Better Eating

I've been trying to eat better this week. Trying to get back into the groove of caring about my whole health and not just my running speed and endurance. I'm also trying to live the adage that "abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym." I know that the only way that I will get the abs that I want is to shed some fat that I'm carrying on my stomach.

This is not me saying that I'm fat, or even that I'm unhappy with my body. I love what my body has been able to accomplish this year. Even with flat feet, I finished a marathon. I can get up in the morning and decide to run 3, 5, or even 10 miles and I will probably be able to finish those miles. I love that I can hold a plank for a minute. I also love that my standing desk has improved my posture so much I had to raise my monitor.

This is me saying that I would like to change some things. This is me saying that I could be better/stronger/leaner. I think that too often we are pushed into looking at our weight or health in very stark ways. We must either love everything about how we look and how we weigh, or we must hate it. There doesn't seem to be much allowance for people who are currently happy, but still want to change/improve. Yes, I love what my body can do, but I think it can do more.

I know that this either/or standard has been applied to plus-size actresses who say they're happy with how they look, but then go on to lose weight. I can remember the backlash against Jennifer Hudson, Oprah, and America Ferrera when they lost weight. Their decision to lose weight was viewed as abandoning their fans. And of basically being a liar. It's possible that there is some jealousy in this criticism. Or maybe the critics fear that their own claims of happiness with their weight aren't true.

Just as I don't think we should fat-shame, I don't think we should thin-shame. People can see what they look like in the mirror without others telling them how they should feel about their reflection. If they ask for opinions, it's one thing, but we should stop offering unsolicited opinions on the health and/or weight of others. People know if their weight is unhealthy without being told.

Olympic Athletes

I am really excited about the Olympics. I've been watching trials in track and swimming. I've even written about them a few times. One of those was talking about athletes who have been called fat, even though they have little to no body fat. Yesterday, I read about some female Olympians who have BMIs that make them obese. Because of that, they're not really appealing to sponsors. They also compete in weightlifting, which doesn't really get the media exposure of swimming, gymnastics or track. This means that instead of making buckets of money like Michael Phelps, they're living week to week.

This is Sarah Robles who has a motto of "Pretty Strong" and "Beauty is Strength" I admire her strength. She can lift almost 300 pounds. She also weighs about 300 pounds. That does not mean she's not an athlete. In fact, she is not alone in being an Olympic Athlete who is a woman around 300 pounds. I've written about another American Olympic Weightlifter in the past. Here's a clearer picture of Olympic Bronze Medalist Cheryl Haworth and one of a male athlete of similar proportions:

Both have similar body fat percentages and weights. We have been conditioned to accept his body as one of an athlete, but not hers. The standards for men are clearly shown to us for our entire lives. TV shows have reinforced it for generations. From "The Honeymooners" to "King of Queens" the hot wife and overweight husband dynamic has been shown to all of us. I'm not saying that overweight men should only date overweight women. I just think these shows, and others like them, set up unrealistic expectations for women, and possibly unhealthy ones for men. (Jackie Gleason was hardly athletic; he sat all day long as a bus driver.)

I hope that these weightlifting women can get recognition for their athleticism, despite not fitting into a size 4. I know that they have inspired me to lift heavier weights more often and to watch weightlifting in addition to running.

Olympic Athletes: Fat?

What do you see when you look at the above photo? I see an Olympic swimmer from the UK. Her name is Rebecca Adlington and she's a two-time gold medalist. Unfortunately, she's a woman, so many people see her as merely an object of beauty, or lack of beauty, and not as an athlete. Because of the people who can't get past the fact that she is famous for something other than her appearance, she will be eschewing social media until after the Olympics.

What do you see when you look at this photo? You may be tempted to say an athlete from the UK named Ennis. I would agree with you. She's Jessica Ennis who is a world champion heptathlete and pentathlete. Sadly, a high-ranking UK Athletics chief said she was "fat and she's got too much weight." Her coach is much more realistic than that chief and has never had an issue with her weight or shape.

This last picture is Louise Hazel another heptathlete who was also criticized for her weight. She's 5'6" and 123 pounds. It appears that is mostly muscle.

I know that criticizing Olympic athletes for their weight or appearance is a sign of ignorance, skewed expectations and possibly jealousy. I wish I could muster some pity for the people making these criticisms, but all I can come up with is anger and disgust. I also wonder if they could compete with these women in any athletic venue or if they're out of shape and are being horribly hypocritical.

Sugar: Toxic?

There are many news stories floating around saying that sugar is toxic and to blame for every extra pound that Americans are carrying around. Many of the authors argue that if people replaced the sugar with fat, they'd be fine. They never say if there is a point where it does come back to calories, or not. Their argument, if extended would say that even if you only consume 800 calories a day, but all in sugar, you'd gain weight, but if you consumed 3,800 calories a day without sugar, you would maintain or lose weight.

