, turning to quick-fix fads will only lead to temporary results and long-term frustration. I know from personal experience — you name it, I’ve tried it (meal-replacement shakes, low-carb, high-protein, calorie counting, etc.). It wasn’t until I stopped fighting against food and started working with it that things finally started to click.

Where Diets Fall Short

It’s a temporary solution for a deeper problem. When people turn to diets, it’s often a sign that there’s something amiss about their relationship with food. Sustainable, whole-foods-based diets offer something that calorie restriction and deprivation can’t even begin to achieve.

Low-calorie and no-fat food substitutes can actually sabotage your weight-loss efforts. Studies suggest that when you consume sugar-free or low-calorie foods, your body responds by creating extra insulin, which in turn causes some nasty cravings and can lead to more serious problems like prediabetes and insulin resistance.

Ever wonder why diet soda doesn’t ever really satisfy your sweet tooth and you end up drinking 14 in a day? Find out more in “Poor Substitutes,” from the December 2007 issue of EL.

Diet plans often fail to provide guidance for sustainable, lifelong eating habits. Even the programs that attempt to provide long-term lifestyle changes frequently fail to address the underlying roots of our eating patterns, and can feel too rigid and unforgiving to the average Joe or Jane. No wonder it’s so tempting to just shrug our shoulders and give up on the whole thing.

Rethinking Our Relationship With Food

Truly healthy eating is about shifting your mindset, not your caloric bottom line. Rather than viewing food as the enemy that has to be “conquered” or vanquished, a successful eating plan should be based on fueling your body, eliminating chemicals and preservatives from your diet, and enjoying the experience of dining.

Fullness and satisfaction are keys to moderate eating. Chronic deprivation will not only slow your metabolism, but also will leave you more prone to overindulging on the very foods you’re trying to avoid.

The ever-expanding portion sizes in the United States are alarming to be sure, but what’s more important to our overall health is what makes up these portions. Our standard American diet of processed “white” foods (white flour, refined sugar, trans fat) may make us feel good for a short while, but it corrodes our health and leads to chronic disease (more than 109 million Americans now report having at least one chronic condition like diabetes).

How to Get Started

Cut down on fast food or, even better, cut it out completely.

Make your lunches at least three days a week.

Replace processed snacks with healthier options (veggies and hummus, fruit or whole-foods-based protein bars).

Eat before you get ravenously hungry to avoid the lingering hunger hormone ghrelin.

Drink lots of water. But ditch the plastic bottles: Use a reusable stainless-steel bottle instead.

Wean yourself off soda. If you miss the carbonation, try kombucha.

Eat breakfast. Eat breakfast. Eat breakfast. Wash, rinse, repeat.

When you indulge, go for quality (dark chocolate truffles) over quantity (four gas-station hot dogs with a doughnut chaser).

Try just one new recipe a week.

Find inspiration from food-wise bloggers around the Web (Ethicurian, The Daily Table, Mark’s Daily Apple and What to Eat, to name a few).

Buy organic produce — it’s actually quite inexpensive if you shop at farmers’ markets or co-ops.

More Resources

Delving Into Diets
The Simple Way to Slim
Weight-Loss Rules to Rethink
Food Trap!

I’d like to say that I entered into this whole world of health and fitness for entirely altruistic reasons — because it’s a better way to live, in and of itself. But honestly, weight loss was a big motivator for me.

Somehow during college I managed to accidentally gain upward of 60 pounds. Seriously, I don’t know what happened! (Er, I guess there were a few pizzas, trips to fast-food joints and sleepless nights thrown in there.) I was a classic case of denial, telling myself it wasn’t that bad and that I would get healthy after college, you know, when I had “more time.” Ha.

Well, long story short, I did make some important changes after college, and in the past nine months have been steadily losing weight and reclaiming balance in my body and life. But in the last month or so, I’ve kind of hit a wall. Blame the holidays or inertia or erratic eating, all I know is that my body has stopped shedding fat. And in talking to my friends and reading many of your blogs, I know that a lot of you have experienced the same thing.

