Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

I have been using Edibles for a few months now and I’m loving it. I love it even more after seeing how well it has worked for one of its creators:

• From Fat to Fit: GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YAY! I made my WW goal last week! I was so nervous going in I almost didn’t want to step on the scale. I lost 2.5 lbs last week which puts my total weight loss at 91.2 lbs. I am now starting the “Maintenance Phase” of WW. It’s a little weird and a little scary to not be trying to lose weight. It’s been such a long time on WW that it’s almost part of me. I have to turn the weight loss mindset off and turn on the maintain switch on.

Here are her before and after pictures. These are the undramatic photos. Her boyfriend took some smokin’ hot pics of her as well, so you can see those on her blog here: From Fat to Fit: GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations, Dawn! After two years of following Weight Watchers, she has finally made goal! Kudos to ya, babe!

This in depth article from Newsweek talks about Oprah and her dubious and sometimes conflicting health advice.

• Live Your Best Life Ever! | Newsweek.com

This is Oprah’s special brilliance. She is a gifted entertainer, but she makes it seem as though that is beside the point. Oprah is not here to amuse you, she is here to help you. To help you understand your feelings; drop those unwanted pounds; look and feel younger; get your thyroid under control; to smooth your thighs, nip and tuck your wrinkles, awaken your senses and achieve spiritual tranquility so that you can at last be free to “Live Your Best Life.”

This is where things get tricky. Because the truth is, some of what Oprah promotes isn’t good, and a lot of the advice her guests dispense on the show is just bad. Some of the many experts who cross her stage offer interesting and useful information (props to you, Dr. Oz). Others gush nonsense. Oprah, who holds up her guests as prophets, can’t seem to tell the difference. She has the power to summon the most learned authorities on any subject; who would refuse her? Instead, all too often Oprah winds up putting herself and her trusting audience in the hands of celebrity authors and pop-science artists pitching wonder cures and miracle treatments that are questionable or flat-out wrong, and sometimes dangerous.

I’m glad that someone is willing to mention that sometimes Oprah doesn’t give the best advice. She is so beloved by so many that it’s hard to suggest that she might not be an authority. She’s not a doctor and MORE importantly, she’s not YOUR doctor. She is a talk show host. She is producing a television show for ENTERTAINMENT. Don’t get your medical advice from a talk show.

I truly believe that Oprah wants to help people, but she is easily fooled by the many people out there just eager to make a quick dollar. All it takes is a MENTION of something on the Oprah show to make it immediately sell out. I believe Oprah has raised the bar of daytime television so high that we have forgotten that in the end, she’s just a talk show host, not some infallible goddess.

Via: Consumer Health Digest, June 4, 2009

• @brianbolger #runkeeper isn’t as good as Nike+ because I can’t kick your butt at running. It’s the challenges that make Nike+ great. #

Powered by Twitter Tools.

I found this question on the Diet Blog and I wanted to say WAY more than I should in a comment, so I posted my answer here.

• Is Gary Taubes Onto Something?

I just watched Gary Taubes’ Good Calories, Bad Calories lecture in Berkeley, and he seems so convinced and convincing about what he believes.

So, is there a flaw in his argument? And if “yes” what is it?

I’ve been on Weight Watchers in the past, and I know it works. But they preach the complete opposite of what Taubes quotes as scientifically proven.

So, how is it that you can lose weight while eating less fat, and as much pasta as you like, but on the other hand you can eat as much fat as you like, but no pasta – and this also works?

I’m just confused…

If you look at the Weight Watchers pamphlets closely, you can see that they don’t conflict with Gary Taubes’ views on carbohydrates. They recommend that IF you eat carbohydrates, to choose whole grains. They recommend that you limit your intake of processed sugars. Carbohydrates from fruit, vegetables and legumes are highly recommended by both Taubes and Weight Watchers.

Weight Watchers will probably never say that a low carbohydrate diet is what they recommend, but they make it very easy to follow one while on the Weight Watchers program.

The risk with making certain foods “bad” like Taubes has done is that restricted foods can have a mystical element to them. Once a food is deemed as “bad” it can seem FAR more appealing than it did before. I think that’s why Weight Watchers allows you to eat whatever foods you want as long as you stay within your Daily Points Allowance. Removing the judgment from food is the first step toward eating healthier.

Gary Taubes has focused on the health aspect of food, but has completely ignored the emotional aspects of it. Weight Watchers is taking BOTH into account by allowing you to eat whatever you want, but gently steering you toward healthier choices. It’s entirely possible to eat a low carb diet while on Weight Watchers as long as you can handle the idea of “bad” foods without spiraling into a binge.

Good Luck!

I received this comment on a post last week:

• Starling Fitness » My Symbiont Part 3 of 3

Nicky Says: June 3rd, 2009 at 9:08 pm

Hi Laura! Your 2006 video made me sad – I felt so bad for you. I hope every day today is not as much of a struggle.

I noticed that you actually use food as a reward for when you exercise…do you think that perhaps a non-food reward would help decrease your obsessional thoughts about food more effectively?

