I have been reading some interesting blogs lately.  A couple that got me going a bit were from Dave Barnhart at The Fumbling Foodie, writing on the "Pleasure Behind Obesity", and Adam Byrd of Men In Aprons, writing on the same topic in "Is There Pleasure in Obesity?".  I thought about writing this, decided not to, then decided to do so. 

The fact is that it’s a topic I’ve fought for some time.  Both Adam and Dave seem to think it comes down to us just not doing what we should.  It seems very plain and simple, and, on the surface, it is.  However, I’m going to respectfully say that both blogger’s viewpoints are a little too simplified.

This isn’t a typical topic for me, so wait a day or so for a different one if you’re not interested in weight issues (it deals pretty directly with barbecue, and you’d know that if you have ever been to a competition! )

Where I respectfully differ from the opinions of some has to do with how simple the solution to obesity can be.  For some, especially those without an issue, it appears to be as easy as just not eating the wrong or too much of the right stuff.  That can be akin to someone who’s never suffered from depression saying that you just have to think happy thoughts!

I’ve tried, though my blog, to be honest with myself about some things, so here is my history and the problems around it:

First, I will admit that I like to eat.  Surprise, surprise… I have a food blog, shouldn’t shock anyone.  Back in my 20’s, I was actually in pretty decent shape, then I had a really bad sprained ankle, and my activity level was severely diminished for some time.  During the next couple of years, I put on weight.  I couldn’t run without a good amount of pain, so that included a lot of activities.  As I put on weight, it got harder to take it off when I did try.  Being a guy, it’s also pretty easy to see the slimmer, younger version of yourself when you look in the mirror!

Over some time, I also didn’t realize that I had developed sleep apnea.  This is kind of a vicious cycle sort of thing; sleep apnea means that you don’t get into deep sleep because, as you do, your windpipe collapses, and your body has to wake up out of deep sleep to keep air flowing.  The vicious cycle part is that, because of not getting deep sleep, you don’t produce HGH correctly, and your thyroid doesn’t trigger correctly, so your metabolism slows and you gain more weight.  See the cycle?

Without knowing about the sleep apnea, I tried really hard to do the Body For Life program a couple three times, and did great for about 6 weeks each time.  I’d then reach a point where I couldn’t continue on pure willpower because my body wasn’t getting the rest it needed to maintain the energy level needed to continue.  This would cause me to get a bit depressed and revert to some comfort foods.

I thought I finally found ‘the thing’ for me.  And I still think it’s the right approach.  It’s called the 3 hour diet, by Jorge Cruise.  The basis is simple; eat something every 3 hours, and your metabolism works better.  In 10 weeks last year, I lost about 30 lbs.  Unfortunately, my household was hit with a lot of stress, and I again reverted to bad ways.  I’m now getting back to the right way of doing it, and I feel pretty confident that it will work.  I include in it work on an elliptical trainer, so I’ll get good exercise that way.

If you, my readers, respond to this and tell me you’re at all interested, I’ll post weekly progress.  The guidelines for the way of eating are pretty straightforward, and I’m going to use barbecue in it, too, though that’s probably not optimal (more on this in a moment).  Just send me an email or post a comment, and, if it will be of any help to others, I’d be happy to make a fool of myself by posting both good and bad progress over the next months.

Here is the problem with assuming that just eating the right things, etc., is all it takes, and why diets don’t work:

First, there’s a lot of psychology wrapped into food, and saying it’s nothing but wanting too much pleasure is way too much of a simplification, usually from someone that is looking from the outside in. 

Second, the foods we eat, in part, are about who we are, our families and our history.  Telling me I can’t eat certain things on a diet means, pretty much, that I’m going to fail at it.  However, telling me to limit my intake to the right amounts and not to feel guilty about it means that I can give that a shot and probably stick with it over a long time.  I probably won’t lose weight as quickly if I eat barbecue for my protein vs. eating nothing but fish, but I’ll do it in such a way that I don’t feel like I’m having to give up a part of my life as it is.  If it takes me longer to get to my goal but I still feel that I’m me, then I’m happy with that.  If I can do it using a method that I can not only lose the weight but can maintain it afterwards, even better.

So let me know if you’re interested in hearing my progress…

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