Every one is always searching for immediate gratification.
The problem is that something as complex as weight management is never going to be addressed by any magic bullet. But people remain hopeful that they can get something for nothing!
Essentially, a human being starts putting on excess weight (fat) when their internal physiology becomes unbalanced as a result of either a shortfall of essential nutrients ... or various excesses that reach toxic levels. Overtraining, overeating, pollution, you name it. We are constantly inundated.
Our fixation with "empty" addictive calories only creates more chaos ... nutitional shortfall, toxic excess. We are overfed and undernourished. So we become unhealthier and fatter.
This results in hormonal imbalance which creates an environment where metabolism slows down and apetite increases. And we get fat!
When this imbalance is corrected, the symptom of excess body fat starts to disappear and the individual returns to a healthier body fat percentage (and consequently a "normal" body weight).
For an optimal hormonal environment to be restored, the individual must pay attention to the following key factors affecting health:
- consumption habits (less processed "food", more living, organic, whole foods ... plus more clean water, less artificial beverages)
- exercise habits (regular activity combined with carefully targeted resistance and/or interval training that depletes muscle glycogen, restores insulin sensitivity and stimulates progressive strength gains)
- recovery habits (regular, adequate, deep sleep and sufficient relaxation)
- mindset (a buoyant attitude, reinforced by positive thinking and emotionally-fulfilling social interactions)
- lifestyle (sustainable habits that promote, rather than degrade health)
When these start to fall into place, a caloric deficit can be maintained. Without this, fat loss won't happen.
Depriving yourself of nutritious food only reinforces imbalance. Likewise, hammering your body with high impact exercise only creates toxic stress ... again resulting in health compromise.
By getting healthier you get your hormones on sides. This will make a consistent calorie deficit achievable.
Stop looking for shortcuts. Start investing in your health. You will look better, feel better ... and be so much happier.
This process takes time and determination ... and may involve risk. Consult your physician first before making any changes in diet, exercise or lifestyle. Then get real and stop those silly deprivation diets and ponderous, high-impact "cardio" workouts.
You are responsible for your health!
Showing posts with label weight management. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weight management. Show all posts
Saturday, 6 June 2009
Wednesday, 22 April 2009
Orlistat: Emergency Contraception For Fat
First, a quick thankyou to regular readers of this blog for your patience. Some of you may have noticed I have taken a breather from writing. I apologize if I was missed ... but I'm still not sure there's too much danger of that yet!
As this is somewhat of a comeback and I know people are starved for sarcastic rhetoric, I thought I'd choose a soft target for today's slaughter. Orlistat, or "alli" as this obesity pill is known commercially is now available for sale over the counter in the UK.
Yes folks, not only can you purchase emergency contraception from your friendly pharmacist for those remorseful morning afters when you realise a baby isn't convenient, but now when you eat your favourite treats, you can bind that pesky fat and block it from being absorbed by your body. Pizza prophylactic if you will.
Of course there's a small price to pay. A little gas, maybe some diarrhoea (did I spell that right?). But the drug company that manufactures the pill has actual clinical trials that say that adding orlistat to "a reduced calorie, lower fat diet" can help people lose 50% more weight than dieting alone! How cool is that? Statistical vindication by double-blind studies no less.
Man ... I actually don't know where to start on this one. Even such salubrious institutions as the Royal College of GP's don't seem to see anything more wrong with this mentality than side-effects. They suggest this remedy should be used with "support and dietary advice". There's sage counsel indeed!
Gas and diarrhoea ... that folks is a tip off that your digestive system is complaining. Then I suppose I should talk about this current fetish for low fat. Hasn't anyone of these highly qualified geniuses seen a correlation between "low fat" and obesity. Isn't obesity unprecedented because of refined carbohydrates and chemically altered fats? Or should I become a nutritionist first before I have enough credibility to voice the unspeakable?
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society "welcomed the drug" according to a report by the BBC. Which I guess pretty much sums up where we're at. The real concern is not to teach people how to take care of themselves. That's way too complicated and profoundly naive of me, I know.
The real concern is not even to alleviate suffering. No ... what really drives this is money. Money for the company that manufactured this miracle of modern pharmaceutical technology. And money that the NHS would inevitably have to fork out down the road when people guzzling man-made "food" become dependant on even more miracle drugs, sooner than expected.
So great news for epicurians! You can now have drunken reckless intercourse without consequence and we can continue to eat whatever we choose, so long as we have access to counselling and a qualified custodian controlling availablity. After all, it's not your fault!
