Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Resistance Is Futile?

I haven't stepped foot in a brick and mortar bookstore in a long time and I was surprised and not surprised to see this book display right by the door. After all, the diet industry is a kabillion dollar one:

Every year, Americans spend an estimated $42 billion on diet books; $18.5 billion on health club memberships; and $5.2 billion on diet foods and weight loss programs. (Eat This Not, That! For Kids!, 2)
I've been holding onto Eat This, Not That!, countless magazines and doctors Roizen and Oz's book YOU On A Diet which I got from the library. One of phrases that continues to roll around in my head from YOU is:

...fructose tricks your body into staying hungry.(258)
And this passage keeps me thinking about food memory:

When you eat sugar, you light up the motor cortex of your brain, which controls your lips, tongue, and mouth. The hippocampus, which controls memories of food, lights up when people on rigid diets crave certain foods -- overwhelming their willpower and ability to resist. (167)
I must have been absolutely radiant for decades and part of me wants to remember every amount of saturated fat and sugar that I've put in my mouth. Hence, the Kryptonite (partial list) on the sidebar. I want to remember so that I don't forget. Rigid, maybe, but that's how I roll right now but it also keeps me on point. When I'm eating out (usually because of a work function or family/friend celebration), I usually decline decadent stuff because I know there's a lower calorie option that's satisfying and, for me, once Pandora's pantry is open, it's wide open.

I was reading a post over at Farty Girl and found out about the other Gillian -- Gillian McKeith. Her temperament reminds me of The Biggest Loser's Jillian Michaels. One minute Michaels, in particular, will be working my nerves with the it's-not-what-you're-eating-it's-what's-eating-you angle and then she'll come up with a winner:

Jillian to Victoria (Season 9, Episode 13):

I don't want anything from you. What do you want from you?
In the end, McKeith and Michael's hearts are in the right place. If you haven't seen You Are What You Eat, it's worth taking a peak at. I love the food options that she presents.

12 comments:

  1. I always get a kick out of that show, it's gross the stuff people eat too. lol

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  2. Nicci@NiftyEats,

    I'm definitely fascinated by the show right now.

    The *images of gluttony* that she presents to people is so eye-opening and, yeah, icky too.

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  3. I've never heard of that show - it sounds really fascinating!!

    I love the quote about food memory. That is so true!

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  4. I can attest to fructose's power to perpetuate hunger. And it's not just decadent desserts; most fruit makes me hungry too. I still eat them, but now I put them at the beginning of a meal, not as a dessert or snack.

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  5. The show, you are what you eat, looks great! I'm going to have to check more of these out

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  6. @Diane,

    I have so many memories about food that I should probably do a separate post on it. :)


    @Gingersnapper,

    I was going to say that fruit doesn't make me *light up* but it does. On a more serious note, it doesn't leave me hungry the way that cake and other stuff does. There were some days when I felt like I could eat a seven course meal made up strictly of desserts.


    Hi She-Fit,

    If you watch a few more episodes, I think you'll be hooked like me. :)

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  7. O
    M
    G
    as the kids no longer say.

    Ive never even heard of that show.

    must.see.

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  8. Miz,

    I still say OMG. :) Yeah, Gillian had me cracking up in that episode -- chasing people around in a pink sweater trying to weed out the rubbish and she certainly doesn't mince words...

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  9. WOW! That "You are What You Eat" lady doesn't pull any punches...Neither does the narrator :)

    I haven't watched the show before...

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  10. @MS. Bad Mama Jama,

    No, she doesn't pull any punches; I used to think that one of my aunts was blunt but, dang, McKeith takes it to another level.

    The narrator cracks me up too.

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  11. I'm so glad you enjoyed watching Gillian! Every episode is EXACTLY the same, but I can't get enough of her! For me, she reinforces why I eat what I eat and makes me feel less like a freak when I'm out with friends and family.

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  12. @Farty Girl,

    I'm so glad that I read about the show on your blog. I've been watching quite a few episodes and I'm hoping that I don't run out anytime soon and, you're right, it's good reinforcement.

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