Weight, it’s not about willpower? How losing weight really works.

Believe it or not, weight loss is not about calories in versus calories out. I know it sounds like I’m saying the world isn’t flat circa 2000 years ago. (Yes, the Earth as a round object was known way before Magellan and Columbus. Many scientists knew the earth wasn’t round before the Church finally came to that public conclusion…do I see a pattern here?)

I recently did a teleclass on “Supercharging Your Metabolism”, (and yes, it’s available for download for only $30. This is an introductory price, which will go up October 1) which summarizes the real equation to weight loss. Calories are a factor, but so are many other things which I got into great detail on this call. But just like much other nutrition and health information, lots of industries benefit from you being in the dark.

Pharma companies can continue to sell Alli or other prescription weight loss pills. The dieting industry gets reoccuring revenue from all your failed attempts. Food companies can peddle their  junk and make ridiculous profit margins because they are disguised as diet and health foods. Restaurants continue to sell more food because what they do to their food, makes you eat more.

Let me explain. In a nutshell, losing weight is about metabolism and metabolism is about all the chemical reactions in your body, including hormones. And a lot of processed foods interfere with this dance and as a result, the body doesn’t get the chemical message that it’s full.

Recently, a scientific study out of Texas (yes, there is some good there) showed how high amounts of saturated fat cause the body to ignore the appetite-suppressing signals from leptin and insulin, hormones involved in weight regulation. This can sabotage your dieting efforts not just for a meal but for days. What does this mean for those uninterested in the science but obsessed with scale – you will eat like a pig because the body knows no better.

So for all those who think losing weight is all about will power, think again. Self responsibility is key but it’s a will to cook your own food that is important. If there’s any diet I recommend, it’s the “Cook it Yourself” diet. This is the biggest piece of the REAL weight loss equation. I discuss the other steps in balancing your bodies metabolism and a simple action plan to maximize your metabolism in my teleclass which is available for a nominal investment in your health of $30.

If you are serious about weight loss, get it here now  because it’s going up in price to $43 this Thursday, October 1. It’s worth it’s weight in gold, frustration and self-confidence. And if you aren’t trying to lose weight, try not to be so judgemental of those who are. It’s a jungle out there.

The elephant in the room (& I’m not talking about that jack-ass Joe Wilson)

I have a lot to say on health-care. I’m going to allow myself to cool down before I provide my solutions.

I don’t want to just yell, scream, bitch and complain like some at those past town hall meetings in towns I never want to visit (I’m starting to wonder if a side-effect of fast food, artificial flavors and color dyes is decreased circulation to the head?). Plus, I know the solutions and money to pay for all of them are already here if we’d just be willing to look and EAT outside the box – literally.

Processed foods are what’s killing America and yet seems no one has the stamina to take on Big Food (if you are into evil, processed food is a genius business model. Get people tired and riddled with aches and pains so they can’t come after you!).

Read an excellent article here (by Micheal Pollen, one of my heros) on how real health-care change starts with real food.

Is nothing sacred anymore?

They say never to talk politics or religion, especially if you are in business for yourself. Considering I’m in the holistic health field, that is tricky. Food and health care are all about politics. Spirituality (not religion but along the same vein) is something intrinsically tied to well-being and a personal fascination of mine. On top of all this, I grew up in family where we regularly discussed world affairs as my Dad is and has always been his own self-constructed news center – reading, listening and watching anything he can get his hands on.

And, I just happen to have a big mouth.

So while I’ve never been good at shying away from controversial topics, I was always told and thought sports were a safe spot. It’s especially easy when you hail from Pittsburgh, the city of Champions. I love the Steelers and who doesn’t? But now comes along Michael Vick and his signing with the Eagles. Seems I’m doomed.

Despite there being plenty of other athletes who have done equally reprehensible things, this seems to be the controversy that won’t go away here in Philly, kind of like Vick himself. And while I’m not sure how I feel about the entire situation, I KNOW many people support animal cruelty everyday with the food they eat, the pharmaceuticals they use and even as Alex Baldwin pointed out in a recent blog, the cars they purchase as live animals are used by some Detroit car makers for testing.