I’m also very concerned about your statement, “If I have a perfect day, I spend some time with a good friend either on the phone or in person.” Two issues – first, the focus on having a “perfect day”. You should feel good even if you have a “pretty good day.” Perfectionism is the route to self-hatred. Second issue – you need to reward yourself with positive social interaction WHETHER OR NOT you had a good or “perfect” day. Positive social interaction may be even MORE important after a “horrible” day – it can help you take better care of yourself the next day!

Good luck – and be good to yourself!

Nicky,

Thanks for the comments and email. Honestly, I still struggle, even after all these years.

As far as using food for a reward, the beast inside us is an animal and not even one that’s as smart as a dog. Food is an incredible reward for it and has helped me have less obsessed thoughts. I make sure the food is healthy, but it’s a great bribe.

For me, a perfect day includes eating all the things I’m supposed to eat:

• Five servings of fruits or vegetables
• Two servings of dairy
• Two servings of protein
• Two servings of healthy oils
• Whole grains
• Six glasses of water
• A multi-vitamin

It doesn’t mean that I have to stay within a caloric limitation or even stop a binge. I just have to feed myself a minimum of healthy food every day. It’s a pretty liberal definition of “perfect,” so there is plenty of wiggle room for me. It’s a little easier to achieve and less likely to cause self-hatred.

Thank you for all the positive comments. I really appreciate it!

Laura

• RT @ginnyky: What I learned today- 1 Big Mac is 12 WW points, 2 cheeseburgers are 14 WW points #

Powered by Twitter Tools.

I’ve talked a lot about retraining the beast within me. If you haven’t read the entries, here they are:

• Starling Fitness » My Symbiont Part 1 of 3
• Starling Fitness » My Symbiont Part 2 of 3
• Starling Fitness » My Symbiont Part 3 of 3

Sometimes it’s like I’m having a conversation with myself and it’s a war within me. Having a year of perfect days is harder than I thought it would be and easier than I thought it would be. Just when I think I’ve got it down, it gets hard again and I have no idea why. This commercial from Nike is JUST what I needed right now.

Next time you find yourself face to face with the beast within you, remember this commercial and those fateful words:

I’m done with you!

Leave your old self behind.

This applies to keeping on running when I want to stop and it applies to eating when I’m not hungry or eating food that I KNOW is going to start a binge. I’m ready to retrain that beast inside of me to do what I want, not what is easy or gratifying.

Via: Twitter / Sue B: Great post on overcoming t …

Every once and a while, I need to indulge in something decadent. Eating healthy is best done in moderation as are indulgences. This month, I want to try bacon pancakes.

Kathy at Merriment Design has the recipe she tried for bacon pancakes with wonderful results.

• Merriment Design » Bacon Pancakes

The next time you need to have an indulgent meal, try bacon pancakes!

Via: Craftzine.com blog : Recipe: Bacon Pancakes

The ever wonderful Braidwood has written a couple of great entries about eating healthy and listening to your body when it comes to eating:

• Every weight issue is really a power issue | Authentic Threads

What impacted me the most when I saw this was hearing that, “The root of the problem is giving away your power.” ! What? That’s the root of the problem? … Hey, that is the root of the problem!

I said that phrase to myself a few times and then turned it around. If that’s the root of the problem, then: The root of the solution is accepting my power.

• Thintuition | Authentic Threads

She recommended this video:

I understand the feeling of not wanting to diet again. Somehow, Weight Watchers works for me because communicating with my body was really hard at first. Weight Watchers gave me a good idea of what to eat to stay healthy. Eventually, I’ll develop enough Thintuition to eat healthy without guidelines, but for now, I WANT to follow a program that helps me make healthier choices.

Yesterday I talked about cupcakes and how the easiest way for me to eat them is to not eat them. If that is confusing, take a moment and read yesterday’s entry:

• Starling Fitness » How To Eat A Cupcake: DON’T

What if I really WANT a cupcake, however?

If I really want a cupcake, I can eat one whenever I want. That is the most powerful reason why it was so easy for me NOT to eat those delicious cupcakes a couple of weeks ago. I knew that I could have one if I wanted, but the thought of eating them stressed me out so much that I didn’t, even though I had plenty of calories left that day to afford one.

Every time I read a diet book that goes into scolding mode about what foods I can and cannot eat, it sends me into a binge. Even if I’m not planning on following that diet, I will start to WANT to eat foods that I never wanted to eat before. If I read a book that told me pickles were bad, I would suddenly want all sorts of pickles: dill, bread and butter, kosher, and sweet. You call it a pickle and I’d want it.

Won’t eat it is VERY different than CAN’T eat it. One is control imposed on me by another person. The other is a CHOICE. We all prefer to have choices. A prison is a prison, no matter how gilded the cage.

For me, eating healthy is about having infinite choices and fulfilling them. The minute I start limiting my choices, the animal within me rebels and craves only those foods I am denied. Ironically, I don’t need to eat foods to consider them one of my choices. I just need to give myself permission to eat them. All of this makes very little sense to me, but learning how to deal with the way my mind works will eventually set me free.

Photo via: Nicole Lee