Re: Obese at Disney World

Mike C wrote:
Rudeney wrote: 
Jan, I understand what you are saying, but IMHO (or IMNSHO) obesity
is a self-controllable problem.


But look at it empirically: obesity rates are exploding while diet
books are regularly at the top of the best seller list. Obviously,
millions are battling obesity, and millions are *losing* the battle.
It's not a question of motivation. People are searching for a solution
and not finding one.

The solution people are searching for is to be able to lose weight without changing their lifestyle, or, to temporarily change their lifestyle, lose weight, and then go back to old habits and keep the weight off. It does not work that way. Reading books does not take the weight off.

You've found a solution to your weight problem, and that's a good
thing. But realize that others are struggling with this.

That is correct, I have found a solution and it is a struggle. Whenever I "lose a battle", such as last night when I had pizza, I know it. I will have to struggle for the next week to undo last night's dinner.

You question
why they let it get so far, why they didn't recognize the problem
earlier. But did you consider the possibility that they *did*
recognize the problem, but just never figured out how to solve it?
Just because you found a way to solve it doesn't mean it would work
for everyone.

Actually, I do believe my solution will work for everyone because it is a chemical manipulation of the fat storage system of the body. Of course it will work in the biological sense, but not everyone will be able to stick to the diet because it may not offer enough enjoyable food choices. In my case, it does. In my wife's case, it does not.

Obesity is NOT a choice.

I disagree. I believe it is a choice. A person may have strong cravings and seemingly uncontrollable desires and a serous lack of self-control, but in the end, it is a choice. At some point, if they cannot help themselves, obese people can call for help just like anyone else.

I think the root of the problem can be traced back to the "low fat"
craze of the 80s and 90s. Back then, the food pyramid recommended low
fat and tons of carbs, and everyone loaded up on sugary, starchy "diet
food".

I believe the problem with our ever growing problem with obesity is related to carbohydrate intake and lifestyle. For some reason, there is still a strong belief that "calories" can turn into fat and that consumed fat turns into stored fat. There is much evidence to the contrary, but for some reason, no one wants to believe it. Even today, if you look at most any diet foods, they are in fact low in fat, but very high in quickly-digestible carbohydrates. Now, if a person were on a strict exercise program, those carbs would be needed, but for the average person that just wants an easy way to lose weight, they are a huge problem. Trust me, my wife (who does Weight Watchers) and I have had many very heated arguments about this. Like me, she is not going to exercise, but wants a diet that will take of the weight. The only one that works is a low-carb, high protein and high-fiber diet. A low-fat, high-carb diet is either going to do nothing or even worse, increase weight.

Now, they are finding that the carb overload was wreaking havoc on our
insulin balance, causing rapid fluctuations in blood sugar and insulin
levels. The intense sugar burst caused an insulin burst, which in turn
drove the sugar WAY down, and caused *intense* food cravings. And what
did we do in response to these cravings? Eat more "diet food" dripping
with sugar and starch, and the cycle repeated.

That's partially correct. Basically, the pancreas regulates blood sugar. When blood sugar drops, the pancreas secretes glucagon which combines with stored body fat and turns it into sugar that is used for energy. When blood sugar is high, the pancreas secretes insulin which combines with the blood sugar to turn it into stored fat. The only way to raise blood sugar is by consuming carbohydrates, but there are two ways to lower it: through physical exertion and through the digestion of protein, fats and fiber. If you are exercising and also consume carbohydrates, such as in the form of energy bars or sports drinks, then you are circumventing your own body's mechanism for burning fat. The same goes for eating. Consuming fats, protein and fiber along with carbohydrates not only circumvents that mechanism for burning fat, it also can create plaque in the bloodstream. Plaque is formed when lipids and blood sugar combine.

And, I must stress, these food cravings are a *physical* effect. It's
not about psychology, or motivation, or will power. It has been shown,
scientifically, that this carb-induced blood-sugar debt causes intense
food cravings. It's the whole basis for the "glycemic index" that has
become popular in the diet world.

Low blood sugar will cause the physical effect of being hungry and searching for foods that will raise it. After strong spike in blood sugar that is subsequently lowered by insulin, there is a short period of time where there is a cyclical lowering of blood sugar that will cause cravings. Not acting on *is* an exercise in will power and nothing else. For people that begin a "low-carb" diet, there is phase that lasts for a week or so they call ketosis. This is the period in which your mind and body must learn that "low blood sugar" does not men "binge". The way this is normally handled is for the dieter to eat a very restrictive diet of almost no carbohydrates, but eat very large quantities of protein and fiber. This keeps the stomach full which will help keep the craving somewhat at bay.

