Saturday, December 20, 2014

Burning through the calories: where the carbs fit for weight management

Are you hyper focusing on the nutrients that are 'safe' to eat?
Processed foods are bad, toxic even. Breads, even so-called wheat breads, must be avoided. Other starches aren’t great for you either—but those whole grains seem a little better. And forget sugar, because you know all the horror stories about what sugar does.  Best to avoid it all; it’s much safer that way.

That’s what Dave thinks, and he’s not alone. He's an underweight young man, unhealthily thin. Yes, most sources of carbs are a problem for him. In fact, most fats are also a problem for him. He selects only foods he perceives as super-foods—super healthy choices chock full of nutrients; he’s not contaminating his body with any of that other junk. He reads a lot, but never the full research paper, because, I mean, who does? Anyway, if it’s in print, then it must be true, right?

Start to look at the big picture.
No, not correct. Even all the hype about sugar and its negative impact on health pulls from studies showing high intakes—25% of total calories, to be specific. That’s a lot of sugar. And that’s quite different than including a couple of mint Milanos or Lindt chocolates for instance, in the midst of a healthy, balanced diet. But why all the fuss, you ask? Who needs processed carbs anyway?

An RDA for chocolates?

It’s like this. There’s no daily requirement for processed foods—that’s for certain. But creating long lists of foods to avoid creates another set of health issues, both mental and physical. Deprivation, for one, creates rebound overeating, so setting rigid rules about all the foods you can’t eat becomes an issue. Further, avoiding large categories of foods as Dave does leaves fewer fuel sources and nutrients to meet your needs. A diet of vegetables and lean protein and a bit of fruit will likely leave you low energy—carbohydrate stores are our go-to for fuel; yes there’s a reason why Marathoners have a pasta dinner before their event.  Food rules are challenging to adhere to and lead to increased preoccupation with food and eating.

It’s worse if your needs are high, like if you are in the process of restoring weight from a low place. Truly, metabolic rate dramatically increases to well above what others of the same height (but who weren’t restricting and now re-feeding) experience. So the feeling of fatigue may result, and if you’re wondering why your strength is lost, this could be why. Or if you are a growing teen, restricting what you can eat may add to your problems—it’s challenging to meet your needs to restore normal growth when there’s lots you choose not to eat.

Burn, baby burn

Take a step back and try to look at your
assumptions a bit differently.
It's hard to negotiate with irrational thoughts. And the media's messages villainizing most anything that tastes good hardly help. So I’ll turn to my fireplace analogy to help him (and you) see carbs as just another fuel.

Let's say you have a fireplace. You could burn logs of pine or oak or maple. Burning each log type generates heat, turns to ashes in the end, regardless of which you started with.

Should it matter to you which type of log or fuel you use? Well you might have a preference for the scent of pine or maple, let's say. But from a fuel standpoint, it doesn't much matter. That is, as long as the total amount of wood is equivalent. It's just like food and its building blocks. You could burn carbs or protein or fats that you eat and yield energy—our heat equivalent here. And as long as the total amount of fuel or calories is the same, your body hardly cares where the fuel source came from—from a weight standpoint. You may have a preference for the taste of chicken or of nuts, and some foods may be more satiating (think whole grains or balanced meals including protein); and a varied diet will help meet your nutrient needs over time. But if the calories are the same, they will generate about the same amount of energy.

That's sweetened chai tea with real milk to go with our
carb-based snack.
But substitute some twigs and the fire dies down fast. Rice cakes, for instance, just won't sustain the energy. You could swap newspaper for the logs. But you'd need a ton of it to heat your house in winter. Yes, just like if you chose only light products or large volume but low calorie dense foods like broths or salads with little substance to them.

So what can I do now?

Stoke your fire with items that are pleasant. I love the scent of burning pine, personally, and I enjoy a good piece of pastry when I need the fuel. There are times those whole grains are just what I'm yearning, and they'll likely take a bit more time to process, and thus burn, than just white rice. But brown sushi just doesn't seem right.  And favoring protein and eating lots of it simply because you heard it’s good for you is no advantage for long-term weight management.

A healthy body requires getting enough. Not just total calories, but satisfaction, from a wide range of foods and nutrients. Isn’t it time you free yourself from the unnecessary food rules?

