I feel like I sound like a broken record lately, but I can't help but harp on some major psychological problems that many people face these days when it comes to healthy living.
There is an obesity epidemic sweeping across western society (and the world) that is only growing at a faster and faster rate these days, with many people either stuck in a rut not knowing how to help themselves, or even worse, finally deciding to fix the situation. What? Why is someone who wants to change their health/lifestyle a bad thing? We as a society are sending the wrong messages.
I have touched on this topic before, the fact that we center our views on success as monumental body transformations rather than sustainable healthy living. Let's face it, as much as it should be the motivating factor for people, losing weight at a safe pace, and changing the fundamental factors associated with the reason for weight gain in the first place, is not 'interesting' to most, it requires too much effort, and most importantly (arguable), it does not make for good TV.
Sure, we could get into a debate over why people gain weight to begin with, and whether it's their fault or other factors involved. But the key thing I want to discuss today is how individuals need to make long-term sustainable changes to their lives in order to make permanent steps forward.
Coming back to the, "I'm sounding like a broken record" thing again, I feel too many people are too lazy to make sustainable changes, are just looking for the quickest, easiest fix going. Case in point, I read recently that "Nose Tube Feeding" practices are increasing in popularity, especially amongst women about to get married. What is that you ask? Well, it is a procedure where a feeding tube is inserted into one's nose, in order to directly 'feed' nutrients to your stomach. This is an extremely dangerous procedure, but the risks seem to be dispelled because of the want or need to restrict calories, and drop those last few 'glamor pounds' before the big day. I could go on about this topic, but others have done some well writing on this topic already.
Also, a new study published in JCEM has found that individuals dropping weight at an extremely fast rate (as seen on shows like the Biggest Loser), can develop what is known as "Metabolic Slowing" or "Metabolic Adaptation". This seems to be similar to a blog I wrote in the past regarding "Set Point Theory" whereas an individuals' metabolisms may actually slow due to losing extreme amounts of weight over a short period of time. This 'slowing' of their metabolisms lead to individuals gaining back most, if not, all of the weight that they lost originally!
Regardless of what your health, fitness, or weight loss goals are, if there is one thing that I have learned over the years, is that healthy, sustainable goals take time. You can not treat your body like a tool where you can simply 'flip' a switch, or take a magic pill, or follow some crazy procedure to make things 'better' overnight. You may see short-term success, but the human body is a marvelously complex organism that requires time, effort, and patience to fully understand it. If you put in the time and effort to make long-term, sustainable changes to your lifestyle, such as exercise and a proper diet, then your body will thank you in return!
Quote of the day:
"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed."
~Theodore Roosevelt
Sources:
Photo - http://www.femalefatlossoverforty.com/blog/2010/08/11/10-weight-loss-mistakes/
http://www.weightymatters.ca/2012/04/church-booked-check-flowers-check.html
http://www.weightymatters.ca/2012/04/biggest-loser-destroys-participants.html
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