I think they're trying to oversimplify things. Many of us consume a huge portion of our daily calories from sugar,  much of that in the form of added sugar to beverages. Beverages don't fill us up the way solid food does. The exception is milk, which our body digests differently than soda or juice. It's not the sugar that is toxic by itself, it's the over consumption of sugar and all other calories. For many people, cutting out the sugary drinks may lower their total daily calorie intake to a healthy level.

One 20 ounce bottle of soda contains 65 grams of sugar, which is about 15 teaspoons. That is more than double the amount the American Heart Association recommends for women. It's also 260 calories with no nutrition to go with them. Someone who runs 12 minute miles and weighs 130 pounds needs to run more than 30 minutes to balance that out. That's thirty minutes to negate the calories in a bottle of soda. It hardly seems worth it. If you want to see a good visual representation of how much sugar is in soda, check this site.

I am not saying that everyone should shun sugar, corn syrup, honey, maple syrup or other items that are basically sugar. Just watch your total calorie intake and cut out the low-hanging fruit. If you can cut 260 calories a day without feeling hungry, why not do that? If you can get a spaghetti sauce that doesn't have added sugar and unnecessary calories, why not buy that one? Read your labels carefully and choose what you eat and drink only after having all the information.

Perception

Do we see ourselves as we really are? I would think that many people would see themselves as heavier than they really are. It turns out that the opposite may be true. A few studies have found that most people underestimate their weight. The number of people making that mistake increases when they're surrounded by overweight people. This is where BMI, although not perfect, may be a good tool to use. It can give a concrete measurement as to whether we are overweight, underweight or at a healthy weigh. It also sounds like changing your habits and outlook on weight can best be served by getting your friends and family to change their habits, too.

Bodies

My Body Gallery is a collection of photos of women. It's searchable by height and weight. The goal is to provide "a place for women to post their true and accurate pictures. And for other women to see that the world is not a place of cookie cutters. We are all different in our body shape and size as well as our place in our journey to loving our bodies exactly as they are, not as we (or others) think they should be. It is a place for us to be kind to others and ourselves.)"

I stumbled on this amazing site today and hope I can help expand the gallery. Right now, the number of photos flow with the bell curve that makes up the height and weight of most women. There are few, if any, heavier or shorter women. Many photos at 5'4" 140 pounds, though.

They are in my brain; their Facebook posts mirror much of what I've posted on this blog. Yes, I want women to be stronger and healthier, both physically and mentally. I want us all to realize that healthy bodies comes in many shapes. I think this will help us all feel better about ourselves and stop denigrating one another for not fitting some nebulous, unrealistic ideal.

I will be submitting some photos today and hope you consider doing the same. It's one thing for us to proclaim love for our bodies and admiration for celebrities who claim they love their plus-size bodies. It's another level to let others look at our bodies and see the reality.

The Scale

I have gone back to working a full-time job. This is the first time I've been at a desk for 40 hours a week since last August. It's been a difficult transition. I woke up at 5am on Monday so I could get a workout in before leaving for work. I had a running training clinic that evening, so I was going non-stop for about 15 hours.

It isn't all bad though. I have stopped weighing myself every day. The main reason was because of a lack of time. I don't think I was obsessive about weighing in, but I wasn't casual about it either. It's probably for the best that I limit my visits to the scale to once a week, or less. Weight Watchers uses the weekly weigh-ins, which some people think is too frequent, but I think it's a good amount for me.





I will still use the scale, though. I will not abandon it completely. I am trying to increase my muscle mass and decrease my body fat, and the only way to monitor that accurately is with weight and other body measurements. There are people who have different health goals who have completely abandoned the scale.

The scale is a tool in the health arsenal. It is not a gauge of your worth. It only measures your weight. It doesn't measure your health. It is up to you how much weight you give to the scale. (I love bad puns, sorry.) If you think that you're letting the number on the scale hold too much power in your life, perhaps it's time to cut back on weigh-ins. Only you can answer that question, though.

Weighing in

I will admit to weighing myself after using the restroom, but never shaving. I'm basically Sasquatch, so maybe this would help lower the numbers some. ;)

Source: alittlewhitenoise.com via BK on Pinterest

Frank Payne

When I wrote about gas yesterday, I stumbled onto that study. I was actually looking for a documentary that the Discovery Channel did a couple of years ago. It was called "My Big Fat Body" and starred Frank Payne.

Frank was an actor from Chicago who came to comedy a little later in life. He had already been a wrestling coach and iron worker when he made a change in career. He was successful, too. Not Brad Pitt successful, but making a living as an actor.

