It is a genetic fact that there are chemicals in our brains that if not in proper quantities, will never tell you that you are full. While so much of our money and time goes to drug and pregnancy issues, weight affects more people the the other two combined.
I have lost lots of weight, lots of times in many different ways. 95% of us are not successful in keeping weight off. Thirty some years ago, I lost 100 pounds with Weight Watchers and kept if off for over 5 years. A 10 day trip to SLC to help my sister go thru a difficult brain surgery was all it took. I can still taste those chocolate donuts in the hospital's cafeteria that I couldn't live without by Day 2. I certainly believe in emotional eating and obviously, that was the trigger THAT time. There are so many chapters in a eaters life, that they take turns, showing up. That last time I lost a large amount of weight was 7 years ago with the throat thing. DD thought I looked sick but I still weighed over 135 - nothing skinny about that.
So you factor in the chemicals, the emotions, the addictions and and overwhelming love of all things, cake. Cake is the perfect food. It fills every need, every last one. To this day, I dream about cake.
Today, I heard a doctor say, If someone can keep the weight off for 5 years, check in at 10 years, If he can keep if off for 10 years, check back at 15 years. Sometime in his life before he dies, he will gain the weight back.
That is not good news. The other staggering news is the prediction has been made that today's generation will not outlive their parents. With a MacDonald's on most corners and a less-active lifestyle, this is not hard to believe. I have no solution. It comes down to choices but it is a staggering task. Kids and candy go together like nana and cake. I am still waiting for medical science to figure it out. 15 years ago, I met with a doctor from Colorado who was actively working on a fat pill. He was there to help us break down the sugars in many different products we wanted to explore using in our ethanol process but he knew that the same ideology was the link to both.
It looks like the medical profession decided there was more interest in erectile dysfunction. They sure jumped on that bandwagon fast - I don't remember a parade or telethon or PSA that warned us of this dangerous situation yet, here we are with a cure!
I will go to my grave craving cake and Diet Coke. I am under no illusion that one day it will be different but for my grandkids, I hope there is progress made. Now the talk is about going green, organic food and our love for all things exercise. Had a conversation with an old friend the other night who has been in Sales and Marketing in the food industry for over 39 years. He said the quickest way for an item on a restaurant menu to die is to put "organic" by it. What we say and what we want are two different things...
All that doom and gloom - there are things you can do and that is accept what is. You will always love food that isn't good for you, always. There is no cure. It is a daily battle. The good news, if you accept these facts and learn to make peace with living a more balanced life, you can live with it. You can have your cake and eat it too...not just all at once.
