Sunday, November 7, 2010

Eat Less, Fatass

I am really annoyed with how the media is portraying weight loss. It's so simple, they cry, just exercise more!


I call shenanigans.

It isn't about moving more. It's about eating less. Sorry. You can kill yourself exercising an hour a day and not lose a damn pound. I know that because I did it. I was doing strength training and cardio an hour a day 4 days a week and at least 30 minutes a day for a while and wasn't seeing the scale move in any positive direction.

I thought I was eating less. I had no idea what a true portion was. I will have to take some comparison pics for you all and show you just how crazy out of control my portions were. I  wasn't eating "bad" food. I was eating chicken, cottage cheese, and whole grain pastas. I was stuffing veggies into everything and I wasn't losing a damn pound no matter how much I sweated, no matter how much I cried and no matter what I did.

It was food that was holding me back.

Even on the Biggest Loser they dont show how the contestants are handling the transition to their new diet. You know, the one where they cut back all of their food??? Yeah. Some of those contestants are eating upwards of 4000 calories a day and are getting cut back to 1200. Tell me that you would handle that well. No, I didn't think so. And then they kill themselves in a gym for hours a day. When you look at it like this their weight loss doesn't seem that impressive. If a 300 lb woman was eating 4700 calories a day and they cut her back to 1200 she would lose a lb a day through cutting calories alone. Then she works out for 3 hrs a day, 7 days a week. Her weight loss for the week is 10 lbs. Which means she lost 3 lbs for 21 hours of gym time

So not worth it.

I'm not saying you shouldn't exercise. I am just saying it shouldn't be a priority. Because while it will help with weight loss it doesn't cause dramatic changes in your weight. It will definitely add muscle and slim you down inches wise but the scale won't move as rapidly.

What honestly matters is portion control. I am a living testament to that. I was eating what I thought was a healthy amount of food- a chicken breast, a cup of low fat cottage cheese, tomato soup and a slice of whole wheat toast and it turns out that I was eating 3-4 times the portions that I should have been.

I am still going to exercise. I still enjoy it. I love the high that comes from it. (I also love sleeping so some days, sleeping wins. Ok most days.)

But I have done much more better in the realm of losing weight now that I have tracked my portions aggressively. I say aggressively because you really have to commit to tracking and controlling your portions. I have to weigh and measure every thing I put into my mouth. I have to use my points calculator. I have to track serving sizes. Like Jolly Time popcorn? 1 WW pt per serving. Well there are 2.5 servings per bag so a whole bag is 3.5 points, not 1. See? Tricksy.  A chicken breast? Yeah thats actually 3-4 servings of chicken per breast. A serving is 3 ounces. A breast is between 9-12 ounces.

It's like everyone is afraid to say it. Oh they all say "eat less, move more" or "eat whole, real foods" but no one comes out and says it. No one says the honest truth anymore.

Eat less, fatass. I am fat because I eat too much. I actually need to weigh I portions and not "eyeball" it. Eyeballing is what got me fat in the first place. I eyeballed that box of donuts and then ate all of them. Good job.

It's my new mantra. Is it yours? It would be if you lost 15 lbs in 6 weeks.

3 comments:

  1. "I am just saying it shouldn't be a priority."

    ...hmmm.

    Have you heard of being "skinny - fat"?

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/01/skinny-fat-today-show-exa_n_445135.html

    Just food for thought on your journey!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Exercise is a big priority of mine! Every one's weight loss journey/diet is different, though.

    I am glad that you have found what works for you! For me, exercise has been crucial for me. I don't lose as much when I don't exercise.

    Also, I don't feel as amazing! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I beg to differ. Exercise helps with cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar and is absolutely ESSENTIAL for maintaining any sort of healthy lifestyle. You can calorie count till the cows come home but without exercise you'll still be unhealthy.

    ReplyDelete

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