Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Latest news on weight
July 12th.
After a week in Valencia it is obvious that a list of food and alcohol consumed would be boring in the extreme. Suffice to say that much beer,wine, assorted tapas and paella was enjoyed. The overall weght gain/loss :- nil. Exactly the same, though of course different clothes and different weighing scales may disguise a very minor weight change.
Returning to the computer after an eight day absence, I am embarrassed to see that I had made a mistake in an earlier blog that BMI was Basal Metabolic Index. Of course it really should have said Body Mass Index which relates weight to height. My apologies.
One further significant thing has occurred during the last few days and that is that I have been reading William Leith's book 'The Hungry Years' which I can recommend to those overweight or obese people who have a problem in discussing their weight. There seems little point in worrying about your weight unless you really want to do something about it.Just as alcoholics have to admit they have a problem before they seek help, so the obese must admit that they are overweight so they can sensibly tackle the problem. Leith's book vividly describes the psychology behind the bingeing though I do not agree that excessive insulin production is the cause of the 'hunger' that drives the obese to eat more and more. Increased insulin production by the pancreas is necessitated because the obesity causes Insulin Resistance. It is of course typical that people have to think that there is some explanation for their bad habit of overeating other than gluttony. This seems to be a more than adequate explanation in someone with a rather addictive personality- in his case not only for food but alcohol, drugs and sex. He may be right that increasing his intake of carbohydrates doesn't assuage his hunger but this is more likely due to the loss of the usual control mechanisms in the hypothalamus.
I am now back at work so there is a good possibility of a more predictable diet. There will be no daily alcohol and meals will only be taken at home after my return from work. I will port the meals I consume the following day and also the amount of exercise Itake. On holiday I walked several miles each day or perhaps strolled is a better way of putting it. At work of course I cannot estimate how far I walk but I'm on my feet most of the day. I have a plan to take more exercise than before.
After a week in Valencia it is obvious that a list of food and alcohol consumed would be boring in the extreme. Suffice to say that much beer,wine, assorted tapas and paella was enjoyed. The overall weght gain/loss :- nil. Exactly the same, though of course different clothes and different weighing scales may disguise a very minor weight change.
Returning to the computer after an eight day absence, I am embarrassed to see that I had made a mistake in an earlier blog that BMI was Basal Metabolic Index. Of course it really should have said Body Mass Index which relates weight to height. My apologies.
One further significant thing has occurred during the last few days and that is that I have been reading William Leith's book 'The Hungry Years' which I can recommend to those overweight or obese people who have a problem in discussing their weight. There seems little point in worrying about your weight unless you really want to do something about it.Just as alcoholics have to admit they have a problem before they seek help, so the obese must admit that they are overweight so they can sensibly tackle the problem. Leith's book vividly describes the psychology behind the bingeing though I do not agree that excessive insulin production is the cause of the 'hunger' that drives the obese to eat more and more. Increased insulin production by the pancreas is necessitated because the obesity causes Insulin Resistance. It is of course typical that people have to think that there is some explanation for their bad habit of overeating other than gluttony. This seems to be a more than adequate explanation in someone with a rather addictive personality- in his case not only for food but alcohol, drugs and sex. He may be right that increasing his intake of carbohydrates doesn't assuage his hunger but this is more likely due to the loss of the usual control mechanisms in the hypothalamus.
I am now back at work so there is a good possibility of a more predictable diet. There will be no daily alcohol and meals will only be taken at home after my return from work. I will port the meals I consume the following day and also the amount of exercise Itake. On holiday I walked several miles each day or perhaps strolled is a better way of putting it. At work of course I cannot estimate how far I walk but I'm on my feet most of the day. I have a plan to take more exercise than before.
# posted by Bob @ 4:33 pm 