Sunday, December 7, 2014

If you're struggling with your eating you're not alone! Strategies for the holidays and beyond.

These past weeks more people appear to be struggling with their eating. I don't know if statistics support it, and I haven't done a study. It's simply what I'm noticing. So I thought it might be valuable to share what I'm hearing. Because if they're feeling and thinking these thoughts, you just might be, too. 

And I'm hoping that regardless of your type of eating struggle that you'll feel a bit more supported after reading this post. These are not simply holiday eating concerns. Rather, it appears that preexisting concerns get heightened during this time of year.

Setting the record straight

The holiday season may not be the happiest time of the year as the Christmas songs may suggest. There are the common stresses--there's much to get done in limited time, like shopping, meal planning and cooking, perhaps accompanied by a bit of financial concern. Most often these fall on the woman of the house, adding to her usual responsibilities, it seems. You might even have to get dressed up for holiday parties, presenting it's own issues.  And the added stress doesn't make the abundant food challenges any easier. No, you're not alone if you're struggling to eat well this time of year. Here are a few common themes I've been hearing and some guidance to help you through.
  • Dealing with unstructured time like days off and weekends can be a challenge. Your schedule and your eating can get thrown off leaving you not so confident about what is and when it's okay to eat. But you can always add your own structure. If you wake up late, still make a point of eating within an hour of waking regardless of the time. Be cautious to avoid long intervals without eating, and do include at least 3 meals. Keep snacks handy when you're out and about, to have whenever you might need them--regardless of the hour. Be vocal too-- just because the person you're with doesn't need to eat, doesn't mean you don't need to!
  • It's a struggle giving yourself permission to enjoy great tasting foods. And as a result, you lay on the guilt. And feeling bad about your eating truly does nothing positive. You're more likely to eat those desireable foods quickly, when no one is in sight, and with less enjoyment, than if you truly gave yourself permission to taste them and fully take them in with pleasure. Normal, healthy people eat holiday foods including cakes and sweets--and it's ok. Really. And you are no different. In fact, one of the best things you can do is not expect that you will only eat that special food just this once. Because that now or never feeling will only backfire, leading you to want to overeat those foods--whether or not you're hungry.
  • It takes 3,500 calories to gain a single pound. That's 3,500 surplus calories, over and above your needs for maintaining your weight. So the impact of some pie or Buche de Noel? Not even a dent. Now's the time to start legalizing the foods you enjoy, but start with just one item at a time. See the blog posts on this subject for more guidance. 
  • You feel like you're eating all the time.  Frankly you just might be eating all the time, by which I mean 5 or 6 times per day. Yup, that is absolutely normal. Why pathologize frequent eating, as if it's some problem?  We do need to eat regularly-- for energy, for fuel, to prevent rebound overeating, and to prevent the decreased interest in eating that can snowball into full fledged restricting for those so inclined. Just be sure that when you eat you allow yourself to truly get enough. And ask yourself if you're reaching for food to manage stress, or boredom, or because you've already given up and plan to take control on January 1st.
  •  Everyone seems to be focused on weight and dieting and food guilt. You know, the "I really shouldn't be eating this but..." It's really too bad. But you can break from the pack and cut off the triggering chat by redirecting the conversation. Use a simple statement like, "subject change" then ask a question on a different subject. You also might need to turn off the TV for some months til the diet talk subsides. And consider blocking posts from friends with triggering diet and body image talk!
  •  You feel ashamed to be seeking help for your eating because you simply don't think you're thin enough to really have a problem, never mind an eating disorder. And that makes it all the more challenging asking for help. Seek guidance from those who specialize in eating disorders; we are well aware that food struggles exist in those of so called normal weight, and that anorexia and bulimia know no weight limits. People of all sizes may struggle with anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder. And it is no less serious in those in the "normal" BMI range.

Please know you're not alone. But please reach out for help to those that get it. If you're a parent, check out FEAST. If you're an adult with an eating disorder, regardless of your gender, check out aspire. Look at pro recovery websites linking from this blog, and check out their links too. National and local organizations like the Butterfly Foundation, MEDA, NEDA and others can help direct you for support and care. Virtual supports as well as live supports abound and it's not too late to change your relationship with food--and to recover from an eating disorder.

Wishing you all a peaceful holiday season!