Eat Fat to Lose Weight and Beat the Blues

Do you eat because you feel depressed?

Even having lost 125 pounds and fought off the demon of depression, I still have strong urges to grab a pint of comfort when stressed or depressed...in my case the pint is usually Ben & Jerry's.

I know from personal experience that eating all that sugar only temporarily helps the feeling of depression.

Well a study done in Spain indicates we can actually eat foods to help prevent depression in the first place!

The famous "Mediterranean diet" appears to be the answer--eating an abundance of fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats is olive oil, nuts and fish.

It may be the fats that have the biggest benefit--olive oil has oleic acid, and omega-3 fatty acids from fish give our serotonin levels a boost. Serotonin is the feel-good hormone, and is what many anti-depressants target.

This is another important reason why we shouldn't just eliminate or drastically cut back on all fats. Keeping some good, healthy fats in our diet is important for our moods, our mental abilities...and it also helps your insides stay regulated and your skin feeling smooth.

Eat healthy fats as part of your plan for losing or maintaining weight. It is a healthy part of any successful, permanent weight loss program.

Am I Fat Because of My Genes?

Yet another study has come out blaming our being fat on genetics.

I used to take some comfort in these studies. It took away some of the pressure and responsibility--it allowed me to continue to be obese. After all, it must be in my genes!

Never mind that no one had ever done a genetic test on me--I didn't actually know whether or not I carried this or that gene. I simply chose to presume I did.

Why? It allowed me to be a victim, to not take responsibility for my own body and my own health.

OK, so even if I have the gene that gives me a greater chance at being fat...it does not guarantee that I will be fat. The gene itself living in my DNA does not make me fat...any more than having the cancer gene means we will develop cancer. We may have a greater chance of developing these conditions because of the gene, but it is not a foregone conclusion.

In all things, we still have CHOICE! Hurray for that!!!

Choice takes us out of the victim role and EMPOWERS us in our lives.

I have learned that a positive attitude combined with portion control and moderate exercise allow me to be a healthy, happy individual. One who has lost 100 pounds, to boot!

So How Come I Still Feel Fat?

I've lost 100 pounds (Hooray for me!), so how come I still feel fat? And why did I not dance up and down and celebrate and boast about my success? Instead I allowed myself to wallow in feeling fat.

Being with my family recently really made me think about that. I don't know that I have ALL the answers but I have come up with a couple.

First is mental image of self vs PHOTOS! I was feeling really good, trim, etc. Heck I know that I am not at my ideal weight yet--but I am well on my way. But I saw some pictures of myself and I was surprised at my reaction. Instead of seeing my progress I really saw how "big" I still am.

In my mind's eye, I look trimmer than I do in photos. And that has always been the case. I looked at the photos and thought, wow, how can 100 pound weight loss not be more significant in appearance?

Goes to show I still have a lot of work to do on my self image. Looking at myself in the mirror is not the same as seeing a photo. Is it that the camera actually adds 10 pounds? Or is it that because it is a static image and so you don't see the "life" or movement? It is easier to look at a photo critically (or objectively) perhaps than when looking in the mirror. In the mirror it is easier to gloss over some areas and move to some favorites.

Just a theory.

By the way, I decided to look at some photos from about 75 pounds ago...when I compare those to my current photos I can see a huge difference.

Weight loss tool note: when looking at photos, have a progression so you keep the positive attitude.

And maybe, just maybe I'll be willing to put up some photos!

Starving is Not the Answer

One of my good friends, a guy who happens to be about 6 feet tall, has been trying to drop a few pounds...mostly around his middle. He has that lanky build that no one in my family has, so instead of chunking out all over like we do, he was developing a little pot belly. Or beer belly. Literally.

He finally gave up the beer because of some health issues and he is looking good. When I saw him last he mentioned that he had hit a wall though. Hmmm...I think we call that a "plateau", and practically every woman on earth, or at least in the US knows that.

He told me he was frustrated because he was taking in less than 1000 calories a day and not losing weight.

If you are like my buddy, thinking that by dropping your caloric intake to extreme lows you will lose weight, then you too are in for a rude shock. Frankly, I thought he knew better than this, but he didn't.

If you reduce your calories you will lose weight at first. But if you do it by too much for very long your body thinks you are going through a famine period and will actually retain weight! Your metabolism will slow down and, because it won't be possible for you to maintain a ridiculously low caloric intake (especially if you aren't getting rewarded with dropping fat)you will start to eat more. So now if you eat a healthy amount of calories, say 1200-1500 for a typical woman wanting to drop some fat, more for a guy my friend's size, you will actually GAIN fat back.

I know this from personal experience. I tried the Liquid Protein Diet back in the 70s. I lost a lot of fat, sure, but it didn't last. And when I put the weight back on, it came on super fast and even more than I had lost. AND I had years and years of a whacked out metabolism making maintaining any kind of healthy weight extraordinarily difficult.

I have found that by mixing it up, I feel better and my body responds much better, too. Some days I might eat less than 1000 calories, but other days I eat over 2000. As long as I keep the variety my body stays in a healthy balance and my fat level is dropping. Not that I'm actually counting calories--but after decades of dieting, you start to get an idea of how many calories you are taking in, even without counting. Kind of like cooking without a recipe.

So my tip for the day is mix it up. Don't pig out all the time, but don't let your body think it will be starved either. You'll be able to enjoy life and you will be a healthier weight while you do!