Published: November 21, 2009 09:31 pm      

Easy does it because diets don’t work

Healthy Bottom Line

Working with people to improve their health has shown me there are three kinds of people in this world — those that are planning to start a diet, those that are on one, and those that are getting off a diet. Few are successful and almost no one can answer a basic health question like “What is a calorie?”

For the most part, our confusion comes from two sources — the weight loss industry and health care system — both of which make money selling “stuff” and doing things to people, rather than helping people do things for themselves.

How is it possible that we read or hear about a new diet or health breakthrough almost every week, yet we don’t seem to get any healthier?

We all know someone (maybe ourselves) who has at some point gone on a fad diet or simply quit eating — and dropped an impressive amount of weight. Most (if not all) of those who have, gain it back, usually plus some. Why, when this approach does not work, do we continue to do it? The definition of insanity is doing the same thing (or similar things like low fat, low carbs, high protein, Adkins, etc.) over and over again and expecting a different result.

Here’s the bottom line: Diets make you fat — and can make you sick.

We are all familiar with the phase “You are what you eat.” A more accurate statement would be “You are how much you eat.” While there are health benefits to a balanced diet, the reality is that total calories matter more than what those calories are composed of. You can even eat too much of things that are supposed to be good for you like salad. (OK, it’s hard to do, but it can be done, particularly if ranch dressing with blue cheese and bacon bits are your toppings of choice — or you consider ham salad a salad.)

Certain foods are clearly better for us to eat such as whole foods — fruits and vegetables, dairy, grains and meat — these have superior nutritional content to processed and prepared high-calorie meals that may also have added sugars, salt, preservatives, artificial flavors, texturizers, or coloring. And yet, there’s really no such thing as “bad” food. (Just ask some of the millions of people around the world who lack sufficient sustenance and they will tell you. Ironically, half the world has too little to eat while the other half are dying from having and consuming too much. But I digress.)

Let’s try to simplify all this. The body converts all foods (including liquids) into basic units of energy. And just like when we burn coal to give us power and light, our bodies burn foods to give us energy to live and move. All food contains different amounts of energy (calories) and our bodies “burn” this energy at different speeds (metabolic rate) based largely on our muscle mass and what we do each day (the size of our engine and how hard we “rev” it ). Some of us have a “Hemi” or a V8 and need a lot to keep us running — others are like those little European cars that can run all day on a “sniff” of gas.

Because we are all different, our daily energy needs differ — and so should our consumption. We’d be smart to focus less on what we are eating and more on the amount.

Here are six easy tips to help you manage your intake — and, consequently, your weight.

1. In a single meal, never eat a total amount that’s larger than your fist. For now, stop worrying about proteins, carbohydrates, trans fats — counting calories or points — and pay attention to how much you’re eating. (Research indicates that using smaller plates and utensils can make a difference, too.)

2. If you splurge on a special occasion, make that the exception, rather than let it become your daily practice.

3. Eat small amounts frequently and regularly throughout the day instead of starving yourself and then bingeing at lunch (or, even worse, at the end of day).

4. Stop when you first start to feel full. The sensors in your stomach operate on a “delay” and you’re actually full about 10 minutes before you get that satiated (let alone “stuffed”) sensation.

5. Make it a practice to leave a little on the plate, rather than getting seconds or leftovers on a routine basis.

6. Avoid all-you-can-eat restaurants. When you are served a large meal, cut it in half when you start and put the extra in a take-out box so you won’t be tempted to finish it all.

Remember when it comes to your health, eating less is more and simple is best. Easy does it.

Previous Bottom Line articles are available at Register-Herald.com; search Healthy Bottom Line, under the News tab at Bodyworks hfr.com news tab or on Mick Bates’ Facebook page.