As this is somewhat of a comeback and I know people are starved for sarcastic rhetoric, I thought I'd choose a soft target for today's slaughter. Orlistat, or "alli" as this obesity pill is known commercially is now available for sale over the counter in the UK.
Yes folks, not only can you purchase emergency contraception from your friendly pharmacist for those remorseful morning afters when you realise a baby isn't convenient, but now when you eat your favourite treats, you can bind that pesky fat and block it from being absorbed by your body. Pizza prophylactic if you will.
Of course there's a small price to pay. A little gas, maybe some diarrhoea (did I spell that right?). But the drug company that manufactures the pill has actual clinical trials that say that adding orlistat to "a reduced calorie, lower fat diet" can help people lose 50% more weight than dieting alone! How cool is that? Statistical vindication by double-blind studies no less.
Man ... I actually don't know where to start on this one. Even such salubrious institutions as the Royal College of GP's don't seem to see anything more wrong with this mentality than side-effects. They suggest this remedy should be used with "support and dietary advice". There's sage counsel indeed!
Gas and diarrhoea ... that folks is a tip off that your digestive system is complaining. Then I suppose I should talk about this current fetish for low fat. Hasn't anyone of these highly qualified geniuses seen a correlation between "low fat" and obesity. Isn't obesity unprecedented because of refined carbohydrates and chemically altered fats? Or should I become a nutritionist first before I have enough credibility to voice the unspeakable?
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society "welcomed the drug" according to a report by the BBC. Which I guess pretty much sums up where we're at. The real concern is not to teach people how to take care of themselves. That's way too complicated and profoundly naive of me, I know.
The real concern is not even to alleviate suffering. No ... what really drives this is money. Money for the company that manufactured this miracle of modern pharmaceutical technology. And money that the NHS would inevitably have to fork out down the road when people guzzling man-made "food" become dependant on even more miracle drugs, sooner than expected.
So great news for epicurians! You can now have drunken reckless intercourse without consequence and we can continue to eat whatever we choose, so long as we have access to counselling and a qualified custodian controlling availablity. After all, it's not your fault!
Tuesday, 11 November 2008
Stand and Deliver
Weight management is one of the most formidable challenges facing anyone looking at starting a fitness program.
Inately you sense that you are losing ground. On the surface it seems so simple ... eat less, exercise more, job done. The mirror doesn't pull any punches. Your body, stiff and immobile, carries the same clear message. Friends, family and strangers aren't that subtle either.
So why then is something so apparently obvious and straightforward, such a beast to tame?
Quite simply, because every message you get, on every level, only re-enforces the pickled emotions that got you there in the first place. Putting on weight, getting fatter, has nothing to do with logic and everything to do with the way you feel about yourself.
For some of you, the catalyst to do something will be fear ... something someone said, the way you feel after you walk up the stairs, a lucky escape from a potentially lethal event.
Some of you may be driven by disgust and self-loathing ... enough is enough!
Maybe for you it's far less intense ... you've been toying with the idea of taking action ... and finally you just feel ready? You just know.
Whatever drives you, here are three keys to successful weight management:
- your reason should be sufficiently compelling
- your focus should be absolutely clear and specific
- and, when you decide to take action, giving up is not an option
Along the way, you will face the three imposters of discouragement, distraction and impatience. Just keep going and don't look back. Never, ever look back.
The rewards are so worth it!
Inately you sense that you are losing ground. On the surface it seems so simple ... eat less, exercise more, job done. The mirror doesn't pull any punches. Your body, stiff and immobile, carries the same clear message. Friends, family and strangers aren't that subtle either.
So why then is something so apparently obvious and straightforward, such a beast to tame?
Quite simply, because every message you get, on every level, only re-enforces the pickled emotions that got you there in the first place. Putting on weight, getting fatter, has nothing to do with logic and everything to do with the way you feel about yourself.
For some of you, the catalyst to do something will be fear ... something someone said, the way you feel after you walk up the stairs, a lucky escape from a potentially lethal event.
Some of you may be driven by disgust and self-loathing ... enough is enough!
Maybe for you it's far less intense ... you've been toying with the idea of taking action ... and finally you just feel ready? You just know.
Whatever drives you, here are three keys to successful weight management:
- your reason should be sufficiently compelling
- your focus should be absolutely clear and specific
- and, when you decide to take action, giving up is not an option
Along the way, you will face the three imposters of discouragement, distraction and impatience. Just keep going and don't look back. Never, ever look back.
The rewards are so worth it!
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