That ugly, ugly four letter word

This blog is about general fitness...how to achieve it and maintain it once achieved.  I'm writing from the perspective of a formerly obese person so the information I give is primarily geared towards a population that is attempting to lose body fat, but I've found that the principals I espouse apply to underweight folks trying to gain weight as well.  I'll make the distinction when necessary.

First, naming is important.  We say "weight loss" when we really mean "fat loss."  I mean, you'd be hard pressed to find someone who wanted to be weaker (i.e. have less muscle tissue), have less bone density, or shriveled organs...which are all forms of weight loss.  No, what we want is fat loss.  Not an extreme amount, but enough that we function properly and are happy with our appearance.  Next, one must realize that there are no short cuts or easy ways to reverse years of unhealthful habits.  It takes time, not only to burn the excess fat we've accumulated, but also to develop the habits necessary to support a healthy lifestyle.  Commitment to a new lifestyle is paramount to losing body fat and keeping it off.

Your diet is simply what you eat on a day to day basis and, if you hadn't already figured this out, plays a major role in your health, wellbeing, and ability to control your body fat level.  There's a ton of information out there (some good, some not so good) advising and confusing us at the same time.  If you're like me, you've seen fad-diets come and go.  Let's see, to name a few...low-calorie, low-fat, low-carbohydrate, appetite suppressant (remember Dexatrim?), herbal, garlic, grapefruit, and the list goes on and on.  The problem with all these (all "diets" in general) is that they aren't designed around what humans have evolved to eat...and that is food...plain and simple.  Now, I know many of you have had some measure of success with various diet plans (low-fat and low-carb seem to trade places as the #1 fads every 10 years or so), and I'm not here to tell you to stop doing something you consider successful.  However, I would urge you to truly consider the efficacy and permanence of such diets.

I'm no nutrition expert, but there are some things I've learned over the years that seem to be universally true:

Whole foods are better than processed food-like-products...always

Typically, the properties of foods are changed when they are processed.  Real food rots and it rots for a reason...to give us a chance to eat the food when it is the most nutritious and discard it when it's expired.  Processing chemically gives food-like-products the ability to be shipped long distances and keep on shelves for months or even years without spoiling.  I have no proof that the chemicals used in the processing of foods is bad for us, but the anecdotal evidence is overwhelming.  There is a strong correlation with the increase of preventable diseases (heart disease, obesity, arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.) and the prevalence of processed foods on grocery store shelves.

If something is marketed to you, you either don't need it or it's probably not good for you

Plain & simple...when's the last time you saw a corporate commercial for fresh vegetables or milk or any non-processed food product?  I can't think of one either.  Food commercials are typically used to advertise food-like-products with all sorts of health benefits. "Low fat," "Low carb," "No trans-fats," "Fortified with vitamin whatever"...these terms are synonymous with "highly-processed and completely unnatural" and therefore should not be in your diet.

A good rule to follow when shopping...if your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize what you are considering purchasing as food, then it's a safe bet you don't need to be eating it

This one is about reading food labels.  If the ingredient list is chock full of unpronounceable things that you'd need a chemistry degree to translate then what you're looking at is no longer food, but a food-like-product.  Sure it's edible (couldn't stay in business if your products killed your customers quickly), but what are the long term effects of ingesting all those chemicals?  Food for thought.

Eat every 3 hours

Eating more than 3 times per day is hard for some to wrap their heads (and stomachs) around because they typically think they'll be eating 66% more calories than they currently are.  This, of course, would hinder or reverse your fat loss efforts.  No, an appropriate number of calories will be split among 5 or 6 meals.  An 1800 calorie diet with 5 meals per day could be split like 400 calories for breakfast, lunch, & dinner and two 300 calorie snacks.  With these relatively low calorie meals, you'll notice that you become hungry again 2-3 hours later.  I have no proof that this is due to an increase in your metabolism, but it is evidence that your body is processing the foods you're consuming instead of storing it as excess body fat.