So while it’s easy to point the finger at Vick, and rightfully so, I believe a more constructive route would be to be the change we want to see in the world and start making more humane decisions ourselves.

I think Peter Singer, the founder of animal rights,  said it best in an article with the Philadelphia Inquirer, “…people who are very quick to jump on Michael Vick maybe could spend some time thinking about how they participate in the cruelty to animals just by walking into the supermarket, spend some time thinking about what happened to that animal before it was turned into meat. There are pigs, probably millions, on factory farms,” he said, “who are having a worse time than Michael Vick’s dogs. That’s what I find a little incongruous about the response to what he did.”

He goes on to discuss how cruel pigs are treated but for some reason, people care more about dogs. And given my own knowledge in this field, I know it’s not just pigs who are abused in the food industry. It’s every animal you eat that is at your favorite fast food joint, most restaurants and in your grocery store. If it isn’t organically, pasture/grass-fed or raised on a small farm, it’s probably been inhumanely treated.

I’m not saying don’t eat meat. I do myself. But I pay the extra couple of dollars at my farmers market because I know the animal has been raised humanely and in a win-win, tastes better and is healthier for me.

So if you are outraged with the whole Vick situation, remember that cheap meat is all about profit too. And here’s what you can do to be part of the solution and not the problem, in terms of food purchases:

1. Go see Food, Inc.

2. Read or watch Fast Food Nation

3. Purchase meat from your farmers market or meat labeled grass-fed, pasture-raised or organic.

4. Stop eating fast food and at restaurants that don’t offer humanely treated  meat

5. Become a Steeler fan

Giving Meat a Better “Wrap” at your summer BBQ

More times than not, when I tell people I do nutritional counseling, the ask if I’m a vegetarian, assuming vegetarians are healthier. Nope! I would prefer to be but my body needs meat…quality meat. Not a lot, but some.

Meat tends to get a bad wrap because the majority of studies done on it are done on conventionally raised animals, who, because of what they are fed and the conditions they are raised in, are much fattier than their free-ranging counterparts. Grass-fed, organic animals have Omega 3s and can help balance blood sugar for those who eat an over abundance of refined carbs and sugar. Also, when meat is grilled, it does contain carcinogens which are known to cause cancer.

I water boil my meat because I hate doing dishes and it makes it easier to clean the pan when there is no crusty residue. But it’s also a lot healthier.

However, it’s grilling season and no one wants to be “that girl” at the BBQ asking for their meat to be baked not grilled – and who doesn’t love to relax and eat BBQ food (I know, vegans hate me right now).

But new research shows that by adding rosemary or Thai spices (curry, cumin, chili peppers), which contain high anti-oxidant levels, you can inhibit some of the carcinogens effects (about 61-79% for rosemary and 40-43% for Thai spices). So wrap your meat in some tasty spices for an extra kick.

Certain meats produce less carcinogens and even spices like cinnamon and cocoa help but rosemary and Thai seem to be more popular for grilling season. But for those more adventurous, remember to try these spices at home too.

Check out this article to give you are more in-depth analysis.  And now when you fire up the grill, you can fuel your body in a healthier way. Now how to light that grill safely is up to you!

You Wanna Go Where Everyone Knows Your Name…But Not Your Weight

I’m thinking this is how Kirstie Alley feels right now. She was so great on Cheers. She was great as a Jenny Craig spokesperson too. And she was great on Oprah a couple of weeks ago when she hysterically discussed gaining back 80 plus pounds. But for anyone who’s been in her plus then small then exta plus sizes knows, after putting on her funny face, she went home and stuffed it.

