Everyday Systems

I saw this link on another site. Thought it looked interesting.
Just watched it. Sounds like if you started life slim, it is easier for you to lose weight.
Eating double my calories, sounds more like a chore than fun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q17NZNDjcBs&fmt=18

Sooo interesting.......... I feel like I've learned a lot, yet I didn't learn anything at all. lol.

This is neat. I'm on the 5th segment.

Sure, ok, a virus or a gene can make you tend to be larger, BUT I think much of the time (at least in my case) it's "helped" by snacking and seconds and daily desserts and fast food and...

shamrockmommy wrote:This is neat. I'm on the 5th segment.

Sure, ok, a virus or a gene can make you tend to be larger, BUT I think much of the time (at least in my case) it's "helped" by snacking and seconds and daily desserts and fast food and...

One of the most interesting parts and most common-sense parts was that the food that easily had the most calories were the sweets, the CHOCOLATE. Consequently one of my favorite foods that I am avoiding like the plague.

I just watched the first episode since I'm actually at work (clearing of throat), but it looks fascinating. Thanks for sharing!

Homework: Everybody watch this over the weekend so we can discuss!

It makes me a bit sad- in one of the segments, they show 4 yr olds who have just eaten lunch. They are all presented with some sweets. Some actually push the plate away because they are full and not interested. Others eat a few pieces, others eat the entire plateful.
They say kids who snack after meals and who feel full anyway who eat in this pattern are likely to be obese.

Both my kids can eat a meal and then want a snack.

Yeah, I thought of a couple of my nieces and nephews. One of my nieces has actually hidden Oreo packs from her mom before... When there are cookies on the table, my one nephew can constantly eat them, while other kids are not interested at all. These two are siblings. I worry that they'll be unhealthy later in life.

There is a little girl who visits her grandma in the summer and attends our church. Her family is into the beauty pageant thing (don't get me started on this). She is a cutie, all right but SO overregulated about how she can dress, sit, walk, stand, etc. We go out to dinner after services and I talked to her one week about what she likes to eat.

She said, well I eat what my parents or grandparents tell me to. They don't want me to get fat.

I said, what about when you are alone? She said, I hide marshmallows under my bed. My mom thinks she just forgot to buy them sometimes.

I was very

Nicole,

Don't you wonder how kids that are constantly snacking can possibly sit through a few hours of school and make it until lunch?

A caller called the Dr. Laura show and said she was worried about her ten year old son who was getting too heavy.

Dr. Laura said, Does he eat more than a normal meal three times a day?

The woman said, Oh yes, he fills his plate up over and over again.

Dr. Laura told her to fill his plate for him, if he asked for more (after eating what would be a healthy amount of food), tell him that there would be more food at the next meal.

The woman was shocked at this concept.

You know, eating three healthy meals a day being a "normal" way to go.

Yeah my brother's kids' problem is they get snacks all the time, they're not overregulated. Then when my brother and sister-in law decide that they'll put their foot down and say 'no more food', the kids freak out, cry, etc. Then they give in. So not only are two of my nieces and nephews getting overweight, they are spoiled rotten and really know how to get their way all the time. *sigh*. I try not to judge, but there has to be a better way, right?

Well, we put a lot of healthy food on the table and give some choices ("there are three veggies, choose two"). If our son asks for more of something he loves, we say "after you've had X" (whatever is on his plate that is healthy but neglected).

He can choose to leave the table without eating that stuff, but since we eat "healthy food first; treat food in limited amounts," he can't have dessert unless he's eaten a reasonably balanced meal.

We keep dessert portions small. I would like to make them less frequent, but would be fighting both my husband and son on this, so have let that go unless overweight becomes an issue. (Both my guys seem to expend enough energy that they're okay.)

We also distinguish between SNACKS and TREATS. Snacks are food eaten outside mealtime, but that would be perfectly appropriate as part of a meal. An apple is a snack, or some cheese. A treat is something sweet or junky.

At home, we follow the "don't offer, don't refuse" policy on snacks. If he asks, he can have one as described above (he's growing, and sometimes needs more food than other times). But we don't offer them. And now that he's 8, we don't let him have them too close to a meal. (Though, if he insists he's starving, I'll put out an "appetizer" of cut-up veggies/fruit as I prepare the meal. Sort of blends snack/meal.)

We have also ALWAYS insisted that food be eaten at the kitchen table. I have thanked my lucky stars that we did that so many times! It's not just a good habit for eating - it eliminates food litter all over the house, which I've seen other moms struggle with. (I will let him take apples or something outside, but he can't eat at the computer or in front of the tv or that kind of thing.)

For my child, this is working well. I have seen him leave wonderful desserts unfinished, announcing "I'm done" because he's full. Sometimes he'll ask us to "save it for later," which we carefully do. (Don't want him getting into over-eating out of fear that he can never have it again... as I have done in the past.) It makes me glad to see him in such good touch with his own levels of hunger - I'm still learning that skill.

