Natural Weight Loss Coach

Today, May 23 2009, I finally got to watch Star Trek with my wife and teenage son.

I don’t know if you’re a Trekkie,  but let me explain the big draw of this movie franchise: the variety and richness of the Star Trek characters.

(Sidenote: My personal favorite is Capt. Picard, and my personal favorite episode is Tapestry.)

The movie starts with the extremely unusual circumstances surrounding the birth of James T. Kirk, the cowboy captain that started it all.

Then it is followed by the strict discplinary, but somewhat controversial upbringing of Spock, in his homeworld of Vulcan.

One by one, we are introduced to the rest of the legendary crew of the USS Enterprise: Lt. Uhura, Doc James McCoy, Lt Sulu, Ensign Chekov, and of course, our Engineer Scotty.

In my opinion however, the movie is slightly more about Spock than Kirk. These two main characters vividly illustrate the differences between the logical Vulcan, and the emotional Human.

The confrontation between Spock’s logic and Kirk’s passionate drive to win was how these two legends were introduced to each other.

In the end, emotions, both good and bad, were the “heroes” that delivered the results. Logic developed the plans on how to achieve the results.

Simply said, emotions drive our behavior more than anything else. Emotions fuel our passion and conviction and determination to get things done.

Emotions, not logic, drive us to do whatever it takes to make things happen. Logical reasoning only develops a roadmap.

So what has this got to do with weight loss?

Herein lies the problem of the weight loss industry in general – we focus too much on:

• the logical equation of calories, and
• the logical approach of restrictive diets, and
• the logical fat burning of exercise.

In reality, we will only change our behavior once we have a deeply rooted emotional reason to become and stay healthy. It could be:

• fear of premature death.
• embarassment from how we look in our bathing suit.
• concern to be a good example for our children.
• our desire to be loved by our spouse.
• anger at those who silently ridicule us for the way we look.

Every person is different. Every single one of us was raised in a unique environment that shaped our emotional character. (That’s why I like the Tapestry episode.)

Regardless of what these factors were in our lives, it is entirely up to us, to identify a deep emotional conviction to finally get us to our desirable and attractive body shape.

In Star Trek, Capt Kirk was driven like a wild man by the inspiration of his father’s heroism.

Spock was intensely conflicted between his logical sensibilities and the traumatic loss of his human mother’s tender love.

Both of them saved the day, pushed by their respective emotions. But it was their logic that carved the path to their success.

Logical and emotional. Combined together, I label it: mental fitness.

In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure. ~ Bill Cosby

What’s it gonna be for you?

Live long and prosper,

Capt Harry

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This a followup post to 2 previous discussions I’ve had regarding counting calories as a MISLEADING technique for weight loss.

If you haven’t read those, I suggest that’s where you start –> Danger of counting calories.

For many, many, many years I thought that I was eating healthy since I would have oatmeal for breakfast every day. I love oatmeal.

However, there were days when I would eat something else – like eggs, or bacon or perhaps some boxed cereals.

There was one thing that I noticed. On those days I had oatmeal, my stomach would grumble in 2 hours or less. Otherwise, I would last for 3-4 hours easily.

That was strange and intriguing to me.

So after several years, dozens of books, hundreds of hours of reading, dozens of doctor consultations, and innumerous blood testing, I learned the difference between fast-burning vs. slow-burning carbs.

Fact Or Fiction?
Food Companies Protect Our Health

Last week, while I was cleaning our pantry, I found some leftover famous brand oatmeal (classic variety.) It was labeled as:

• “100% whole grain”,
• “100% natural”,
• “helps manage blood pressure”,
• “helps lowers cholesterol”
• “helps promote healthy arteries”
• 150 calories per 1/2 cup serving

I now know that this was no good. I have long switched to steel cut oats, which has made a HUGE difference in managing my weight.

Instead of throwing it away, I decided to do a measureable experiment.

You see, instead of calories (a guesstimate at best), I measure blood sugar levels – something more accurate with today’s technology.

Why? Read on.

