Finding Your Natural Weight...A Beginning: I

The third of four sessions of our weight loss group (yet to be named) is coming up this Monday.  My goal has been to sensitize people to the issues involved with eating commercially processed foods and to teach people how to eat in a more joyful, healthful way.

The issues that concern me are: high sugar content, lack of fiber and chemical additives with unknown longterm and cumulative effects.  I have introduced our group to healthful alternatives which can be the basis of a lifestyle change that over time will lead to finding their correct natural weight.  I believe this can be accomplished through eating -- in the paraphrased words of Michael Pollan -- real food, not too much and mostly plants.

Each session has been accompanied by a delicious meal, intended to demonstrate that eating real food, easily prepared in a home kitchen, can be delicious and satisfying .  .  . and help in weight loss and maintenance.

In our first session, we reviewed some of the disease statistics related to the standard American diet.  It was startling to consider that (statistically speaking) of 12 people sitting at the table, four would likely become diabetic or pre-diabetic in the next few years.  The issues around blood sugar fluctuations associated with a standard American diet and certainly with the accompanying weight gain are also implicated in heart disease, stroke, certain cancers and Alzheimer's/dementia (now known as Type III Diabetes).  The first assignment was a kitchen overhaul.

Our meal included a large salad of mixed (dark) greens, quickly assembled at the table and dressed with olive oil, lemon and a bit of salt; red lentil kefta (pictured above - an easy recipe shared with participants), mujadarra (another recipe shared), some salads from the cafe and an avocado and orange salad to provide a slightly sweet and rich end of the meal.

In our second session, we first checked in with each other to see how we are doing, and good news!  Almost all of our participants lost 3-4 pounds during the first week, and one person lost 12 pounds! 

We reviewed basic nutrition and how to construct meals for more efficient metabolic processing.   As participants think about how to structure their day, I suggested three meals and two snacks, each to include protein and fats for satisfaction and carbohydrates for energy.  Statistics show that people who eat breakfast are more likely to maintain a healthy weight.  Meals at regular intervals with intervening snacks help prevent hunger, cravings and blood sugar spikes.

Although I am not an advocate of calorie counting and believe that all calories are not created equal...we looked at what percentage of calories should come from the three energy sources provided by food as one way of structuring meals and snacks.  Both carbohydrates and proteins provide 4 calories (a unit of energy) per gram, and fats provide 9 calories per gram.  Traditional nutrition based on a 2000 calorie diet suggests the following: 10-35% of the calories to come from protein; 20-35% of the calories from fats (with no more than 10% saturated); and 45-65% of the calories from carbohydrates.

Another way to look at the structure of meals and snacks and the one I prefer is suggested by Dr. Mark Hyman in his website, www.drhyman.com.  50% low starch, low glycemic fruits and veggies (green carbs); 25% lean protein (yellow carbs - a category that includes beans, for the interest of those who are vegetarian); and 25% complex, slow burning carbs (red carbs).  I like this plan because it is visual and makes it easier to follow -- and easier to eat joyfully and be satisfied.  Who wants to memorize or look up numbers and do mental calculations while you're eating? Better to put together a beautiful plate, whether it's a simple meal or a snack that is half-filled with one easily recognized type of food and half-filled with each of two other easily recognized types.

Dr. Hyman also suggests creating an emergency pack for those occasions when wholesome foods are not likely to be available.  This helps avoid that "starved" feeling we all hate, which often leads to eating too much of the wrong things.  That feeling is also an indication that blood sugar levels have dropped too low....and overeating or eating the wrong things is likely to send them too high.  I like to avoid that starved feeling and feel satisfied by the foods I eat when I eat.

 

During the first session, I realized participants were looking for meals that were quick and easy to prepare, so I asked Jame Thompson, my associate, to prepare brown rice, onions and dark red kidney beans in five different ways.  In under an hour he cooked up five different preparations for us, and the samples served as the main part of our meal.  I hoped this would give our group ideas of ways to use these simple basic ingredients.  Both rice and dried beans can be cooked over the weekend and put in the refrigerator for quick use with a different meal each day of the week. 

Again, we began the meal with a quickly prepared salad of greens followed by a beautiful tomato soup (pictured above) -- both in the "green carbs" category, from which we can eat freely. That tomato soup looks like a rich, creamy tomato, doesn't it?  Participants received this versatile and quick recipe, which includes not a drop of cream.

In our next session, we will learn more about how to eat in a way that keeps blood sugar levels in the fat burning range -- and out of the danger zone that is linked to so many diseases and to weight gain. In our fourth and final session, I will provide tools for moving forward and discuss a plan for ongoing support.