Health vs. Weight Loss
This past weekend I spent a number of hours listening to incredible speakers, each of whom came from a variety of backgrounds. From physicians, to biochemists, to previous internet technology experts and fitness experts, they each had immense insight into what makes us healthy, what makes us happy, and, maybe most importantly, what prevents disease.
Unfortunately we spend a lot of energy focusing on what the scale shows, and not on the positive benefits that are occurring in our bodies. If we eat properly, well before there is a change on the scale, we improve insulin resistance, begin to lower our blood pressure, and have less general inflammation in our body.
Possibly, before our weight loss journey, we should document everything we are feeling, from energy to our sleep habits, aches and pains, clarity of thought etc. I do believe we would see benefits in a lot of these parameters without having to always worry about the number on the scale.
One speaker who previously was head of a program for NASA for 8 years, is looking at longevity. In space, the aging process speeds up, so there is great interest in seeing if there is a certain way of eating that might slow the aging process. Indeed, it looks as if eating lower quantities of carbohydrates and higher fat with moderate protein is beneficial in that regard.
This website is full of interesting information and research - ihmc.us
Two other speakers were not only fitness experts but they each have done a lot of research into maximizing performance though nutrient ratios. (Again, less carbohydrates and more fat with moderate protein).
I was surprised to see that even the world class body builder doesn't push excess protein, and indeed finds muscle repair and muscle recovery much better and much quicker when people lessen the carbohydrates in their body.
I really enjoyed listening to Mark Sisson, who not only discusses food, but has developed fitness regimes to maximize muscle growth and muscle repair with increased mitochondria. He uses fairly simple exercises, but done to muscle failure. If you go to his site, he has 4 videos on simple exercises that probably can be done at home. Similarly his blog, titled www.marksdailyapple.com is very informative.
When I look at the testing they do, looking at body inflammation and hormonal regulation, I'm convinced that people are becoming healthier even if the scale is not moving. Moving away from higher carbohydrate eating will result in lower insulin which results in much lower total body inflammation, less risk of developing chronic illness and improvement in wellness.
Many of us pay too much attention to the scale, and if we do, we run the risk of becoming discouraged and going back to old eating habits. By doing so, not only will we increase our risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, hypertension…we will accelerate the aging process.
Keep on trying, and don't ever give up. Your health and well-being needs you to be consistent in what you eat, and consistent in getting your regular exercise.
Dr. Doug