|
|
|
A few hundred years ago, our ancestors ate unprocessed, more natural, low-calorie food and there wasn't a lot of it. We were designed to be lean, mean and hungry, to a certain degree. We now find ourselves with abundant food, an ever-stocked refrigerator and much of the food to which we have access is processed by food companies - in particular, the removal of fibre and the addition of sugar, to make many foodstuffs softer and sweeter, ie. easier to eat and therefore easier to sell. As a result, modern people in an affluent society can eat as much as they want, whenever they want without ever having to experience hunger or drink anything as boring as water. It is no co-incidence, at least in the Western world, that the richest countries have the highest number of obese people, and Australia now equals the US as the world's most obese nation.
The majority of Australians, including vegetarians, take in an adequate amount of vitamins and other micro-nutrients essential for good health. An occasional exception to this rule concerns vegetarians and iron deficiency. As most of us know, spinach and similar vegetables are rich in iron, but unfortunately iron from vegetable sources is absorbed poorly from the human intestine and, as a result, strict vegetarians are more susceptible to iron deficiency. This particularly applies to women of child-bearing age.
The amount of energy measured for a given volume of food used to be in calories, it is now measured in joules. One calorie is equal to 4.2 joules. The higher the energy content, the higher the energy density of the meal. We are mainly concerned with energy balance. Fat is a highly efficient way to store energy and any excess energy (calories) which we eat but do not use, is stored as fat. The four sources of energy/calories are fats, carbohydrates, proteins and alcohol. Fats and oils, of either plant or animal origin, irrespective of their cholesterol content etc., contain nearly 40 joules (9 calories) per gram. Examples of protein are lean meat and egg white. Proteins contain about 17 joules (4 calories) per gram. Carbohydrates contain about 17 joules per gram as well. Examples of carbohydrate-containing foods are potatoes, apples, rice and wheat flour, but these foods contain significant amounts of water and indigestible carbohydrate (fibre) which contain no calories. Refined white sugar, an unnatural, unhealthy and addictive substance, is 100% digestible carbohydrate, and therefore has a much higher calorie content, or energy density, than the naturally occurring foods mentioned above. Soft drinks are a major source of excessive sugar intake. Diet Coke isn't the answer: consider tea, real fruit juice or even (horror of horrors) water!
Alcohol is also energy-dense (and is therefore "fattening") as it contains almost 30 joules (7 calories) per gram. It is very difficult indeed to lose weight if one has a significant daily consumption of alcohol. A useful guide is to drink nothing during the week with 2 or 3 drinks maximum per day on weekends.
Food can be like an addictive drug; the more you eat, the more you want to eat next time, but the good news is that the less you eat, the less you want to eat. The difficulty is in starting to get into the habit of eating significantly less, which inevitably involves experiencing hunger and not succumbing to it. You will find after about a week, the process becomes much easier, and eventually getting by on a reduced diet will become natural and less of an issue for you.
Eat what you need, not what you want. Eating to the point of discomfort is unfortunately the way of life for many. Apart from taking in too much energy, this practice may result in gastro-oesophageal reflux, which is by far the commonest form of indigestion. The sensation of stomach-fullness reaches the brain partly through chemicals released in the blood. This takes some time to occur. In other words, there is a lag time between your stomach being filled, and you being aware of it. During a meal, stop when you think you may have had enough, not when it is all too obvious that you shouldn't eat any more. Even if you are a little peckish when you stop, after 10 or 15 minutes, you will often find that you are no longer hungry.
Don't "graze" between meals. Have you ever noticed that slim people seem to eat as much or more than overweight people at mealtime or in a restaurant? This serves to re-inforce many overweight people's perception that life is unfair because, although they seem to eat very little, they are still overweight. One trap is to "graze" seemingly small amounts between meals, which makes it easier to "diet" when eating in the company of others at meal times.
Except in certain disease states (eg. untreated thyroid insufficiency) this does not occur and is not a valid reason for failure to lose weight.
These include oral contraceptives, hormone replacement therapy and cortisone-like drugs. Admittedly, these drugs may cause a limited increase in body water, about a kilogram or two, and they may stimulate the appetite resulting in a higher calorie intake. The tablets themselves contain no calories.