He was also over 400 pounds. Hence the name of the show. It explained what that amount of weight does to a body. there were x-rays and motion capture images showing how his hips were perpetually abducted because of the weight on his thighs. It also seemed devoted to his weight-loss journey. The show was filmed in 2009, but a short film that he was in "Starf*ckers" in 2011 shows he was still at about the same weight. I recommend you watch it, it's pretty funny and has Kato Kaelin at the end.

In "My Big Fat Body" he talked candidly about how his weight scared him. Just like in the promo below, he talks about John Belushi, Chris Farley and John Candy. He lost a brother when he was a kid and didn't want his parents to have to bury a second son. Unfortunately, in January, 2012, his obituary appeared in the Chicago Sun Times.

Athletes

These women are all athletes. Olympic athletes, actually. Would you think they were athletes if you saw them on the street? Do we have an unfair idea of what an athlete looks like?

Fit doesn't always equal thin. Active and athletic doesn't always equal fit, either. Fit won't look the same on every person, so we can't all expect to look like a composite of the most desirable body parts of the women in the photo.

Even without achieving visual perfection being physically active will improve our bodies and our minds. Get out there and move!!

Models in Ads

Israel just passed a law that requires models to produce a medical report, dating back no more than three months, at every shoot that will be used on the Israeli market, stating that they are not malnourished by World Health Organization standards. WHO says a body-mass index below 18.5 is indicative of malnutrition. The law also requires ads to have a clearly written notice disclosing if the model used in it was digitally altered to make her, or him, look thinner. The law will not apply to foreign publications sold in Israel.

I both love and hate this law. I love the requirement for air-brushing disclosure. I think that creates a look that is not possible for a human being to achieve in the real world. No matter how much you eat right or work out, you can't look airbrushed in your daily life. I wish the US had a similar law and that it applied to all photos in publication. Clearly an exemption for red-eye, color and other similar corrections. I want photo-shop notifications when it alters the essence of the photo.

On the other hand, I don't like limiting skinny models. Just like women should strive to be healthy, but we don't banish overweight people, I don't want to see underweight people banished either. Instead of asking models for BMI results, which could be done at the photo-shoot with a scale and tape measure anyway, let's ask for a real health indicator. Let's require regular tests of vitamin deficiency. The legislator who pushed this bill said only 5% of people naturally have a BMI in the underweight category. I think it's possible that those are the people sought out to be models.

I do wish that ads and magazines would show a more diverse range of women. Perhaps a requirement that the collective BMI of an advertising campaign be 22, or middle of healthy. That would require some models to be heavier, if you're going to have lighter models. I don't know if I want that legislated, though. I would rather the change come about organically. Contact designers and tell them you won't buy from them if they keep airbrushing their models to look unreal. Stop buying magazines that create impossible ideals. I think that would have more power than a law measuring BMI.

Stop

If you follow this advice, you will be healthier. You will feel better, too. If you are overweight, you will lose weight, without feeling starved or deprived. Those old sayings are true. "You are what you eat." "Garbage in, garbage out." You can't expect to be healthy if you eat crap. The below image is a shirt. It's such a great image to illustrate this point.

Self-Image

This describes me perfectly. Intellectually, I believe that you don't have to be "perfect" to be beautiful. I also believe that a healthy, fit and strong body won't always look a certain way. That knowledge doesn't always hush the internal voice that notices my muffin top or gets irritated when the number on the scale doesn't decrease.

Just like fitness is a life-long journey, so is acceptance. I am getting better about liking what I see in the mirror and on the scale and will continue to work at improving how I feel about myself.

Source: notsatisfiedyet.tumblr.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Thinking Fat

Sadly, many of us think we're fat when we're clearly not. I think this affects every woman from the age of 16 to 25. Even when women of that age look good, their lack of self-esteem doesn't let them understand how good they actually look. Don't let this be you. If you look good, own it. Accept those compliments. Revel in the muscles you've worked to get.

Source: marvelousmerrells.blogspot.com via Kristen on Pinterest

Measuring

It's also not the best at measuring your fitness progress. For that, use a tape measure, but don't put your worth there either.

Source: Uploaded by user via Suzanne on Pinterest

Childhood Obesity

The discussion about childhood obesity tends to center around the diseases caused by the extra weight. Children getting "adult-onset" diabetes and having other illnesses that many people correlate with middle-age. The topic that doesn't seem to be broached is the number of fat cells and how they will work on a person's weight for the rest of their life.


Not every person has the same number of fat cells in their body. Researchers believe that obese children have up to five times the number of fat cells as other children. The more fat cells a person has, the less leptin the body produces. Leptin boosts metabolism and signals satiety. That means that obese children will have to fight five times as hard as adults to maintain a healthy weight. Possibly harder.