I do feel a deep empathy for what she is going through as I myself was an emotional eater for about 20 years of my only 30 year old life. However, I don’t feel bad for Kirstie . There is enough research out there to know this wasn’t going to work. Diets like Jenny Craig, South Beach, Atkins, Nutra-System and Weight Watchers are just that, diets. They make people who are hungry for life, feel deprived on life’s most basic level. They make eating rigid and restricted versus fun and flexible and all you end up doing is focusing on food, versus living! You lose massive amounts of muscle mass and when you are thinner, you are really fatter and burn less. But most importantly, they don’t focus on the cause of weight gain, only the symptom. If losing weight was about counting calories and fat, anyone who made it past 5th grade math would be at their goal weight.

But losing weight is more about CREATING a life you love. And I’m not talking about cooking more, eating less and hitting the gym religiously. I’m talking about actually finding out how to feed your hunger.

For many who are emotional eaters or struggle with eating, there is a deep hunger for something that isn’t being fulfilled. It might be for a career that provides meaning and not just a pay check. It could be a spiritual hunger that will help you make meaning out of the haphazardness of life. Or it could be for self-love that can only come from the self-confidence, esteem and reliance that comes from carving out a life you want versus looks good on paper to your family, friends and community. This is where the work needs to lie, not in counting calories. Because when your life is firing on all cylinders, you get an energy and optimism surge that makes food a non-issue.

And for me, as someone who dieted for 66% of her life, I never believed people when they said they forgot to eat or weren’t wracked with guilt for overeating. I thought they were full of bullshit…or had some other addiction like cocaine that stunted their appetites. I thought everyone, at least secretly, had the same tormented relationship with food…they were just better at control. But they weren’t lying. I just wasn’t ready to stop using food as a crutch to distract me from the real pain in my life. But once I was, what a simple process weight loss became.

And believe it or not, for celebrities like Kirstie Alley or Oprah who seem to have it all, there is something that needs to be healed. It could be from being afraid they will lose everything or feeling they don’t deserve their success. I don’t know. And my guess is they are trying to figure it out themselves. But if they keep asking the questions, the answers always come.

And while it’s simple, it certainly is not easy. It requires allowing all food, and the options in your life, to be “legal”. It means exploring how your mind and body works – without judgement. It means fully embracing your hunger for the experiences in life you want – like falling in love or being a published author. It means you have to start playing to win versus trying not to lose. It involves asking questions that don’t always have obvious answers: What ingredients make your body and heart feel alive? What really makes you feel at peace versus what society tells you should make you happy? What makes me feel safe and centered in an ever-changing world? It’s all about being mindful.

For many of us who live on auto-pilot, just learning to fly with mindfulness takes time that doesn’t match with a high-school reunion you are trying to be 20 pounds thinner for or a Jenny Craig photo-shoot. But regardless, it must be done if you want sustainable weight loss and more importantly, a life that feeds you mentally and spiritually.

I know personally for me, it involved finding a career that matched my values of integrity, health, love or learning and supporting others. It meant finding faith in something after being diagnosed with cancer at 13 and not belonging to an organized religion. It meant being open to an amazing guy named Carlos who is my best friend and one of my soul-mates this time around. I wouldn’t have quit my Corporate job, or committed myself to yoga and Carlos if I wasn’t playing to win.

None of this happened overnight or in time for a summer swimsuit season. Feeling safe in a fear-based society takes some soul-searching. But it’s an amazing process of discovery. The rewards are incredible. Regardless of what the mainstream media tries to sell you, life is magical and completely in your control. I’m so thankful I gave myself that space to explore because now, food is a non-issue for me and ironically, (like most of life (and not Alanis Morissette Ironic” which isn’t!), I’m at a great weight without food pre-occupying me or having food determine if I had a “good” or “bad” day. The judgements (including comparing myself to society’s ideals) have stopped and the living has begun.

I applaud Oprah for embarking on this mindfulness path, which she declared after gaining 40 pounds herself. If she can be patient in the public eye, we can all give ourselves some space for exploration. Wouldn’t it be great if next time Kirstie Alley came on Oprah, she laughed about how she used to think dieting worked? If she gives herself the time and space to find what she’s truly hungry for, she’ll have a great figure, life and attitude. What more could one ask for? I don’t know – what are you hungry for?