What This Site Is Not
It Does Not Have the Answers
Based on my own experience and research, I can list several factors that can contribute to a reasonable rate of weight loss:
- Exercise almost every day of the week (strength training as well as cardio activity), and keep increasing the intensity of exercise
- Eat fruits and vegetables with every meal, and get at least 30 grams of fiber per day
- Limit processed foods and restaurant meals as much as possible
- Measure out serving sizes
- Keep a food journal of some sort, as well as a journal of thoughts and feelings
- Experiment with new healthy foods (like a new healthy recipe or a new fruit or vegetable each week) and new activities to limit boredom
- Find a "buddy" or participate in a support group, either in-person or online
Losing weight is hard work. It takes time—time to plan healthy meals, shop for fresh ingredients, cook at home, and exercise regularly. It takes effort to resist the status quo that keeps so many of us overweight; in fact, I've gone so far as to say that it requires a counterculture mindset.
It also takes a great deal of introspection and problem-solving ability. It's not enought to just say, "I'm fat because I eat too much and don't exercise enough." It's essential to keep drilling down: "Why do I eat too much? Because I eat out a lot and tend to eat everything that's on my plate. Grabbing processed snack foods is automatic, and I need to make it easier to grab fruits and vegetables instead. I eat too much when I'm under stress, so I need to learn how to control my stress. I need to learn better time management so that I can work, spend time with my family, and still eat well and exercise. I need my family and friends to support the changes I'm making and not try to tempt me into falling into my old habits."
But as any weight-loss veteran can tell you, there is a significant gap between knowing and doing. As my own story shows, it is possible to be a walking encyclopedia of nutrition and fitness information but still not put it into practice.
It Does Not Advocate Abandoning "Personal Responsibility"
It is hard to talk about how the food industry and the government promote policies that maintain an unhealthy status quo without being accused of being part of the "food police." Mention the possibility of taxing junk foods, suing food manufacturers, or limiting food advertising, and most people will object—after all, it's not like the food companies are holding us down and force-feeding us, right? Even the notion of requiring restaurants to publish the nutrition information of their dishes is controversial; do you have to know just how many calories and fat grams are in a Big Mac (560 calories, 30 grams) to know that it's bad for you?
For what it's worth, I don't agree with suing food manufacturers (it would create too much of a backlash) or taxing junk foods (ditto, plus the taxes would be regressive, hurting the poor most of all). I do, however, wholeheartedly support the Menu Education and Labeling Act. I also support measures that would protect children—limiting or banning junk food advertising during child-oriented programming, and (especially) making sure that schools are adequately funded so that they do not need to make up the difference by peddling junk foods to children (unfortunately, I don't have a snappy answer as to how this can be done).
What about parental responsibility? Well, unless parents are willing to raise their children in a cocoon, parental responsibility can only go so far. Sure, parents can feed their children only wholesome foods, never turn on the television, and insist that the kids engage in plenty of active play. But someday, the children will go to school, and they will go to play with friends—friends whose parents may not be as vigilant. It really does take a village to give kids the best possible foundation for healthy habits.
I don't remember whether my husband or I first came up with this observation, but we've talked about how once upon a time, good parents were expected to raise children to conform with society's expectations. Now, good parents have to raise their children against all of these external pressures and influences. We're asking for the nearly-impossible and giving little to no support in return.
Unless there's a drastic shift in the political and cultural zeitgeist, the food companies will continue to do as they've done, pulling every possible trick out of their bags to keep both adults and kids hooked on mass quantities of junk foods. Our job as consumers is to see through all these tricks and make our food choices. It's not about abandoning personal responsibility; it's about knowing the enemy.
It Is Not a Size-Acceptance Site
I do have some sympathy with the size-acceptance movement. I don't think that the aesthetic ideals promoted by the fashionistas are realistic by any means—certainly not the ideals that hold that Kate Moss is a goddess and Kate Winslet needs to go on a diet. I certainly oppose discrimination against the obese—which, unfortunately, is all too common.
I also believe that it is healthier to be an overweight person who eats well and exercises regularly than it is to be a normal-weight person who eats junk food and is sedentary. This is, admittedly, a controversial topic among weight-loss researchers. Some researchers dismiss the possibility entirely that it is possible to be "fit and fat." Others, notably Stephen Blair of the Cooper Institute, have found that overweight people who eat well, exercise, and have good "metabolic fitness" (blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, etc. all within a healthy range) are better off than normal-weight people who eat poorly and are sedentary. Still others acknowledge that it is possible for overweight people to be otherwise fit but maintain that it is best to be fit and at a healthy weight. I prefer an emphasis on health because a focus on weight alone leads too many dieters to take unhealthy and even dangerous measures just to get "skinny."
However, I don't believe that obesity is just "natural" for some people. Yes, there are some who remain overweight despite being conscientious about nutrition, portion sizes, and exercise. But for every person like this, there are many, many more who are overweight because of bad habits. If obesity were determined primarily by genes and not by lifestyle, then the obesity rate wouldn't have skyrocketed as it has within the last several decades—the gene pool hasn't changed, but our lifestyles have changed dramatically.