The number of fat cells that you have when you reach adulthood will not change. The size of those cells will change if you gain weight, or lose weight, but the quantity will remain the same. Even if you gain or lose hundreds of pounds, you will not change that number, just the volume. The number can be changed surgically via liposuction, skin removal, breast reduction or similar procedures. This can lead to a problem if there is weight gain after the surgeries. Because the fat cells are no longer distributed throughout the body naturally, the weight gain can appear lopsided and in "odd" locations. No one wants to be shaped like an actual fat cell. (a stuffed one is below.)

This may be difficult news to read for people who were overweight kids. It's sad and unfair that it's going to take more effort for you to lose weight and keep it off than for someone who was thin for their entire childhood. That does not mean it can't be done. With dedication to a healthy lifestyle, you CAN maintain a healthy weight. I do hope this information makes it out to parents to stop brushing off heavy children's extra weight with a, "They'll outgrow it" mentality.

Infighting

I've written before about how women are fighting among themselves about whether curvy is better than thin. Sadly, this is a common issue. Normally, it's people online commenting about famous people that they've never met. I never imagined that the same fights were happening among people who knew each other. I was wrong.

Crystal Renn has been modeling for a little over a decade. She has battled anorexia, wrote a book about her weight and modeled as a plus-sized model. She has now settled at a size 8, and is in the current Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. She is crediting hiking and yoga with her weight-loss, but the plus-size modeling community is attacking her claims and her new weight.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Once she got down to a size 10 she lost the support of a lot of people. We’re disappointed because she was our star fighting for equality and fashion for us, and now she’s going to their side. It is sad that she’s turned her back on us,” lamented PLUS Model Magazine Editor-in-Chief Madeline Jones.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------


There are no "SIDES." We are all people struggling to maintain our health. If Madeline Jones is right that it's more than yoga and hiking, we should be concerned that her anorexia has returned, not condemning her for losing weight.

We should all be supporting everyone in their efforts to be the healthiest they can be. We should not be attacking anyone for gaining weight, or for losing it. Basically, I'm saying: BE NICE!!

Gym Bodies

A Google image search of this will lead to images of oiled body builders and people using cardio equipment. You also get this great image of Jamie Lee Curtis from the movie "Perfect" I can't believe I found a way to write about her two days in a row!

Unfortunately, trying to find images of overweight people working out only turns up insulting images. How are people who have become overweight supposed to take that message? It's almost as if they're being told that you can't go to the gym until you're thin.

The same message is being sent when trying to find workout clothing for plus-sized women. They don't sell it in the women's section of the store and it's hard to even find an XL in anything but the men's section. Maybe it's ok for men to be overweight and exercise, but not women? Or, the women are overweight, so they may as well dress in shapeless men's clothing? Either way, it's not an encouraging message.

Jorden Bench's tweet made me think about this. He said, "Don't judge overweight people in the gym. They are there to make a change. Help them and embrace them!" He's right. Instead of looking down on them, be impressed that they overcame all of the obstacles to getting to the gym, both mental and physical, and admire them.

Muscles

You may have heard that a pound of muscle burns 100 times as many calories as a pound of fat. You may have heard the stat as 50 times, because that was Dr. Oz's claim. Neither is true. The truth is that muscle burns 3 times as many calories as fat. That is an improvement, but won't help you lose much weight.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"The bottom line is that weight loss is 90% about diet," obesity researcher Dr. Sue Pedersen, a specialist in endocrinology and metabolism in Calgary, told me. "The studies show that exercise alone is not going to result in weight loss."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

This does not mean people should avoid exercise and just watch their calories. Exercise has benefits beyond the scale. And you shouldn't avoid weights. The real benefit muscle has over fat is volume. Both the fat and the muscle in this image weigh one pound, but the fat takes up about 20% more space. Same number on the scale, but smaller waistband. Working out with weights may not make huge changes in your weight, but they may help with your size.

Can you be fat and fit?

Being overweight has significant associations with type II diabetes, all cancers except esophageal (female), pancreatic and prostate cancer, all cardiovascular diseases (except congestive heart failure), asthma, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis and chronic back pain. These are the results found when 89 studies were looked at and the data compared.

Despite this evidence, there are people who will argue that being a healthy weight is not important. There are books and articles written saying that it's not a health issue, but rather one of moral judgment. There are some people, who though obese, are not showing signs of any of the above illnesses. They are classified as MNBO. These people have lower mortality than healthy weight, but under-active people. The number of people who are MNBO is small and they may be in that category because they're in a weight loss program at the time of the testing.

Not everyone who eats healthfully and works out regularly will achieve an "ideal" weight. That does not mean that people should give up on achieving a BMI in the healthy range. You should place your daily focus on eating well and being active; that will lead you in the direction of a healthy BMI and a better life.