So I did a little digging, and here’s a list of five reasons that weight loss can stall. This is by no means a comprehensive list, so be sure to comment and weigh in with your thoughts. (I didn’t even try to make that pun. I swear it was an accident.)

1. You’re not weight training. Weight training increases mitochondria, our cells’ calorie-burning powerhouses. So basically, more muscle means that your body is naturally burning more fat just by existing. Gina DeMillo Wagner explains it here. This is an area where I am oh-so guilty. Taking a cue from those of you with balanced fitness programs, I’m trying to work in some more resistance training.
2. You body has adapted to your fitness routine. Routine isn’t always bad — in fact, it can be eseential — but ruts can definitely derail your path to weight loss. Check out “Spring-Clean Your Routine” and investigate some of the resources listed. If your body has adapted to your same-old, same-old regimen, you need to mix it up to start seeing results again.
3. Inflammation. In “How Exercise Heals,” Susan Gaines writes: “Inflammation can be measured by the presence of C-reactive protein (CRP), and it flares when your immune system is in a state of chronic reaction. Messenger molecules of the immune system, called cytokines, are fired up by poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle. A regular, moderate exercise program can sharply reduce CRP, according to a 2002 study published in Epidemiology.” What does all of that mean? Inflammation causes our bodies to hold onto extra weight. Experts like doctors Mark Hyman and Elson Haas attribute our chronic inflammation to a diet loaded with processed food and our increasingly stressful lifestyles. Food intolerances and allergies also play a huge role in inflammation, so if you suspect that you have food sensitivities, it may be worth it to try out a detox/elimination diet like the one described in The UltraSimple Diet.
4. You’re not eating enough. So many people are consumed by cutting calories and monitoring their food intake that they end up sabotaging their weight loss. If you’re eating less than your basal metabolic rate (i.e., the amount of calories you would burn if you spent all day in bed) your metabolism will slow down. I know y’all have heard this before, but it bears repeating. Our bodies function best when we fuel them with fresh, natural, whole foods, and worry more about the nutrient value and less about the caloric impact. Our bodies have an amazing capacity to regulate and adjust to the amount we eat if we’re eating quality food and staying active.
5. You’re working against your body, not with it. If you’re pushing yourself too hard in the gym, trying to trick your body with less-than-satisfying “diet” foods, or aiming for an ideal weight that is downright unhealthy, your weight loss will be inconsistent. And losing weight too quickly will just slow you down in the long run. The healthy, sustainable way to weight loss is not The Biggest Loser, it’s retraining your body to function as efficiently as possible. If you give your body whole foods and regular activity, it’s amazing how willing it is to work with you to get to a healthy weight.

Just writing these out has reminded me of some things I need to work on (a balanced fitness program, avoiding processed flours and sugar, accepting the speed at which my body is able to change, etc).

Here are some other great resources to check out:

Weight-Loss Rules to Rethink

The Simple Way to Slim

Maximize Your Metabolism

Spring-Clean Your Routine

Weight Loss 101

I spent way too many hours trying to find research on exercise motivation today. Specifically, how goals and a little competition can help fuel a person’s fitness endeavors. Le sigh. Sometimes, no matter how much of an Internet detective I think I am, Google just can’t give me what I need.

But, there’s a silver lining. My search-engine failure gave me the idea for today’s Friday Favorites! So without further ado, Here’s a list of some of the motivators that keep me going, and help me push past inertia:

1. New workout clothes or shoes. This normally wouldn’t be No. 1 on my list of motivators, but it’s on my mind because all the running and sporting-goods stores are clearing out last year’s clothes to make room for the new season, and we all know that means sales! Having new threads always gives me a boost, especially when I know that I only paid a small fraction of what those Mizuno running capris normally cost.
2. Putting on workout clothes. When I first started running, one of my friends gave me an invaluable piece of advice about getting my butt out the door on a daily basis. When I come home from a long day, tired and cranky and craving chocolate more than a run, the very first thing I do is put on my running clothes. Once I have my clothes and shoes on, I usually think, “Well I’m dressed, so I may as well…” Seriously, this has worked more times than I can count.
3. Community support. When my running program started ambling a bit, I jumped online and joined a running clinic through the Running Room. Having the built-in support of a running club has helped me keep my training on track. And while the real-life running partners have been amazing, I also love the help and support that comes with online running forums and blogs (see links on the right).
4. A little friendly competition. Whether it’s the person running next to me at the gym, or the person I’ve just got to pass before the finish line, a little competition will definitely give me an extra push. I especially like competing against my own times. The key here is to not get too carried away, and to make sure you’re not forgetting fitness for the fleeting pleasure of total domination. Ahem.
5. Booking an event. Once you get that race registration in, there’s no turning back (well, I guess there could be, but then you’d be a total wimp going back on an important commitment to yourself). My first event? The 100 percent Irish for a Day 5K on March 15. I hope this means there’ll be beer afterward. Which brings me to No. 6…
6. Beer. No, I’m only kidding. But it is Friday, which means I’m off to go embrace my adopted Irish heritage pursue a lifestyle of health and happiness!

In all seriousness, I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend and stays motivated — even in this oh-so-dreary month of February.

Sometimes my body seems to (miraculously) work with me rather than against me. For example, when I’m sick I’ll often crave protein-rich foods — which totally makes sense because your body needs additional protein when you’re sick. So in those cases, I’m like, “Hey, thanks Body! I think I will eat that block of cheese!”

But then there are those other times when I get it in my mind that I absolutely must eat mass amounts of chocolate for no reason whatsoever. I’m sure Dr. Hyman (author of UltraMetabolism, one of our favorite books around the office) could offer some physiological explanation involving insulin and blood-sugar levels, but thoughts of pizza, ice cream, or so much bread you could build a warm, soft house with it tend to take precedence in my mind over analyzing why I might be craving these things.

Why is it that when we get cravings, it’s so hard to think about anything else? My friend Sara captured the situation perfectly in an email the other day:

I’ve decided donuts are my downfall food. Like, I can walk away from a cookie, and ice cream, and a chocolate bar, and Cheetos, and pizza, and tacos, and all that other stuff. A donut, however, I cannot leave. If I do, it’s all I think about. I’m like, “Oh god, why didn’t I eat that donut? I should go back and get that donut. I hope that donut is there. If anyone else ate that donut, I’ll kill them. I hope there was a second donut I didn’t see because then I could have two donuts. No, I should only eat one donut. No, I should only eat half a donut. No, a quarter of the donut. Okay, a quarter of the donut…[eats quarter of donut, walks back to desk]… god that donut was good. Who invented donuts? I love donuts. I really want another quarter of the donut. No one else will eat just a quarter of a donut and donuts get dried out really fast. And I have to walk all the way across the hall for it so I should just do it…[eats second quarter of donut, walks back to desk]…donuts are so good. I love donuts. Every kind of donut. Man, I should get those Old Home donuts that come in the little yellow boxes. Those are always so dense and sweet. I even like it when the powdered sugar gets stuck in your throat…. [eats third quarter of donut, throws last quarter away, walks back to desk]. Donuts are so good. I’m so glad I showed such will power and didn’t eat that last quarter. But that’s such a waste of food, maybe I should have just eaten it [digs last quarter out of trash, eats it]” and so on and so forth. Donuts are the bane of my existence.

It’s like she can read my mind. Seriously, who hasn’t been there? Fortunately, there are things you can do to come out on the other side — ideally, without eating enough sugar to fall into a diabetic coma. Actually, according to research published in the journal Appetite, talking about cravings instead of trying to ignore them is a much more effective way to get over them.

Moral of the story? By writing an inane blog entry about how much I want one of those cupcakes Jamie brought in for Valentine’s Day, I should be able to resist the temptation to eat 10 of them. Yeah … at least that’s how it’s supposed to work.