During pregnancy there is normally a limited increase in body fat and water stores, as a result of the increase in the production of steroid hormones during pregnancy. However, after pregnancy these hormone levels revert to normal.
An underactive thyroid, if untreated, will slow the metabolism and result in weight gain. However, if the underactive thyroid is treated with tablets, the problem is fully corrected and this is not a reason for failure to lose weight.
When not used to it, fasting for a few hours may induce a mild state unease and lassitude in addition to hunger, this is due to lower-than-average blood sugar levels, and is often labelled, "hypoglycaemia" as if this were a disease.
True hypoglycaemia is exceptionally rare except in patients who are on treatment for diabetes, or people who have an unusually high intake of sugar (eg. chocolate addicts) who suddenly commence a sugar-free diet. The mild drop in blood sugar level is soon corrected automatically, and this phenomenon becomes less and less noticeable with each passing day. This is the basis of the observation "the less you eat, the less you want to eat". In essence, it is a mild withdrawal from excessive calorie intake, which shares many of the features of a drug withdrawal syndrome. Diabetics on treatment should not suddenly and dramatically reduce their calorie intake without medical advice.
Operations such as hysterectomy and removal of the gallbladder have nothing to do with weight gain or metabolic rate.
When all is said and done, for whatever the reason, the only cause of obesity is that up to that point in time, an overweight person has taken in more energy than he/she has used, and the excess has been stored in the form of fat. Realism is an essential prerequisite to successful dieting. Even if you are very overweight, and you eat a normal, healthy, sensible diet, you will avoid putting on more weight, but you will not lose any. Has anyone ever told you, "you mustn't starve yourself!"? However, the definition of starvation is "insufficient nutritional intake to maintain the body weight". But this is precisely what is required! The wording doesn't matter but the important point is that in order to lose weight you must eat substantially less than a normal diet.
In other words, in order to lose weight, it is necessary for your energy intake to be less than your energy output. Your calorie/energy output has two main parts - most is used up by automatic bodily functions, such as maintaining a heartbeat, breathing, thinking and other essential metabolic and physiological functions. The other part is the energy used up in voluntary physical activity.
Spices, sauces and other condiments serve to enhance the appetite and the taste of the food, which makes it all the more difficult to stop eating at the right time. Experiment with eating bland foods, eg. simple unadulterated vegetables, boiled rice, brown bread without butter, and fruits. If you are hungry enough, you will enjoy them. Spiced food with sauces can create a desire to eat, even when there was no hunger in the first place.
The average intake of water for an adult is 3 litres per 24 hours. This may be more than you would think, but in fact a significant proportion is taken in with food, as most foods contain large amounts of water. However, half or more is taken in by liquid form. Stop and think - when did you last drink pure water? It is surprising how many people in affluent societies rarely if ever drink water. In fact, if you are serious about dieting, the vast majority or all of your liquid intake should be in the form of water. Water contains no energy. Restriction of water or fluid intake has no effect on your efforts to lose weight. Drink as much water as you want.
There is no soft option. Eating significantly less is the only way. Exercise is a useful adjunct, but by itself, with no attempt at dietary modification, it is doomed to failure.
Moderate to strenuous exercise results in the release of naturally occurring chemicals in your body (adrenaline etc.) which have a natural appetite-suppressing effect. In fact, similar synthetic drugs (amphetamines) are sometimes used as appetite suppressants. The use of these drugs is not advisable, as at best they merely result in a temporary appetite suppression and weight loss. The side-effects include insomnia, anxiety, irritability, a rapid pulse rate and a raised blood pressure. Remember, there is no soft option.
Mild to moderate regular exercise is advisable, depending on your age and physical fitness. Clearly, it is inadvisable to suddenly commence strenuous physical activity. If you have any doubt about entering an exercise regime (e.g. walking, jogging, or gymnasium activities), it is advisable to consult your general practitioner first. Occasionally, a heart stress test may be advisable. By burning up unwanted calories, our fat stores are reduced. However, it takes a huge amount of exercise to burn up the energy contained in, say, one typical Aussie main-course and dessert. It is much easier to eat less in the first instance.