Diet Fads

     Isn't it crazy that the first diet book was published in 1864? It was based on eating lean meats and dry toast. Could you really do that forever? America is now bigger than ever. I think we see a label that reads low-fat and and eat more calories. Or, we see a diet fad, pill, or gimmick and jump right into it without questioning if this is really a good diet? Is it healthy? Thirty years ago, we couldn't find very many places that would give us our food in a matter of minutes. Ah, instant gratification. We have way too many fattening foods available to us all the time and at every turn. It's true that a diet will work when you are on them. But, have you ever noticed that those pill diets and fad diets usually always say to exercise and cut calories. That's the answer.

     I grew up thinking I was this fat cow. I look back at pictures and I'm shocked that I thought that about myself. I remember skipping meals in the 3rd grade. I refused to wear shorts because I hated my knees. Yes, I never wore a pair of shorts in all the years I was in school. Well, only during volleyball, but we had knee pads. My body image controlled my life. I didn't want to swim. I didn't want to play sports. I was always afraid that people were picking me apart. And, that they thought I was disgustingly fat. In middle school, I was taking laxatives. I was still skipping meals. Eventually, I was purging. I would lose massive amounts of weight, but only to put it all back on again. Plus some. I didn't understand that depriving myself was slowing my metabolism. I was eating my muscles. Muscles burn fat. I have read that losing more than 1-2 pounds per week is self-sabotaging. It's true because we can't keep up with that lifestyle forever. It's still a struggle for me. I like to burn large amounts of fat. I have lost over 40 pounds in 6 weeks before in the past. It's all back, again. I couldn't keep up with only eating oatmeal, yogurt, and working out 3 hours per day.

     I was researching a hormone called Leptin.  It's secreted by fat cells and it helps control your appetite by binding receptors in the brain to tell you that you're full.  But, the Leptin and fat are a package deal. Do you know what that means?  Lose fat, lose Leptin.  So, when Leptin levels are low, the body reacts by consuming energy expenditure so much that you stop burning calories at a normal rate. That's why it's best to lose weight slowly. I step on the scale and I remind myself all the time that small weight loss numbers are a good thing. Although, I do know better, I still focus on big numbers. It's something that I am working on right now. If my boyfriend, Miah, had it his way, there would be no scale in this house.

  
     Gym song of the day: Static X -- Destroyer