While I’m not sold on this whole “talk therapy” concept, the most efficient way I’ve found to undermine my unhealthy eating habits is to avoid buying any food I don’t want to eat. If you don’t buy it, you can’t eat it. Simple enough, right? And that works marvelously well— until I’m faced with the free food dilemma. It always appears when I’m hungry, it’s ridiculously unhealthy, and it’s just sitting there in the breakroom or meeting waiting for me to validate its existence. It would be untoward for me not to have just a little something. We ran an article on these “food traps” a while back that has some helpful tips.

Food is one of those things in my life that I’m still wrestling to take greater ownership of: being conscious of the food decisions I’m making, paying attention to how what I eat affects my body, and eating to nourish and energize my body. I’m thinking of doing a sort of “reboot” in this arena, starting off with a detox.

Anyone feel like joining in on a weeklong detox? We can be crabby together. And by crabby, of course I mean “awesomely fulfilled by our amazing new food choices.” In the meantime, I’ll look into a couple different programs and keep you updated about what I find.

I recently started taking yoga at a studio in my neighborhood. During a class the other day, my teacher warned us about staking happiness on specific accomplishments. During one particularly difficult pose, he looked around at all of our constipated faces, and said, “You know, you can try your whole life to try to touch your foreheads to your toes … or, you could relax, smile and be happy where you are right now.”

There was a sort of communal sigh of relief (and you could hear it, what with our Ujjayi breath and all). It was such a liberating concept, especially as my heels have yet to touch the ground in downward dog, and my forward bends look more like bows compared with the limber types around me.

My teacher went on, saying that many times when we base our happiness and worth on reaching a certain goal (or pose or weight, for that matter), we achieve the goal only to realize that it doesn’t make us happy and we’re exactly where we started — dissatisfied, feeling “never good enough” and usually pretty crabby.

This isn’t to say that having goals or celebrating achievements isn’t important. It is. But I find that to truly revel in reaching my goals, I need to be coming from a place of acceptance and completeness — before I reach them. If I can’t love who I am at this weight, weighing 20 pounds less isn’t going to change that. In fact, when I start basing my progress on the numbers, it’s a struggle not to get addicted to them. Instead of focusing on feeling right in my body and being healthy, I just want that number on the scale to creep down (OK, if I’m being honest, plummet down). And when it does, I’m like a junkie: never satisfied, always looking for my next fix.

Getting trapped in this cycle exhausts me, and leaves me feeling terrible about myself. That’s exactly why, when I began to lose weight as a natural byproduct of the changes I was making (you can read about them here), I decided not to weigh myself regularly. I chose not to count calories. For some people, these measures may be important or useful, but for me they were a trap. When I started playing the numbers game — measuring every crumb I ate and viciously observing every tenth of a pound I lost — I didn’t have the energy or time to eat consciously or actually enjoy my workouts.

It’s hard not to get caught up in the “skinny is best” fervor that dominates so much of the health and fitness world. Thankfully, mainstream culture is finally starting to wrap its mind around the idea that fit does not equal thin. In fact, recent research suggests that overweight, physically active people age slower and reap more health benefits than their slimmer, couch-potato friends. So maybe by revising goals and expectations to focus on health measures rather than arbitrary numbers like weight and calories, we can find a much more sustainable and satisfying way to move forward.

This could mean anything from lowering your resting heart rate, to eating fresh, whole foods — rather than aiming for an idealistic pre-college weight or eating flavorless, low-calorie foods (Kristin Ohlson wrote a great article on why this doesn’t work, anyway). Measures like body-fat to lean-tissue ratios, VO2 max, heart rate and strength are all beneficial ways to gauge progress, but even these can become a distraction and end up sabotaging your momentum if you get too wrapped up in the numbers.

For me, a big part of this ongoing venture into health and fitness has required that I let go of my unrealistic expectations (seriously, who are these girls that run the treadmill at a six-minute mile pace??). Maybe, instead, I can take a deep breath and smile, look at how far I’ve come, and embrace who I am right now. And when I feel at ease in my life, I can find the energy I need to keep moving forward.

What do you think? Do the numbers help or hinder you? Have you ever been tempted to aim for unrealistic ideals?