There are all kinds of diets out there. In spite of the decline in the diet industry it is still generates millions of dollars. There are all sorts of pills, plans and snake oil out there espousing that they are the end all be all answer to your weight loss dilemma.
As you may know, 2/3 of the American population is overweight or obese. A person is considered overweight when their BMI is equal to or exceeds 25. Obesity is when BMI is 30 or more. The average American male is 5’9” 195 pounds with a waist measurement of 40” (a BMI 28). The average American female is 5’4” 168 pounds with a waist measurement of 38 which equates to a BMI of 29.
Part of the problem is that nonnutritive food calls out to us. America is filled with brands and food that contain little or no nutritional value. In fact, since some of these [non]food items have spilled out to other countries; we are now seeing the spread of illness and obesity.
Certainly you are familiar with the junk food siren’s song. She sings so sweetly that it makes you salivate. The food is in your grocery store—or worse yet—in your cupboard. For me it was crackers—yes crackers—but not just any cracker. It was the golden goodness of Ritz crackers.
I was able to resist the siren’s call for at least a week but one day the song was too mesmerizing. Maybe because there was nothing but tomato soup that could made for dinner. And I sure didn’t want to stop at the grocery store after a long day at work…in the pouring rain no less. Luckily (or not so lucky) there was a Walgreens on the way home; it would have the delectable Ritz crackers I craved.
Lets’ fast forward to dinnertime when my spouse made the statement “Let’s each have a sleeve [of Ritz] with our soup.” My response, “okay”. I think maybe he was shocked to hear this reply. He then redacted his statement and suggested we spilt a single sleeve instead.
All was well and good until that half sleeve was gone. I wanted more. Against my modus operandi, I grabbed another whole sleeve of crackers poured myself a glass of red wine then proceeded to watch Netflix and stuff my face with that buttery goodness. Oh, and it was so good until the next day when my indiscretion caught up with me. I felt miserable—bloated and exausted. It was difficult to get out of bed for two days and my clothes were just a bit tighter than usual because I said damn the torpedo’s the day prior.
This is a part of me that creeps up every few months. I eat pretty well and keep proper food portions but something comes over me and I have to eat a whole bag of Funyuns or a sleeve (or more) of Ritz crackers or some flakey pastry.
These episodes could be stress or hormone induced. But one thing is certain, because I give in to these cravings every now and then. I later feel like dog doo doo. I surmise it is because I have eaten food I normally avoid.
It is funny how when we can be subjected to some food or ingredient on a regular basis and not know how it is affecting our health. But if we eliminate it from our diet for at least four weeks we notice how miserable it really makes us feel if we eat it again.
My challenge to you is to move toward identifying the food or drink you ingest that makes you feel worse than you do normally. If you get phlegmy or your nose starts to run, you might get a headache or feel fatigue. Whatever the case, it might be a good idea to remove that food or drink from your diet.
If you would like to find out your BMI there is a calculator here https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm
Ried Rants 