Weight--it's a loaded subject. Everyone has their own sorid, dysfunctional, therapy-inducing relationship with it. Weight is so personal because everyone was raised with a different set of genes, culture, food choices, media images, peers and parents. These factors all contribute to our feeling of satis- or disatis-faction with our weight. I do not intend to rehash this tricky topic. However, much of our information about weight and diets and eating comes from Cosmopolitan, Fit, SELF, and Shape magazines and the rest. Dieting sells. Just look at the back of these magazines at the pills, potions, and programs that "guarantee" dramatic weight loss.
Besides back of the newstand mags, there is a lot of research that gets reported in places like Science Daily (www.sciencedaily.com), the Berkeley Wellness Letter (http://www.wellnessletter.com/ucberkeley, among many others. There are too many for me to summarize, but I thought you may enjoy a few of them. I've thrown one in from Dr. Weil. [Remember, when reading any research articles and studies the words "may", "could", "might", etc., are used for a reason.]
1. Vicious Cycle of Over-Eating and Feeling Depressed Explained
Some people may read this and say "'duh', of course my pint of Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia at 11 p.m. is related to my low mood, PMS, or call it depression, if you want." It's no surprise that certain foods can give us a "high" with the attendant "low". Here's the excerpt and the link is below.
"Neuroscience research is finding that "In addition to causing obesity, rich foods can actually cause chemical reactions in the brain in a similar way to illicit drugs, ultimately leading to depression as the 'come-downs' take their toll. . . Like with drug addicts, "food highs" are used to combat depression and cycling to the "low" which can add to depressive feelings." Read it all here.
2. Feeling Tired? "Social Jetlag" Poses Obesity Health Hazard, Study Shows
We know that most Americans are sleep-deprived. What with the glaring blue light of the laptop, now iPad/Nook/Kindle, while propped up in bed, it's alluring to continuing surfing, reading, gaming than sleep. Kids, jobs, busy schedules, and Breaking Bad's 5th season all get in the way. Did you know that sleep deprivation leads to weight gain. Here's the excerpt and the link
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"Social jetlag -- a syndrome related to the mismatch between the body's internal clock and the realities of our daily schedules -- does more than make us sleepy. It is also contributing to the growing tide of obesity, according to a large-scale epidemiological study reported online on May 10 in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication."
3. Intermittent Fasting: A Healthy Choice
Well, the fast food companies want you to eat a 4th meal. Great. That's all we need is another 25% more calories in our already super-sized diet. We have also been encouraged to eat many small meals throughout the day "to keep our metabolism" up. As Dr. Andrew Weil reports what people hear is "eat all the time." I don't remember our ancestors eating all day long-in the car, on the street, in bed, on the couch. People used to (and I hear some still do) sit at a table 3 times a day and eat a meal. Dr. Weil reports some interesting studies that showed that intermittent fasting had impressive health effects. Interesting article.
4. Dieting? Study challenges notion that a calorie is just a calorie.
Ah, the never-ending debate. Is weight maintenance all about calories in and calories out? In July 17th NYT's Science section, Dr. Jules Hirsch states that to lose body fat, "one must reduce calories taken in, or increase the output by increasing activity, or both." But they add that reducing consumption of processed carbohydrate may boost metabolism and "this may make weight control easier over the long term".
Here's an excerpt from another study and you can read the full report here:
"A new study challenges the notion that "a calorie is a calorie." The study finds diets that reduce the surge in blood sugar after a meal -- either low-glycemic index or very-low carbohydrate -- may be preferable to a low-fat diet for those trying to achieve lasting weight loss."
That's it. Very soon, maybe next week, I'll cover the topic of weight loss and the practice of yoga. Fortunately, it's not all about calories in/out. It's much more yummy and liberating and is about self-caring, like feeling good, connecting with the body, and pacifying the nervous system.
Want to read some of my previous articles? You can do it here. Enjoy.
