Fat as Hell…

Listen to this…

Perfectionism may seem like a desirable trait, but to boost your health, aim for “just enough.” “Trying to do everything right promotes an all-or-nothing attitude,” says Martin Binks, PhD, a psychologist at the Duke Diet and Fitness Center in Durham, NC. So if you can’t do something perfectly (i.e., work out an hour a day), you don’t do anything at all (i.e., watch TV instead).

And this…

A better mindset: Believe that every little bit counts. “It’s small changes that are most effective,” Binks says. So forget perfect!

Gosh. This really hits home for me. Though I would never label myself as a perfectionist, I can definitely remember numerous instances wherein my attitude has fallen into the “all-or-nothing” category. Although it seems silly, I frequently find myself thinking things like, “well, it’s too late to exercise for a full hour, so what’s the point?” or “If I’m not going to walk my full 3 mile route, then why bother walking at all?”

I’m telling you, this kind of stuff is hard to admit, because frankly, it sounds like the rantings of a complete lunatic, but if I’m going to be completely honest then I have to tell you that I also play these kinds of games with food. Let’s say, for example, that on my way to work I inexplicably find myself at Starbucks sucking down an iced venti no whip white mocha (which happens more frequently than I care to admit)… often, later in the day, I will use that slip up as an excuse to NOT make the right choices AGAIN: “Well, I already drank about 500 calories this morning, so I might as well eat this brownie, right?” I fall into the “all-or-nothing” mentality, adopting a “what’s the point?” attitude as though one (albeit big) slip-up has ruined the entire day.

And here’s the thing, that kind of defeatism is not only unhealthy, but it’s also really, really stupid.

And what’s more, I realize it’s just an excuse, an easy way for me to bargain my way out of having to exercise or eat right at all, but man, I don’t think I really realized how much I did that until I read this article in which the authors outline what they call the Good Enough Guide to Healthy Living. In each category they identify the “gold standard,” or the things that we would all do every day in a perfect world… but then they go onto to discuss what they term “good enough” goals *and* the significant health benefits that can result from even making small changes in your life.

The exercise one was a biggie for me, but there’s something to be learned, I feel, from their suggestions in all of the categories.

That said, I think part of my problem lately has been that I started expecting way too much of myself. I had a few kick-ass months, ate right, exercised frequently and took off more weight than I ever thought possible, but it was wrong to expect that kind of performance, and thus those kinds of results, from myself all of the time. Even though I didn’t see it at the time, it’s clear to me now that I set my goals a little too high and when I found myself in a position where I couldn’t achieve them, I just threw my hands up in the air and said “why bother?”

*sigh*

You know, so many of my favorite weight-loss bloggers have been quiet lately, and I have to tell you that I’m worried that they too are adrift in a high calorie, low self-esteem sea. To that end, a long time ago, Krissie wrote a post that I’ve actually quoted several times now. In it she said…

I am a new person most of the time. And that’s good enough. I’m never going to be perfect. But I can be healthy repeatedly, and let that crowd out my mistakes.

I know she gets tired of me quoting her all of the time, but I think there’s a lot of wisdom in those words. Furthermore, I think that if we all cut ourselves a little slack now and then, we’d probably all be far better off.

So… however I go about getting back in the swing of things *this* time, I know one thing for sure. I’m going to really, really try to not allow myself to fall into the trap of “all-or-nothing.” Like Krissie, I too am a new person *most* of the time. And, I bet if you think about it, you are too. None of us are going to be perfect all of the time. But we *can* do the right thing repeatedly. And the thing I’m starting to realize is… that really *is* good enough.

Thanks to everyone who was kind enough to check on me.

I’m still here, I’ve just been sick with some kind of lung plague. The good news, however, is that I no longer have a fever and I’m going back to work this morning.

Hopefully, I’ll be hopping back in the nutritional saddle soon too.
I feel like I’ve lost a lot of time.

The truth is, I have no idea how much I weigh right now. The scale has been… well, the least of my priorities.
But whatever the number says, I know I’ve slipped out of my routine and I don’t like it.

I haven’t worked out in forever.
I haven’t overeaten, but I haven’t been eating right either.
My resolve to take good care of myself has been weakened and I’m fearful that I won’t get it back again.

It’s easy to feel down about things right now because, I’m still feeling pretty poorly.
Hopefully, things will seem a bit less grim in a few days when I’m feeling better.

*fingers crossed*

In the meantime, I hope everyone is doing well, and losing a few pounds on my behalf. :)

I’m what I’ve heard some people refer to as an “apple” shaped person: in other words, most of my fat is stored in the stomach/abdominal area of my body — which I’ve also heard/read is the most unhealthy spot for fat to be stored on a person’s body. (Ooh! Lucky me!) It’s always been that way. Even when I was smaller than I am now, I had a big tummy. So, I know that *this* weight, the bulk around my waist, will be the most difficult for me to lose.

Perhaps that’s why this article is so interesting to me. In a nutshell:

In a study of obese adults at risk of heart disease, researchers found that those who trimmed calories and increased their whole-grain intake shed more belly fat and lowered their blood levels of C-reactive protein or CRP.

CRP is a marker of chronic, low-level inflammation in the blood vessels, and both abdominal fat and CRP, in excess, are linked to heart attack and stroke.

The article goes on to say…

All of the study participants cut calories for 12 weeks, but half were instructed to strive for whole grains, while the rest were told to choose refined grains. The whole-grain group was told to look for products with “whole grain” listed as the first ingredient on the label.

In the end, the average weight loss was about 8 to 11 pounds in both groups. However, the average CRP level dropped by 38 percent in the whole-grain group, while remaining unchanged in the refined-grain group. In addition, while both groups showed a similar change in waistline size, the whole-grain dieters showed a greater reduction in the percentage of fat around the middle.

I know that I am already including more whole grain in my diet than I ever have before, but as Kathy pointed out in an earlier post, it’s not always easy to figure out what is really whole grain and what’s just a refined grain in sheep’s clothing, as it were. I’m no nutritional guru. What the hell do I know about whole vs. non whole grains? The truth is, until I did a little research, I didn’t even know what a whole grain technically was. I knew that, supposedly, I was supposed to eat more of them, but I couldn’t tell you why.

Until now that is! :)

I love the Mayo Clinic and their litany of online resources for people, obese and otherwise, who just want to live a healthier life. For being one of the most respected medical centers in the world, their site manages to be full of information in real language for real people. When I read the information there, I don’t feel like I’m reading a medical journal and yet, I don’t feel as though I’m being “talked down to” either. Anyway, here’s what they say about whole grains:

Whole grains haven’t had their bran and germ removed by milling, making them better sources of fiber — the part of plant-based foods that your body doesn’t digest. Among many health benefits, a high-fiber diet also tends to make a meal feel more filling and linger longer, so you stay full for a greater amount of time.

Refined grains, such as white rice or white flour, have both the bran and germ removed from the grain. Although vitamins and minerals are added back into refined grains after the milling process, they still don’t have as many nutrients as whole grains do, and they don’t provide as much fiber.

And then they provide some *real* examples which is exactly what someone like me needs:

Here’s the thing: this whole losing weight and getting healthy thing is new to me. I’ve literally spent my entire life either a) not caring anything about that or b) not knowing enough about the how and the why of it to do anything about it. Even now, I feel as though while so many of you, the bloggers that I read every day, are in the nutritional equivalent of the gifted class, that I’m still riding the proverbial short bus to nutrition school. Most days I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing.

But then there are other days, like today, when I learn something new about my body and how to treat it. And learning is so powerful. Just by adding a little something new to my arsenal of knowledge, I feel better prepared to negotiate the fight ahead.

What’s more, I think that’s part of what makes this whole blogging thing so powerful. Yes… the support is truly crucial. I mean, these last couple of weeks have been really hard for me, and I’m here to tell you that, as many mistakes as I have made over the last several days, the limited willpower I was able to exert was, in large part, due to the support and camaraderie that I get here.

That said, though, another crucial component in all of this is the sheer amount of knowledge that I get from reading what all of you post each day. I can’t tell you how often I find, while perusing my ever growing list of weight-loss related blogs, a web of links and tags and shout outs in which people credit and thank one another for sharing something that inspired, moved or taught them something.

We do more than just depend on each other… more often than not, we learn from one another, and now, even though I’m relatively new to the blogging world, I can’t imagine doing this without that amazing resource. It’s a powerful thing we’ve got going on here girls (and guys!) and I’m proud to be a part of it.