FROM AN ASSIGNED READING PROJECT: "THE DARK SIDE OF FAT LOSS"... Just me free-associating, really. Forgive the rambling and first-person grammar.
So far I agree with the idea that starving oneself will do more harm than good. As for his take on cardio, I think that it can be overdone, especially if its done in the interest of balancing out unhealthy eating habits. And I agree that we can get hung up on scales, which, to be honest, I get stuck in that same mindset myself sometimes.
One of my pet peeves about the American diet (or should I say food supply) is the amount of high fructose corn syrup in so many everyday things, and our consumption soft drinks, especially "diet" soft drinks. Another thing which Mr Croxton brings up which I wholly agree with is the Really Simple Rules For Choosing Real Foods. If the ingredients are a mile wide and an ocean deep, I'm not inclined to buy it. It also cracks me up sometimes how in America dog food is marketed showing all these healthy grains and vegetables while people food is nothing but big macs and super-processed meal helpers. When was the last time you saw a commercial for just plain broccoli? And while I think "Let's Move" has all the good intentions in the world, I actually think the problem has more to do with the rotten state of our public school systems, but that's another topic for another time. Forgive the digression.
In reading the section on farming, it does sadden me that we have gotten so far away from the natural process of the propagation of cattle and poultry. Certainly the agribusiness lobby and their buddies in Congress are not helping the situation. Another thing that's never talked about is the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, or the GI Bill. If you grew up on the family farm, and were the first member of your family to go to college, chances are you didn't return to the family farm. This trend continued on a massive scale with the first wave of the baby boom generation. Suddenly everybody was going to college.
(Tuition at Yale in 1963 was $1550. For economic nerds, $1550 in 1963 had the same buying power as $11882 in 2014. Annual inflation over this period was 4.07%).
Source: http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1965/11/18/yale-princeton-increase-tuition-pyale-and/
But my point is, as these family farms and farming communities were losing their social capital, it was quite easy for Big Agriculture to come in and buy up these properties. With greater economic power, they were able to produce more food much cheaper. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm a free-market capitalist all the way, and we are all free to choose, and many chose jobs other than farming.
The section on grains kind of irked me. I mean, when he talked about the agricultural revolution of, ahem, 10,000 years ago, I mean, we couldn't have adapted somewhat over that time? But then when he went on to say that we don't grow grains the way we used to, that I could believe. I'm not a big fan of fads. When conventional wisdom forms, I go the other way. And in the past few years people have worn their gluten-free status like their new ipod. That said, I have no doubt there are some benefits to limiting ones consumption of grains. In fact I may try that myself. But when I read somewhere that some beautiful couple in New York City have lost weight and feel great and are now all pretty and sexy on their gluten-free diet, I tend to roll my eyes. If it works for them, great. But I also wonder sometime if there's not some placebo effect thing happening here. Or if they know someone who knows someone who needs some PR for their latest book, which lands them in the "Style" section of The New York Times.
I wholeheartedly agree with his take on aspartame. I would rather have regular table sugar than anything with aspartame. I sometimes wonder why this stuff is even legal. I also wonder whose consuming it, and in what foods. For example, does an overweight person put this in their morning coffee and think they are doing something good for themselves? Or our totally obscene consumption of diet soft drinks. (Actually, all soft drinks). And most soft drinks have replaced sugar with High Fructose Corn Syrup. Again, I'd rather have regular table sugar. This is where I think well-intentioned types get it wrong. The Big Ag Lobby is an argument for less government, not more. Again, another time.
As I understand it, High Fructose Corn Syrup was seen as an economic miracle. It was easy to make, it was many times sweeter than sugar, and had a much longer shelf life. Now, it goes without saying, I most certainly think that processed white sugar should be avoided. But its not a sin to have a piece of your Aunt Freida's homemade layer cake with homemade butter cream frosting. It's probably better for you (at least in the way of being less toxic and loaded with chemicals) than what you would pick up at the Walmart bakery. But I would like to say, the period where I was totally vegan I also went off processed white sugar, and it was fascinating. I learned to bake using honey and organic, minimally processed fruit juices as sweeteners. To this day, I use my vegan pumpkin pie recipe at Thanksgiving. The flavors complimented one another; sweet but perfectly sweet. The Fit For Life Vegetarian Cookbook I believe is where I got it. This is my long winded way of saying, be mindful of your sugar consumption, but I also don't think, barring any serious health concerns, that one piece of cake is going to do you much harm.
