08 Feb 2010 at 21:51
uzoma
Introduction
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My name is Uzoma Fenner (I am the one in the middle!). I am a Nutrition & Fitness Counsellor and I run a weight loss retreat for women in southern France. My purpose in writing this blog is to offer a discussion forum on weight issues affecting us in the cultures, environments and societies in which we participate.I will post ideas, research findings, and pose questions on weight related topics. I have developed The Arc Plan Lifestyle which I want to share with you. I hope you enjoy my insights. I look forward to hearing yours.
To leave comments on any of the items, just click on the word ‘comments’ shown next to the article.
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Having recently finished reading this book, I must say that despite her very ‘wordy’ expressions of what could have been said in fewer sentences, Geneen has done well to simplify a subject that occupies over eighty percent of female conversation. Her guidelines for eating are not new but, what I refer to as ‘assertive eating’, is such a common -sense concept that until now, the diet industry has preferred to go down the gimmick route in order to make women feel ‘no pain, no gain’ about their weight loss journey.
I would like to hear from anyone who has been brave enough to abandon the diet of the day in favour of intuitive or assertive eating. What touched you the most in Geneen’s book? For me, it was three lines right at the end of the book that state “In each moment of kindness you lavish upon your breaking heart or the size of your thighs, with each breath you take-God has been here. She is you.” In other words, if we substitute the word ‘God’ with ‘love’, any act of love is a reflection of you at your best. Being kind to yourself means that you value yourself and when you value something , you look after it and keep it safe.
24 Jul 2010 at 00:15
uzoma
Weight Control
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Recent research indicates that after you have lost weight, you have an increase in your emotional response to food. The research also indicates a decrease in activity of the area of the brain that is involved in restraint. One of the hormones that play a role in controlling appetite in the body is called leptin. After significant weight loss, leptin levels drop. This seems to signal to the brain a need to seek more food.
In a recent study, overweight volunteers followed a calorie-restricted diet aimed at shedding 10 percent of body weight. Using MRI scans, the researchers looked at changes in how the volunteers’ brains responded to seeing food after weight loss. Leptin levels dropped and there was more blood flow to areas of the brain known to be involved in the emotional control of food intake. Lowered leptin levels signal the areas of the brain associated with reward-seeking .
This evolutionary programming is out of sync with what is healthiest for our bodies today. The signal evolved over thousands of years when food was scarce. It was the brain’s way of telling the body to seek food and protect fat stores. Many people, particularly those who are prone to gain weight easily, have retained more genes that program us to seek food.When the researchers restored leptin by giving injections of the hormone, the brain response changed. With leptin levels restored, there was more activity in brain areas associated with conscious decisions.
This adds evidence to the fact that crash dieting, or severe restricting of food intake for extended periods of time are not productive methods of weight loss in the long term. So, until the pharmaceutical industry invents a drug that can stimulate leptin signaling , our best option is to make small changes to our habitual energy intakes and aim to lose weight in stages, not all in one go! Patience is key.
05 Jul 2010 at 23:46
uzoma
Body Image
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It is estimated that 1.1 million people in the UK suffer from eating disorders. The numbers are higher in the USA. The majority are females
aged between 12 and 24 years, although women of any age can develop a problem. The media is a wonderful communication and effective marketing tool but perhaps the same media that allows us to feel closer to one another is also a master manipulator of its captive audience.
We are bombarded with images of what we should eat, how we should dress and what we should look like and even when we should act on impulses planted in our heads. No longer do we have to turn on the television or radio to get our ‘fix’, we are fed a steady diet via our social networks, our emails and now our mobile phones. It is no wonder that our youth are confused.
Celebrities are photographed as much for their talent as for their weight. Even those in the ‘healthy’ weight range are air brushed and photo shopped to ‘perfection’. The trend setters become the victims of their own industry.
These powerful influences serve to fuel a sense of personal and almost infectious collective body dissatisfaction amongst young girls and women in particular, and have contributed to the rise in the use of eating disorder behaviours such as obsessive dieting, calorie counting, over-exercising, self-induced vomiting, diet pill and laxative abuse.
Parents have a much greater responsibility these days to protect their children from the attacks on self esteem. Who do you think is to blame and what are your views?
18 Jun 2010 at 00:17
uzoma
Weight Control
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Obesity has now overtaken alcohol as the number one cause of liver disease
.In some cases the damage is so severe it means patients require a liver transplant.Doctors at King’s College Hospital in south London, one of the UK’s leading liver transplant centres, say the rise in obesity means the problem will get even worse in years to come.
We need to stop abusing our bodies and look after ourselves more selfishly. We are sending ourselves to a very early and painful grave. Parents, protect your children from this life leeching disease. No child should be allowed to get obese. It is abusive and has a lasting negative effect on self esteem.
When shopping for food, visit organic produce markets. Just like us, fruit and vegetables do not come perfectly shaped all the time. Due to our demands for perfection we are willing to eat produce that has been waxed shiny, toxin-ed bug free, and genetically modified to suit our demands. We have become more distant from nature and have lost the ability to really enjoy the food that we eat.
Make your food shopping a sensual experience! Pick up fruit and vegetables. Feel the differences in size and weight, gently squeeze to feel for ripeness, breathe in the scents of spices, herbs, and fresh fruit. Can you distinguish between coriander and cumin? How about a mango and a banana; or a black versus a green olive? Take your time choosing what you want. Treat this like you would any other shopping that you enjoy. Be a voyeur and get some visual stimulation! Look at the colours, the different shades, the curves and the presentation of the food. Imagine what you might look like wearing what you are drawn to. Do you think it suits you? Make choices to dress yourself from the inside out. Have pride in your dress sense!
When preparing food, take a moment to observe the sounds, the flavours, the textures and the colours that your ingredients produce . Notice how the food changes with different cooking methods. For example, a broccoli flower is much more vibrant in colour and firmer in texture when steamed than when boiled. Listen to the sound of crisp lettuce leaves being torn to make a salad. Breath in the aroma of fresh ginger and parsley as you cut into them. Feel the texture of your meat stock alter gradually, as you stir in some corn starch.
Food is something to be enjoyed from the shopping of it through to the preparation, and right through to the climax of savouring it. Aaah! That ‘afterglow’ of a well executed repas. Meals should not be rushed, forced or feared. You need to be present with every mouthful. You should leave the table knowing you are completely satisfied but feeling that you did not gorge yourself.
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