Thanks for the long response! I just got married, so we think about having kids.. I might get pregnant in a little over a year ..!!! This is the kind of stuff I often think about. You don't want to be too controlling b/c of the adverse affects but you don't want kids to eat whatever they want b/c of THOSE adverse affects. You've struck a nice balance. I'll try to, too .. one day!

The amount of snacks available to kids drives me nuts. My daughter is in middle school and she was having an after-school theater class for which the teacher requested money for snacks. At soccer games, they got oranges at halftime and a sugary drink and snack at the end (my daughter didn't start soccer 'til 3rd grade and this was set in stone).

My daughter will sometimes say she's hungry when probably isn't. We have a new adjective: treaty. She's very slim (adopted ) so I don't worry too much.

I thought it was interesting in this video where they talk about the man who lived off his fat for over a YEAR.....!!! Only had water and vitamins. Can you imagine? He must have felt pretty horrible. Interesting though.

ou812 wrote:I saw this link on another site.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q17NZNDjcBs&fmt=18

Thanks for sharing this.
I enjoyed watching it a great deal.

Nichole wrote:Thanks for the long response! I just got married, so we think about having kids.. I might get pregnant in a little over a year ..!!! This is the kind of stuff I often think about. You don't want to be too controlling b/c of the adverse affects but you don't want kids to eat whatever they want b/c of THOSE adverse affects. You've struck a nice balance. I'll try to, too .. one day!

I never thought about this stuff until I HAD kids -- and even after having them, there's a good two or three years before it's an issue.

My "rules" were a little different from KCCC's. They had to take a bite of everything. If they chose not to eat more than that bite, it was okay. If dessert was offered (not often in our house), they could have it, even if they hadn't eaten a lot of the dinner. Snacks (usually fruits or vegetables) were always available, but usually not offered unless dinner was going to be delayed for some reason.

Food was food -- neither a reward or a punishment. If we made popcorn while watching TV or a movie, everyone got to have it -- whether or not dinner had been finished.

I found it interesting that, basically those who store fat easily would be those who survive starvation periods. In essence, they are the ones who are evolutionarily superior (in times of scarcity). In the modern age of excess, this has flipped to become a detriment. Which way will the human race continue? That of excess food availability, with consequent excessive diseases and results? Or, given extended food availability, will the fat storage capability of humans adapt so that less excess is stored? If so, what will happen to humanity should food become scarce again...? Ack! well, that's well beyond MY lifetime, so I'll continue to hold back on intake...

I thought it was interesting that they reasoned that the people who did not put on extra weight even though they weren't allowed to exercise probably just fidgeted more. I have never been one to fidget but I know it works. My husband has a big mid-section and face but if you just saw his legs you would think he was a tennis pro. He twitches all the time so his thighs and calves are totally toned even though he never exercises.

If I caught the "fat virus", it was before I was 6. That's a mean thing to expose little kids to.

Don't forget to FIDGET!

That was a really interesting documentary! I feel enlightened, a little depressed and kind of nauseated afterwards. So it seems that our genes determine our weight after all! Hmmmmm.....!

What is true, now I believe, is that the best thing to do is to lose weight little by little and have behaviors that control the weight for the rest of ones life. It's all a little sad for me since I love food and can be quite a glutton.

I'm still trying to get a handle on "No S-ing" but I believe that if I do, it will definitely help with reducing my weight.

TingTing wrote: So it seems that our genes determine our weight after all! Hmmmmm.....!

Although our genes may have some say in our bodies 'preferred' weight, genes do not account for the obesity epidemic. Which, if I recall from the No S Diet book, can roughly be said to have started in 1980. Genes, and Evolution cannot account for the obesity rise, because evolution just doesn't work that fast. So for the vast majority of us, we cannot use 'genes' as our excuse...

Apologies to Reinhard for totally screwing up what he wrote in his book so much more eloquently.

I don't think this study came to one conclusion. Weight is a complicated thing and many factors can attribute to it. That's what I got from the documentary overall.

Well, I'm finally watching this, and enjoying it. I agree with Nicole that it's quite a complex question.

I do think there is a genetic component, but genetics are not destiny.

My family tends toward overweight, even obesity. I was headed down that same path, but caught it and made a determined effort to change my eating and health habits in my 20's. With those changes, I have maintained a reasonable weight during most of my adult life. It has taken effort - I do have to work at maintaining a reasonable weight more than some people. But it's not unmanageable and I feel that there's a very high payoff for the effort.

And of course, No-S makes it MUCH easier.

I've seen studies in other areas that indicate that there are a number of genetic traits that have environmental triggers. I think No-S cuts out a lot of those triggers.