GLUTTONY

As I reported on March 4th, I recently discovered the CUT THE FAT podcast available on Apple iTunes.   On the CUT THE FAT podcast,  Episode 28, The 12 Principles of Fat Loss - Part I (originally released October 7, 2010)  I heard something which I thought was very interesting from one of the hosts, Dr. Ray Hinish.

Dr. Hinish was talking about the three 'settings' that our stomach has.

I'M STARVING
I'M FULL, BUT I CAN EAT MORE
I'M STUFFED

He explained that the sensation of 'starving' is the same whether you have not had a meal in 8 hours or not had a meal in 24 hours.  He said, "Once you reach the starving level, you just can't get any hungrier."  If you think about it, it is true.

He defined the 'stuffed' level as the condition where if one were to eat more, they might actually vomit.  This is the level that too many of might agree we reach at the Thanksgiving dinner table. Looking back, I was apparently striving for this level everytime I went back for 'seconds' (or 'thirds') at home, or went to any buffet or all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant.  I was never satisfied, changing my hunger from 'starvation' to full - I always went further.  I did actually eat until I could literally eat no more. It didn't matter how full I was, when there is free food, or unlimited food on hand - I wanted 'my share'. This is very destructive behaviour and I will not be behaving that way anymore.

The level, 'I'm full, but I can eat more' is self-explanatory.   We must train ourselves to stop eating when we are full, when we are sated.  This is an area where I used to be woefully inadequate.  The trick to eating (and it is not a trick at all) is simply to stop eating when we are satisfied. And it is important to feel satisfied long before we are stuffed.   

Wisdom often seems so much like common sense.  However, if this particular wisdom was common, the vast majority of overweight and obese people walking around would be a lot thinner.  

Two ways to insure that we are satisfied long before we stuff ourselves is to:

EAT SLOWLY - It takes twenty minutes for the stomach to signal to the brain that it has been satisfied.

PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR MEAL WHILE YOU ARE EATING IT - distractions block satiety signals to the brain.

Dos Equis spokesman, 'The most interesting man in the world'  

ONE OF 'THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS'...GLUTTONY (TRY TO AVOID IT)  TRY HARD.

glut·ton·y   ˈɡlətnē/

noun     habitual greed or excess in eating.

1. synonyms:

   greed, greediness, overeating, gourmandism, gourmandizing, voracity, insatiability; informal piggishness "the gluttony you displayed last evening was reprehensible"

HOMER SIMPSON being physically removed from an ALL YOU CAN EAT SEAFOOD RESTAURANT as he simply would not stop eating. He sued the restaurant.  On the witness stand, Homer's wife, Marge, had to tearfully testify that after being tossed out of the ALL YOU CAN EAT SEAFOOD RESTAURANT - HOMER WENT FISHING!  (There might have been a couple of times when a restaurant might have wanted to kick me out - although it never did actually happen to me.)

MONDAY MENU 

breakfast  cup oatmeal w/prune, two turkey sausages, two poached eggs           360 calories
lunch       JASON'S DELI SPICY SEAFOOD GUMBO - BOWL                      301 calories
dinner      JIMMY JOHN'S  #14 bootlegger club unwich w/mustard                  280 calories

total calories consumed   941 calories

CALORIES BURNED
6AM  home elliptical machine 35 minutes    450 calories

MONDAY NET CALORIES   491 CALORIES

I was particularly out of control at a buffet.  I virtually never considered a meal complete until I was stuffed. It all seems so ridiculous now. 

This cartoon captures my old self only too well.
FLYING BUTTONS...so appropriate for me as I am a button salesman!
(My wife, Jennifer, found this excellent cartoon. Thank you, Jennifer)

Why does this bear look so angry?  

WEIGHT LOSS MYTH

Recently I have been saying that I had two hobbies: Losing weight and blogging about it.  A third hobby is developing, that is, listening to diet and/or weight loss podcasts.   One of these podcasts that I recently discovered is the CUT THE FAT podcast.   On the CUT THE FAT podcast,  episode 16, Aerobic Exercise on Trial - Does Aerobic Exercise Promote Weight Loss (originally released April 13, 2010)  I learned something very annoying.  It is only annoying because it appears to be true.

The thesis of the two hosts, Dr. Ray Hinish and fitness expert, Blythe Alberg is that AEROBIC EXERCISE DOES NOT SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE WEIGHT LOSS.   This seems contrary to everything that I have heard, or read in the past.  They make the case, backed up with scientific studies that the body tries to replace the 'fat' used during steady state aerobic exercise.  Aerobic exercise can be defined as walking on a treadmill, using an elliptical machine or stair climber.

The two hosts of this podcast stress that aerobic exercise may provide other benefits, including cardio-vascular health, stress reducer or simple enjoyment.

I think back to the week when I 'walked' 80 miles on the treadmill and had the expectation of losing 10+ pounds that week and I could not understand why I 'only' lost 3.5 lbs.  In fact, if the calories 'burned' were really negating a similar amount of calories consumed in food - my results should have been far in excess of what they already are.

These two hosts did claim that aerobic exercise is important to maintaining weight.   It is my plan to continue my aerobic exercise as I do enjoy it.   Perhaps I should be more clear, I feel a great sense of satisfaction once I complete an exercise session.

In my case, it does appear that I have had some beneficial weight loss from my exercise - but the math did not add up anywhere near where is should have been if a calorie burned in exercise was truly equal to a calorie consumed.  I will certainly continue my elliptical training as I am enjoying the sense of accomplishment that I feel as I continue to improve.

I am in desperate need of meeting with the personal trainer at the YMCA who can guide me to other exercises that I should be contemplating.   Hopefully that meeting will take place sometime within the next week.

I have decided to relearn the lesson that I tried to teach myself a few weeks ago.  LESS IS MORE.
I will continue exercising each day, but I will (mostly) limit myself to once per day.  In addition, two days ago, I increased the 'resistance' on the elliptical machine, making each 30 minute segment much more difficult and challenging.  On Tuesday morning, which was the second day that I had increased resistance, I found that my 30 minute workout was (allegedly) burning more calories.  It does make sense that as the 'resistance' increases the energy needed to overcome the 'resistance' will increase as well.   As it is every week, my weigh-in this Saturday should be interesting.

TUESDAY MENU

calories consumed

breakfast     oatmeal w/prune, 1/2 salmon burger, two poached eggs                   350 calories
lunch           JIMMY JOHN'S Bootlegger Club Unwich w/Provolone                  290 calories
dinner          PANERA BREAD Soba Noodle Bowl w/Chicken                           390 calories

calories consumed     1025 calories

calories burned
6AM elliptical machine 32 minutes        475 calories

net calories consumed   550 calories

(Based on the aerobic calorie burning myth that I exposed today - I now know not to place too much faith in the net calories that I report each day with regard to weight loss - although I will continue to do so.   I guess you could say I am reporting this for entertainment only)