Okay, friends, I'm ready to continue forward on our journey at long last.
After my birthday-son's birthday-Easter-anniversary whirl I've landed back down on terra firma and am focused back on my weight loss efforts. I needed to take a short refresher course on the Keys to get myself realigned and caught back up. OK then...
This was an interesting chapter for me. I've had to read and re-read it about a dozen times to get all I needed to get out of it. Each time I read it something else struck me or forced me to "get real" about my eating behaviors.
First off, a couple of paragraphs in this section really bugged me:
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Be aware that certain foods lead to a considerable amount of mindless, uncontrollable overating. If you eliminate or cut back on these foods, you will control your weight automatically, and live in peace with food.
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This is the very first paragraph of this chapter and it put me off. While I certainly agree that there are foods that can lead to uncontrollable eating, I don't agree that simply eliminating or cutting back on those foods will "automatically" control my weight or let me live in peace with food. I have trouble "controlling" myself with chips, pretzels, ice cream, leftover pizza, and *some* kinds of cookies, so I rarely eat these or have them in my house...and yet I'm certainly not in control of my weight (automatically!!!) or at peace with food. My problem isn't so much
what I eat, but rather
how much I eat. Hmmph. Not a good way to start off this key.
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First if you are overweight, then by definition, I know that you are malnourished. It's true: obesity--just like starvation--is a disease of malnutrition. As you read this, your initial reaction might be to wonder if I have gone nuts. But hear me out: you've been eating more calories than your body needs, and those calories have been in the form of high-fat foods, sugar-laden foods, refined foods--all stuff that is nutritionally bankrupt. You have not been eating enough foods rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other healthful components, and you've shortchanged yourself nutritionally. So you see: obesity is a form of malnutrtion brought on by excessive intake of the wrong kind of calories.
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I think this is really simplistic, and in my case, not true. I didn't pack on this weight eating crap...I put it on eating much too much of mostly nutritious food. Argh!
And like you, Summer, I found his stance on foods completely contradictory to the earlier key. Dip, I think you have a good explanation for why that might be, but I think he should have made it more clear. Even on his TV show he is busting people all the time for things that are in their environment, which seems contradictory to the message in this chapter. Tsk, tsk, Phil!
But I pressed on...
Here are the results of my Nutritional Assesment:
Section 1: 18 - This is a high score, but I know I could do better about varying the foods I eat during the week and eating more fruit.
Section 2: 19 - I feel pretty good about my nutrient balance, although I could work harder to include a broader variety of veggies and more fruit.
Section 3: 16 - I'm the exact opposite of you, Summer! I actually like eating gravel, sawdust, sticks & bark!
Section 4: 8 - I'm really good at staying away from sugar. But we do eat sugar-free ice cream, low-fat yogurt or Skinny Cow dessert every night, which I think we need to break away from. It is definately a habit, not eating for hunger or nutrition.
Section 5: 16 - I feel very good about this area. We only ever have low-fat dressings, cheeses, mayo, butter, and non-fat yogurt, milk, and sour cream in our house. I don't eat red meat, so that isn't a problem, although I do like ham for sandwiches quite a bit.
Section 6: 7 - I'm not a big salter. I try to avoid highly processed foods, but do like an occasional Lean Cuisine/WW entree and some canned soups which are both pretty high in sodium.
Section 7: 5 - I love water, and always stay away from caffeine.
I don't know why, but I was surprised at his endorsement of meal replacements. I like a Slim Fast shake for breakfast every once in awhile when I'm in a hurry, so no issues here. I was just surprised. Has anyone tried his shakes? I've only seen ready made ones of his, and I don't like those, so I haven't been brave yet.
I majored in Nutrition Science, so I understand completely what he has to say about high-response, high-yield nutrition. There isn't anything new here (Susan Powter, Richard Simmons, ADA, Weight Watchers, Covert Bailey, etc.), but I do think his approach is understandable and workable. But am I the only one that thinks that HRC/HY is clunky!
ACTIONS STEPS:
Step One: Design Your Plate - I think this is a really easy and clever way for all of us to remember to eat a balanced meal at every sitting.
Step Two: Portion Control - This is my biggest problem area, and I think he had a lot of wisdom in this section. I'm currently on Weight Watchers, a program that I am committed to, and believe in, but am concerned that it has me focusing too much on food. He struck a chord when he said:
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If you are trying to control your intake of a substance, even if that substance is food, you have to get your focus off it, or you'll only be fueling your obsession.
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Step Three: Plan Your Meals - I think this is the clincher for me. In the past I've done very well when I've planned meals ahead of time, and I think this would help me to not be thinking about food all the time. I'm going to begin doing this in earnest and will report back the results. The following hit home:
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The significance of having a well-planned food strategy is that it frees you from making last-minute decisions about what to eat, and prevents you from caving in to sudden impulses to overeat. Planning your eating in advance eliminates any doubt about what you will eat and removes your fear of losing control.
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AND...
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You have been living in a reactive mode, responding arbitrarily on impulse to food temptations in your environment, and the more you reacted, the more unmanageable your weight became. Wtih these planning tools, you can now program your eating behavior, rather than depend upon willpower to see you through. As long as you rely on planning, strategy, and programming, not on willpower, it will be impossible for you not to lose weight.
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Step Four: Not listed. I assume it was the food plan.
Step Five: Stay Real and Stay Flexible - The title of this step says it all to me! Chef Burt Wolfe has a saying I've always liked, "there are no bad foods, only inappropriate amounts." Phil says:
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Realize that while no food is really restricted, you must learn to refuse those foods you don't handle well, and choose better. Acknowledge which foods are a problem for you and learn how to control them.
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I have acknowledged that there are foods I simply cannot have in the house, or if I do, they have to be in small and controlled quantities. If we buy chips they are in the individual serving bags. If we go out for pizza we get a medium so there are no leftovers. I continue to have problems in this area even when I think I've mastered it, so I have to be constantly on the alert. This is a key part of my learning to "forge a new relationship with food."
Flexibility--allow for the foods you love, but don't go overboard. I need to learn how to do this. Find a balance between never having something and going on a bender. As Phil says:
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Never let one treat turn into an excuse for blowing your entire food plan...Sure, maybe you stumbled, but take that setback experience and use it as a catalyst to reaffirm your commitment and strengthen your resolve to do really, really better tomorrow.
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AND...
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You can eat any food you want, in reasonable quantities, some of the time. It's simply a question of how much and how often.
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Overall, it was a very useful and helpful chapter once I got past the parts that burned my butt!
What did you guys think of the food plan and action steps?
I don't think I've mastered any of the keys yet, but I'm working them hard. On to chapter 9!
Jo
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205.2/190/135
To believe is to know in your heart that life is unfolding exactly as it is meant to. To believe is to trust that everything is going to be all right. --Flavia
