The invisible woman

I always thought that as people got older, they just got lazier and that is why they ended up fat. I understand now that this is not the case…

I see many women struggle with weight gain after childbirth, as they mature or because of emotional reasons.  Women are emotional eaters; food is a comfort.  The older you become the harder the weight is to shift.  Hence the kilo’s that once dropped off with a bit of effort, now stay on. There is a tremendous amount of pressure on women to be thin in our society.  I hate thinking and worrying about weight, but the truth is I do.   It goes against every grain in my body to starve myself to be super model thin or to deny myself the many enjoyments in life because of concerns over weight.   However like most women I know, I look in the mirror and think how wonderful my life would be if only I was a few kilos lighter.  Isn’t this ridiculous? The weight loss industry in this country is huge and there is a reason for that, we are getting fatter as a nation. Having spent time recently interviewing women who had lost serious amounts of weight, I was reminded of how weight affects so many women and their self esteem.  Self esteem and weight go hand on hand.  The most amazing results for these weight loss winners, apart from the obvious physical health benefits - was the regaining of their self esteem.  Having their self esteem back enabled them to turn their lives back around.  One comment stuck with me, "I have been invisible for the last five years because people either looked the other way when they saw me or they refused to look me in the eye."  The stories were all simliar, when overweight these women became either invisible to the world or even worse, figures of ridicule. Recently I met Ananda Mahony ND a naturopath and holistic skin specialist. Her practice focuses on the treatment of skin conditions and food as medicine.  Below are her thoughts on fad diets and how we can re-educate ourselves and move towards healthier eating habits.  In order not to become victims of fad diets or the growing weight loss industry, it requires education about healthy living. The Diet Revolution Everywhere we turn another best-selling, weight busting, body shaping diet is the latest answer to our eating problems.  Atkins, Zone, South Beach, low carb, low fat, low protein – if it’s possible it has been offered as a solution to our dietary woes.  But stop and think for a moment - if any of these diets was “the” solution, why is it that Australia is the second most overweight nation in the world?  And indeed why are diseases common to Western nations such as Diabetes type 2 and cardiovascular disease on the rise instead of on the decrease? What is wrong with the way we eat and why is what we eat contributing to the proliferation of disease states?  Well it’s nothing you won’t have already read about.  We eat too much sugar, too much refined and processed food, too much of the wrong kind of fat, too many preservatives and artificial sweeteners and sometimes just too much!  Basically the Western style diet that predominates in Australia is calorie rich and nutrient poor.  We aren’t getting what we need from our food, so our bodies crave more nutrition and we respond by eating more of the wrong foods.  This cycle leaves us nutritionally deficient and often a few kilos heavier than we want to be. The response to the general trend towards obesity is to create a new diet every year and promote it as the answer.  For some individuals these diets may work but more often than not, people enter the “diet roundabout”, losing weight only to put the weight back on and sometimes even more on once they stop following the specific dietary principles. So before you embark on yet another diet, take a critical look at the principles it promotes. Ask yourself these questions:

• Is the diet sustainable in the long term?
• Does this diet provide you with the nutrition you need?
• Is this diet designed to meet a short term goal or is it meant to be a lifelong change?
• Have you tried and failed at “fad” diets before?

Based on the above questions you may actually find that none of the current “fad” diets suit you at all.  Casting a critical eye over some of the most common diets and dietary trends highlights some potential issues. Low fat or non-fat foods

• When manufacturers cut the fat out of food they have to replace it with something that makes it taste good. More often than not, simple carbohydrates such as sugar are used to replace the fat.  A diet high in simple carbohydrates and sugar is a significant contributing factor to central obesity and Type 2 diabetes.  So in fact, low fat foods may be contributing to weight gain.

• Fat sends our brain a message that we have had enough food and so we feel fuller sooner.  We tend to eat a greater quantity of sugary foods than we do foods that contain normal levels of fat.

High Protein Diets

• The reason most high protein diets help with weight loss is that they are essentially a low calorie diet.  Often quite effective in the short term, a high protein diet can be hard to maintain for longer periods of time.

• Keep in mind also that high protein diets tend to severely restrict carbohydrates effectively cutting out a significant nutrient source.  Vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants are reduced and over the long term this does not promote wellbeing.

Calories Counting

• Calorie counting requires discipline and time.  If you have these then this type of diet may suit you.

• Counting calories doesn’t necessarily equate to a balanced diet.  You can eat junk as long as it fits within your calorie intake for the day.

Low Carbohydrate Diets

• Generally low carbohydrate diets can put people on the right track if they rely on carbs as a significant nutrient source.  But what is wrong with carbs?  They are a significant source of B vitamins and magnesium which are essential to energy production.

• The issue isn’t carbohydrates, it is the type of carbs we eat that is the problem.  Limiting the “wrong” carbs is a great idea. Limiting all carbs may not be.

Perhaps the focus needs to shift.  Maybe what we need is not actually a “diet” but rather work with some key dietary habits.  Diets are short term, good habits last for a lifetime. Habits for a lifelong healthy eating Eat whole foods

• Whole foods have one ingredient – itself.  They are un- or minimally processed and don’t contain a raft of additives. Some examples of whole foods include fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains. Think of the colour. Fruit and vegetables are all the colours of the rainbow and grains, nuts, seeds and legumes are often shades of brown.  There is no white food in this mix.  Think colour when you think whole foods.

• Whole foods are rich in nutrients and provide your body more of what it needs for optimal wellbeing.

Choose your carbohydrates well

• If you want carbohydrates in your diet go right ahead but choose wisely.  Choose unrefined complex carbohydrates.  Go for whole meal (brown!) varieties of grain.  They have a lower glycemic index, provide sustained energy and contain in nutrients that promote good digestion and energy production

• Alternate your grains.  If we eat one grain as the basis of our diet, in Australia it is wheat, then we are more likely to develop intolerance.  Mix it up by choosing from the whole meal or brown varieties of spelt, amaranth, rice, buckwheat, quinoa and rye.

• Try more legumes such as beans, split peas, legumes, kidney beans etc.  They are a great source of sustained energy and nutrients.

Choose good oils

• Good oils are found in nuts and seeds, deep sea fish, refined oils such as olive, sesame and coconut oil.

• Avoid trans and hydrogenated fats.  Any oil that was once liquid and is now solid has undergone the process of hydrogenation.  A diet high in hydrogenated oils is directly linked to an increase in cardiovascular disease.

• Processed foods tend to contain hydrogenated fats (and lots of sugar) so are best avoided.

Eat red meat in moderation

• Red meat is a valuable source of protein, as are chicken and fish.  Protein is important for maintenance and repair and so is essential but we can also obtain protein from food such as whole grains, legumes and eggs.

Practice moderation in general

• If you want a treat, have it.  Don’t deny yourself or you may focus on the very thing you want to avoid. But practice moderation and choose your treats wisely.  For example go for good quality chocolate, coffee or alcohol and when you do, take a moment to savor the experience.

Read Labels

• Find out what you are eating by reading labels.  You may be surprised.  If you see ingredients such as flavour enhancers, additives, colours, preservatives etc, think about whether you want to eat that food. If you do choose to eat it, know that your body will have to detoxify it at some later stage.

Ananda also owns Vitale Natural Skin & Body Care, a natural & organic skin care store in Paddington. www.vitalenatural.com.au Do you think weight loss/gain and self esteem are inter-related?   How do you feel about the pressure on women to be thin?  Is weight loss something you think about often?

If you would like to suggest a topic or provide feedback on this blog then I would love to hear from you.   If you would also like to be part of the Brisbane Woman blog and forum, then please email me and receive a weekly reminder.