As for the glycemic index, it is an indicator of how strongly different types of carbohydrates will spike blood sugar. Anything above about 55 is not good. Glucose, i.e. "sugar", is 100. Beer is 105 or 110 (ICR, but I know it's higher than glucose). Lactose, a sugar found in dairy product is around 50. Whole grains are generally much lower than refined grains. Fiber, while technically a carbohydrate, won't generally spike blood sugar. Many foods that we think of as "healthy vegetables" are actually full of high-glycemic carbs. The obvious ones are probably corn (in any form, especially corn syrup) and potatoes (again, in any form). Some not-so obvious offenders are carrots and many types of starchy peas. Most greens are fine.

Fruit is an oddity as it can be good or bad. It has a lot of fiber and vitamins, but some is highly glycemic. As part of the ripening process, most citrus fruits create high levels of sugar. Watermelon is bad as are ripe bananas. Oranges are not too good either, but grapes, apples, cherries and cantaloupe are not bad. Eating the whole fruit is much better than just drinking the juice, even when the juice is 100% pure and not laced with sugar. Nuts are a good snack because they are low in highly glycemic carbs and high in fiber.

What I find really interesting now that I read all labels, is how often I find what should be a perfectly healthy food that has been laced with sugar, and for no reason! A good example is many canned vegetables. For some reason, several companies like to lace them with sugar. Of course most canned fruit is packed in syrup, and many foods contain corn syrup. Canned pasta sauces are also often laced with sugar. Another thing I find interesting is how food can be slapped as "low fat" and be sold for the purpose of weight control, but items that are simply low in sugar or even sugar-free have to be, by law, labeled as "not intended for weight control".

Now we have the low carb craze, which has its own set of problems.

I believe the only problems with the low carb craze are the fanaticals that suggest a strict diet of protein and fat. I prefer the Sugar Busters philosophy which suggests a balanced diet that simply omits the highly glycemic carbohydrates. Trust me, I eat plenty of carbs, but they are in the form of whole grains and fiber. I also eat a lot of healthy vegetables, but don't spare myself a good Italian sausage or a huge steak.

But
the bottom line is, low fat was endorsed by *everyone* (government,
doctors, etc) back in the 80s, even though it turned out to be really
harmful for a lot of people who were substiting good fats with bad
carbs. These people were DOING THE RIGHT THING, and still getting
obese.

Low fat is based on two faulty beliefs: that consumed fat will turn into stored fat and that consumed excess calories will be stored as fat and because consumed fat is high in calories, it should be avoided. For those that believe I am wrong about this, think of the fattest animal you know of. Most people will say that is the pig, which is synonymous with fat. What do pigs eat? Well, other than the occasional stray reptile, they most eat "slop" which is corn, carrots, potatoes, and grains. Isn't it interesting how a pig can become so fat on a fat-free, low calorie diet? Some people will argue that, "Well, that's a big but people are different." Guess what? Much of the insulin that diabetics use comes from pigs because it is very close to human insulin. Also, pig tissue is often used in certain surgical procedures such as when replacing heart valves. That's just some "food for thought".

My point is, it's not like 50 million people got up one day and
decided to let their bodies go. There are underlying reasons for this
trend. Statistically, empirically, there *must* be.

I agree that 50M people don't decide one day to be obese. Unlike contracting most diseases, one does not become obese overnight. It takes many years of making poor decisions on a daily or even hourly basis. Because so little weight is gained each day, it is very easy to not realize how quickly it adds up. When I was about 16, I weighed 180lbs which was a good weight for my build. When I graduated from high school at 18, I was almost 200. After college, I was 220. I got married and was 240. I quite smoking and was 260. I went to my doctor one day and found I was approaching 270. In about 20 years, I had put on almost 100lbs. But that's only 5lbs a year, which is not bad. From day to day, I never seemed to really be fatter than the day before. It's an easy trap to fall into.

Basically, as I see it, for people that have problems controlling their weight, there are three ways to do it. You can eat less than your body needs so it must burn fat to survive, but if you ever go back to eating more, then you will get fat again. You can exercise, but you can;t change your current diet to include more carbohydrates because that will negate that, and also when you stop exercising, those increased carbs will bite back. Finally, you can forget exercise and forget counting calories and just manipulate blood sugar by avoiding highly-glycemic foods.

In my case, eating less and exercising is not a desirable option. I enjoy big meals. I enjoy snacking. I do not enjoy muscle pain and rote, repetitive movements that don't accomplish something immediately tangible. For me, I can, for the most part, live without highly glycemic foods. I have found that I much prefer the taste and texture of whole grains. I love meat, especially grilled (imagine the irony if I did not given that my last name is Grill), I love dairy products and big salads and green vegetables like broccoli, green beans, asparagus, spinach, etc. I find plenty of sugar-free desserts to satisfy my sweet tooth (I love chocolate and ice cream). Would I love to have a huge piece of cake or pie? Really, no, I'd love to have the whole damned thing, but I'm not going to. Do I cheat? Yes. I admit that a few times a year, I do have some fries or a piece of cake or pie, or even the occasional beer or Krispy Kreme donut, but I don't make these items a regular part of my diet. They are treats for special occasions and consumed sparingly. It takes will power and self control to do this.

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- RODNEY

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