Myth: Fat Makes You Fat

Fat DOES NOT make you fat. There are other health problems associated with fat intake, but it is NOT the primary reason why we are embarassed with wearing our summer swimsuit.

Excessive blood sugar gets converted into BODY FAT. Yes, the kind that would bulge your belly, and prevent you from wearing your sexy jeans.

Excessive blood sugar also leads to other diseases, like diabetes – which is what prompted me to learn about all these things to begin with.

Anyway, my experiment involves my breakfast as follows:

• 1/4 cup of quinoa
• 1/4 cup of  the “famous brand oatmeal”
• cooked on a stove top, not microwaved
• sweetened with kefir and 10 whole dried blueberries

I took my blood sugar reading before breakfast = 94 mg/dl. Normal.

Then I took my blood sugar reading after 2 hours = 151 mg/dl. Normal. The threshold for diabetics is 160 mg/dl according to WHO guidelines.

Note: Imagine if I prepared a 1/2 cup oatmeal, no quinoa, using the microwaved instant variety and sweetened with sugar. I’m sure it would take me over the threshhold.  That’s what I was doing before I knew any better! As I look back, this was probably a significant contributing factor to my pre-diabetic condition today.

The following day, I prepared exactly the same breakfast, with the exception of the oatmal.

I substituted the “famous brand” with steel cut oats (non-branded from the bulk food section of the grocery).  Everything else was the same.

By coincidence, my blood sugar was also 94 mg/dl before breakfast.

After 2 hours, here’s the magic number = 121 mg/dl.

Wow! Famous brand oats is 151,  while organic non-branded is 121.

30 mg/dl is a SIGNIFICANT difference between the 2 varieties of oatmeal.

Fact: Not All Calories Are Equal

75 calories of the “famous brand oatmeal” DOES NOT equal the 75 calories of quality organic oats.

As my personal experiment indicated, the branded variety had a higher glycemic index than the other. High index means “fast burning”, while low glycemic index means “slow burning”.

The lower the index, the better for weight management.

My other conclusion is this: I tend to avoid processed foods from BIG name corporate giants, and instead I go for organic varieties, whenever I can.

Processing strips the food of micronutrients. Chemical preservatives are added to increase grocery shelf life.

In other words, good calories have been deleted, and replaced by toxic calories. (This is a good subject for another post in the future.)

As you can tell, this is by no means a “scientific” experiment; but this is science GOOD ENOUGH for me!

While the threshhold guidelines are 110mg/dl for fasting and 160 mg/dl after eating, I believe that every person has their own individual threshhold.

So is 151 good for me? I don’t know. Maybe my personal threshhold is 150? or 135?

The point is, anything in excess of that threshold will get converted to fat for some people. In my case, it equates to a higher level of triglycerides.

Even though I’m not overweight, these excessive triglycerides could be contributing to my high blood pressure challenges (again, that’s another story for a whole series of posts).

Do Yourself A Favor: Prove It To SELF

If you are still frustrated and struggling with your weight, I encourage you to invest in a glucometer. You can probably get one between $10-$50 at Walmart.

Here’s a tip: if you’re going to shop by price, compare the costs of the testing strips, not the meter itself. I fell into the trap of a zero cost meter that required expensive strips.

Ask your doctor how to use it. (Although the instruction manual is easier than your VCR or TIVO.)

DO NOT necessarily rely on the “normal” results from your last blood test. You need to understand the cause and effect of your daily eating habits. Like I said, your threshold could be different from the accepted norm.

Years ago, I assumed that the “famous brand”, inexpensive oatmeal was good for me. Today I pay the price – with my health, as well as my wallet.

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Note: If you haven’t yet read the previous post, I suggest that you do that first –> Counting Calories Part 1.

Previously, we talked about the 1st of 2 factors that is not being considered by the “Counting Calories” strategy for weight loss.

Today, we’re going to discuss the 2nd factor: QUALITY.

But first, let me tell you about our family adventure…
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Every week, my wife and I go to the grocery store, crossing out the list of items that we need for the coming week.

We can’t help it but notice the number of overweight people at the grocery shelves. They look at the food labels, and focus intently on “no fat or low fat” or “reduced or zero calories”.

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