I found this little gem as I was checking my kids books out at the library. I thought, what the heck... I know how to read too (barely!). I am really glad that I did, as it gave me the opportunity to take the "health" behind my diet a little more seriously.
BTW, this book is a fun read. They really tried to make it interesting and amusing. It's moderately amusing, but it's better than a nursing textbook and I never once fell asleep drooling on it. And yes, back in nursing school that was a quite frequent occurrence. :)
This book talks a lot about your waistline as a good measurement for health. That's because the fat stored around your middle is a bit more deadly then that in your thighs. I, actually, have had a lot of fat around my middle and that's slowly shrinking, and Drew and I also monthly measure our waists. FYI, for women, the optimum waist measurement is 32.5 (or less) and the dangers increase as soon as you hit 37 (which is actually right where I am at at last measurement -- dang it!). For men, the optimum waist size is 35 inches, and there's real health decrease at 40 inches.
In general the whole waist thing makes sense but in reality it's good to know that when dieting properly your whole body shrinks. Sure, I lost 4 inches off my boobs in the first month, but now it's right in line with what I've lost all over. I still do miss those 4 inches though....
They talk a lot about how eating certain substances, like deep fried foods, or sugary foods increases your appetite and how eating foods filled with fiber helps turn on your satiety signals.
They, of course, want you to walk every day for 30 minutes. What is the companionship of walking and weight loss? Either way I have actually started increasing how often I walk and I think walking with a friend does so many great things for your body and your mind, I am glad I did. They also talk about using weights and stretching. I tend to feel like I have the workout thing under control. Maybe not, but it's a nice feeling. :)
They talk about the connection between feelings and food. Back in my pre-weight watchers days I used to sit around wishing I could have something deep fat fried. Turns out that's normal (who knew, I'm normal!). They have a little chart that says this:
If you want... -- Then you may feel....
Tough Foods like meat or crunchy food -- you feel angry
Sugars -- depressed
Soft and sweet foods like ice cream -- anxious
Salty foods -- stressed (aka, deep fat fried foods tend to be really salty)
Bulky, fill-up foods like crackers or pasta -- Lonely
Everything -- Jealousy
It turned a light on. It's just kind of nice to know that your cravings correlate to something. I think I'll refer back to this list when I'm feeling like that, and see if I can't solve the emotional, rather than solving my taste buds. :)
They also talk about how you're GOING to make mistakes and they call it a "YOUturn" -- at the first available exit you turn around and get back with the GPS taking you to skinny-ville. Again, no guilt, no berating. It's just gettin' back on track! Also, this book helps you realize it's about YOU. You're making good decisions for YOU.
So, how as this book changed ME?
Well, along with my new local health food store that has great sales, I am now planning a dish around a vegetable or vegetables that we have. Protein is secondary. I'm also buying some nicer cuts of protein and just using it a little more sparingly to really enjoy the meal. We're also eating brown rice a lot (I don't think my husband's a big fan of that). I'm really happy I got the pressure cooker, as it does brown rice really quickly (horray!). I'm thinking more about the fiber in my foods and how WHAT I eat for points, is just as important as how many points I eat.
They have a lot of great recipes at the back of the book and I'm excited to try some of them. I really want my kids to love healthy meals as much as they love other meals.
And that brings me back to weight watchers. It is great to know that you can eat healthy and for your heart, but it's also nice to have a splurge every now and then, and WW really allows that. Life without splurges isn't going to happen, I shouldn't feel guilty and I should be happy and enjoy my life. 'Nuf said. Also, they didn't talk a lot about portion size (because they want you only eating healthy foods, and they say if you're eating THEIR foods you'll FEEL full so you'll stop, while I'm not so sure about that I think portion control is a main ingredient in weight loss and WW has helped a lot in that area).
So, next time you're at the library, see if they have a copy. I'd recommend it. BUT, you don't have to take my word for it. ;)
. Big mistake ladies. New title for this one:
