as with most things, there are plenty of on-line resources devoted to this and i've been participating in several fora. it's encouraging to read the success stories of women my age, staggering to see just HOW MUCH weight some people need to lose -- 100's of pounds in some cases -- and informative to get updated on new science. it's also shocking to see how uninformed so many people are about food basics. knowledge is power and it has been very helpful, especially in the first few days before my books had arrived.
like anyplace on-line there are the zealots and they tend to be prolific. there are a few, who have lost almost no weight, or a mere pound or so over many months, and still feel fit to preach. erm, really, lady? i'm empathetic to resistant bodies and hormones and such, especially after years of abuse, but the fatties lose the fastest at first. whatcha doing wrong and why should i heed ANY of your advice? careful that soapbox don't crack under your girth, mmmmkay?
there are the temperance zealots too. clearly over-indulging in alcohol is not a good idea when trying to lose weight. your body will burn that before tackling any other fuel, it's useless calories and often can be an inhibition-buster, leading to eating some junk you shouldn't or wouldn't while sober. yes, all my friends are alcoholics and we drink more than the general population. i know that. bearing that in mind, an occasional couple of drinks is not going to end your world. a woman posted today about a "girls' night out". it's been months since they all saw each other -- you know, blah-blah-blah. she innocently asked what might be the least detrimental thing to consume. here was one of the answers:
Why can't you have a night out and stay cold sober?
Did you know that your body will burn alcohol first and not burn fat? That it might take some time to get back into fat-burning mode?
Would it be worth it?
every party has a pooper, lady. jeebus. if she's asking the question the way she did, she knows it may cause a bump in the weight-loss highway, ok? lighten the hell up.
lastly, there is the data-nazi. i have been tracking my food, just to make sure i'm doing this "right" and remain sensitive to my utter failure at trying nearly everything else, but am beginning to feel secure enough that i might soon let go of that. early on it was very helpful because once i started getting the proper amounts of veggies (hadn't been eating enough), the weight started to drop. knowledge is power. yes.
the data-nazi actually gained weight her first few months on the plan. rather than change what she was doing, she yada-yada-d everybody else. finally, the on-site nutritionist stepped in to suggest some things she might consider tweaking? voila. a wee bit of weight lost. she plans all her meals to the gram and will adjust menus so that every day she eats exactly the same number of calories in exactly the same proportions. she is a screecher about the minimum number of calories people need to consume each day. ya know what? bullshit. a 6-foot woman needs way more calories per day to move herself around than i do at only 5'2". the reason she had gained weight to begin with on this plan? she was eating too fucking much.
she carps on people to eat when they aren't hungry. "to keep up your blood sugar" and "to keep your metabolism burning." a) isn't that how lots of folks got fat to start? and b) your body will burn far more efficiently and less superficially if it has to reach down into its reserves. constantly feeding sends the wrong signals to your brain and it becomes harder to feel sated if your stomach is always working on digestion.
she is a maniac about fiber. i worried about this at first, but there is sufficient fat in my day to keep things moving along nicely. ahem. there is plenty of evidence that contradicts the numbers recommended by the usda. that much of what you consume that way is actually irritating your lower g.i., not helping it. think about it: insoluble fiber passes through your system more or less intact. why give your body all that extra work?
so here's my point (finally, noodle, tyvm!): when researching and then committing to this experiment i was willing to toss out all of the "conventional wisdom" which i had held so dearly for so long. all. of. it. the stuff that made me overweight and feel unwell more often than not. let go of everything, try a thoroughly new approach and see what happened. i'm not saying i did it overnight. i spent a year going through a revolving door of no-results. but making such a dramatic change made me open to just about anything else that didn't sound like a snake oil pitch. i'm happy with that.
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