I am tempted to try the diet for thirty days. I don't really get many cravings, and when I do it's usually because I haven't eaten all day due to whatever, because ordinarily I try never to skip a meal, even if that means picking up a protein shake at Sheetz.
I do want to say something that I'll explore a bit further on my blog: Sometimes, where you live and who you hang around with can have an affect on these things. For instance, you can't buy a turkey sandwich on whole grain bread in downtown Clarksburg, WV. You can buy a steak hoagie covered with greasy melted cheese or a BLT sub made with a starchy white bun, tons of iceberg lettuce, flavorless tomatoes and gobs of mayonnaise. With a Diet Coke. Secondly, if everyone you hang around with is overweight, smokes, never exercises, etc, its like 2nd tier peer pressure. Because while its not active pressure, you get used to it. But more on that later.
The section on stress...A lot of people have it. We think if we're not stressed, we're not engaged. I like the affirmation about how we will not get our work done any better, or any faster, if it comes from a place of fear or anger. We must get peaceful first, and let our work flow from that base. Secondly, its hard for some people to live in the moment. We're constantly worried about something. Whether its the water bill or "Am I smart enough to do X?" It takes a lot of unlearning to get through that. Our problems are not our problems. Its how we deal with them that matters. Easy to say, hard to wrap your mind around.
Leaky Gut Syndrome. I had never heard of this. I do remember painful stomach cramps when I was a teenager. I would sit in my first period class with these awful pains in my stomach. Sometimes it was gas but other times nothing, um, happened. It was probably part nerves and part diet and inadequate water consumption.
But other than that I've been pretty lucky when it comes to stomach ailments. I do think, however, many people (especially people whose job requires they be in their car a lot and eat nothing but fast food) need to be eating more fiber, and not overcooked broccoli covered with velveeta. I also do get concerned sometimes about all the chemicals we're exposed to on a daily basis, from triclosan to carpet shampoo. On the other hand, I remember a South Park episode where they're trying to treat one of the kids with homeopathic medicine they bought from a Native American, and the kids moms logic was that America has mistreated the Native Americans, to which one of the kids replies, "And that has something to do with medicine because?" And I wonder sometimes, what about people who live quite normal, healthy lives and never once thought about the toxins in their liver or what's in their tap water or where their meat comes from, and lived to be 105 and never had any health complaints? I mean, if our modern way of life is so bad, how does he explain that? I don't know the answer but I would guess part of it is just a lucky toss of the gene pool.
Another thing that's changed in the last 50 years (and this is just a personal observation) is our consumption of snack food. "Snack" food didn't exist not so long ago, and it certainly did not take up an entire aisle in the supermarket. Again, Doritos get more PR than apples. And I think so many people just get into the habit of having it around, and pretty soon they're just mindlessly putting chips into their mouth, not really chewing it or tasting it or thinking about what they're doing. In some cases, I can almost compare it to smoking. Snack food can be both a physical addiction and psychological habit. For instance, watching TV in the evenings with a bowl of chips. It keeps your hands busy as well as providing oral gratification. And soon you feel weird not doing it. And when you factor in other things like, did they skip a meal or consume alcohol which can increase cravings for salty food, it creates the perfect storm for weight gain. But back to 50 years ago, there was no such thing as snack food, and if there was, it wasn't viewed or consumed the way it is today. Yes, portions have gotten bigger, we've all seen the research on that. But eating habits were different, too. You ate at mealtimes. And after you had dinner (or supper), your food consumption for the day was over. Also, grocery stores were closed, and there certainly wasn't any late night pizza delivery or drive through windows.
So, what's my WHY?
I don't know just yet. But this has piqued my interest, I may give the diet a try. It would not be that hard to adapt to it, other than the cereal and yogurt.
All in all I think he makes some good points. If this system works for some people, great. I'd be curious to see some real life examples of people who followed this program. But I also think, like most things in life, you have to find a program that works for you. We are all so different, and there is still so much we don't know.
