According to a recently released medical research paper, ‘dieting’ - restricting calories for a period of time to lose weight - almost inevitably results in a net increase in weight after a relatively short period of time ( 12 -24 months). The paper did say that peer-reviewed long-term research ( the academic standard) in this area is very scarce and very poor, but the conclusions drawn from the review of the existing papers it did reference were, well, conclusive.
So what’s the answer? Seems to be the following:
- short-term calorie restriction is not effective - it is the lifetime of habits that count. In other words, changing your way of eating has to last FOREVER.
- increasing activity levels so that your body burns the calories you do take in appropriately is important. And, again, it has to be FOREVER.
- DO NOT LET YOUR KIDS GET FAT. I personally agree so much with this one. I cringe when I hear parents talk about how they have chips and pop and other junk food in the house ‘for the kids’. This stuff is crap. Poison. No human being should eat it. Would you rather fight with your kids now about it or watch them develop heart disease and diabetes later? Not to mention all the damage we don’t know about from all the chemicals in this so-called food.
I hope that we, as a culture, are hitting a point where we are taking a long hard look at ourselves. I want to be optimistic. I want to believe that individually and collectively we are smart enough to pay attention to the evidence and recognise the world we have created for ourselves. I really, really, want to believe it.
It is the end of the workday and it looks like the sun has come out. I am providing deep amusement to my co-workers as I wheel up in the morning on my bright shiny red bicycle wearing a skirt and high heels. It’s easy to bike in heels as long as the sole of the shoe is not slippery. And the skirt needs to be a bit poufy, which has its own risks…lol. So it is working.
Laundry night tonight, my life is so exciting I can barely stand it.
Back at work after the long weekend. At least, physically here. Mentally and emotionally, not so much. Can NOT get focused. Had a great weekend with Loverboy, lots of sleep, good & healthy food, a couple of long hikes, boat ride, bonfires on the beach each night…very sweet. Then for some reason as soon as I got home I started feeling anxious and overwhelmed again…was it a premonition? Cause the car broke down again this morning. Put it in reverse, heard a loud bang from the rear wheel, and then the wheel stopped turning. Which makes no sense, if you think about it, since turning is all they do.
Whatever it is, I can’t afford to get it fixed until next payday, so it will sit in my driveway for the next two weeks and I will walk and bike everywhere. That’s the silver lining.
I am on a serious new car research binge, since if the fix costs more than $300 I will buy a new vehicle. Or lease something, maybe. It’s all about the cash flow.
Loverboy and I had a long talk about me going back to school. He’s an HR, training & development guru and he had some good suggestions on things to consider while making this decision. He knows my schedule and lifestyle, too, so he can provide balance to the conversation when I get excited and begin to think I don’t really need sleep.
Also found that I had not gained weight over the weekend - usually I come back a pound or two up and then creep back down…overall I am VERY SLOWLY trending down, which is good, as I keep reminding myself over and over.
