by Libby Weaver
There is no judgment here. Just a tip-of-the-iceberg observation of how quickly and significantly the world in which we live has changed. We are guinea pigs in so many areas. Never before has a group of people been exposed to pesticides for their entire lives. Never before have there been artificial sweeteners, colors, and preservatives in our food for the entirety of our lifetimes. I am crossing every finger and toe and even my eyes in the hope that they are safe. My instinct tells me they are not.
We have also witnessed a rapid expansion of the human frame and waistline. As hygiene practices have improved, along with nutrition generally, we have literally grown to new heights. Unfortunately, our waistlines have grown, too, which is both a sign and a consequence of our times.
At a cellular level, we have basically the same human body as our ancestors. Every generation evolves ever so slightly to be better equipped to inhabit its environment. This rate of evolution, however, is nothing compared to the change of pace in the world. Our conscious minds may have developed to keep up with the times, so that we are able to email while we talk on our cell phone at the same time as we remember that we must pick up the children from school, but biochemically we are much the same as we were 150,000 years ago. Still the same, too, is our subconscious mind, which is infinitely more powerful than our conscious mind. The subconscious mind makes our heart beat and our hair grow. It knows how to heal a cut without you having to tell it to do so. Don’t you think that is amazing? I do not believe that our nervous systems, which enormously affect every cell of our bodies, every hormonal system, every organ, every aspect of fat burning, have been able to keep up with the rate of change that this time in human history demands of us.
Between our laptops and wireless modems, our cell phones and email systems, we are asking our bodies to go places they have never ever been before. Never have we had a “mail” system that is immediate. Never have we had too little time to prepare our own food. Never have we held phones to our ears 24/7. We are already beginning to learn of the consequences of some of these behaviors. What we are yet to truly realize en masse in the Western world is that the seeming urgency and the pace at which we are living is a disaster for human health, in particular our nervous systems. Not to mention the quality of the “immediate” food that goes along with this lifestyle.
We are so far removed from our origins that you can now eat a tomato in the middle of winter if you choose. As silly and insignificant as that sounds—and, of course, there are much more destructive food habits than eating a tomato in winter, as tasteless as they may be—it is a clear indication that we have lost touch with the guiding light of nature when it comes to not just our food but also our whole way of living. And in my opinion, Mother Nature knows best. Once, not so long ago, we treated colds with garlic and lemons. Now, we take a pill and hurry on. I could be on my soapbox for weeks! Essentially, it takes awareness and a commitment to eat with the seasons, even if you do so only some of the time, and it is certainly a challenge truly to rest in this age of immediacy. Yet rest we must.
We now ask our glands and organs, our livers, our gallbladders, our kidneys, our adrenals, our thyroids, our ovaries, our testes, our brains, and our digestive systems to cope with whatever we consume in our rush. There are, of course, consequences to this superfast pace of living and this book has been partly born out of my observations and reflections, as well as the science I have learned about what this period in our evolution is requiring of us.
We are not wired to cope with constant pressure, perceived or real, nor are we equipped long-term to eat poor-quality food and lead sedentary lifestyles, strapped to our computers, cell phones plugged into our ear sockets. As I said, this is the tip of a partially inglorious but incredibly fascinating iceberg and the Western world needs to ask, “Where to from here?” Let me remind you of what you already know.
Introduction: The Big Picture First
Accidentally Overweight is about what has to happen for a human to be able to access body fat and burn it. Essentially it is about weight loss and all the things that need to come together in our bodies to make it possible. The ultimate intention behind this book, however, is to free people from their battle with their bodies—a battle that may interfere with them sharing their full gifts with the world. Sound altruistic? Let me explain.
Whether consciously or subconsciously, many people are frustrated by how they feel about their body, or its appearance, and this frustration can take up headspace and influence their moods. This in turn can affect their self-esteem and the way they relate to the people around them. There are days when they feel fine, even quite good and positive, but the next day, or even later the same day, they feel revolting again, often for no obvious reason. They might feel heavy or swollen or sluggish or puffy or bloated or just plain yuck. When we feel this way, do you think we are likely to treat people—including ourselves and the people we love the most in the world—kindly or impatiently? Typically, it is the latter, and because those on the receiving end of your frustrations don’t usually deserve the behavior you are dishing out, or understand the reasons behind it, they can easily interpret it with meanings that reflect how you feel about them, such as “he doesn’t like me” or “she doesn’t love me.” Such unintended messages, and being on the receiving end of your impatience or sadness, can then go on to influence how they interact with others and feel about themselves. You can see how this vicious cycle can be perpetuated.
Furthermore, when we feel this way about ourselves, do you think we are likely to make excellent or poor food choices? Once again, the latter is the likely scenario, which of course only serves to compound our lousy view of ourselves. Yet, such a perspective is usually far from being at the front of our minds when we make such choices and so we just feel sadder and sadder about ourselves, including our appearance. We may feel like we will never be any different.
The other way I see challenges and frustrations with the body enormously affect a person’s world is by the deep sadness that can develop—especially if they have, from time to time, made massive efforts to eat well and exercise regularly with little or no reward. Feeling like they are making no progress can drive their gaze inward and take up so much time and focus, again consciously or subconsciously, that they are unable to see that their body is, among many things, a tool through which they can learn. And the lessons on offer are those that can assist the individual as well the world around them. I’ve come to see that it is almost never about the body, just as it is never about the food. These are just the vehicles doing their best to wake you up. It is about a bigger picture. And once you’ve caught even a glimpse of that, let alone truly understood and integrated these insights, your relationship with your body, with food, with your health, and with the people around you will never be the same again.
Imagine waking up and your first thoughts not being about what you will or won’t eat that day, or how much exercise you will or won’t manage to do. Imagine not setting out to eat only this and this and this today but by 4 p.m. or thereabouts inhaling whatever you can get your hands on… and then berating yourself about how useless you are and that you have no willpower. Imagine not doing that ever again!
By exploring the physical mechanisms of your biochemistry and the emotional driving forces in your life, you will understand what has governed the growing and shrinking of your body up until now. And through that understanding and the practical solutions on offer to you throughout these pages, you will have your very own recipe to solve so much more than just your weight-loss puzzle. Food will no longer rule you, and your weight will simply fall into place. You will no longer measure or judge yourself by that magic number on the scales. In fact, there is every chance that you will stop weighing yourself altogether because you will naturally feel and look your very best, and you will know in your heart that you don’t need a scale to validate anything about your beautiful self.
Digestion: The Basis of Health
It never ceases to amaze me how
magnificent and clever our bodies really are, and it astounds me how many processes go on inside the body without us having to give them any thought. Digestion is one of those processes. The nourishment we are provided, as a result of good digestion, is an extraordinary gift without which we would not survive. It is the process through which we get all of the goodness out of our food. Digestion is intricate and complex and yet relatively robust. And it is intimately connected to how you feel and function every single day, from the energy you feel to the fat you burn, from the texture and appearance of your skin to whether you have a bloated tummy or not, right down to your mood. Digestion is responsible for so much that goes on inside us. If this body system gives you grief, for example if you are bloated most evenings have intermittent diarrhea and constipation, or get reflux, you can reach a point where you feel like this is how life is always going to be. It must “just be how you are.” Perhaps you believe it’s “in your family.” Well, bowel challenges do not have to be your reality.
Digestion is the essential place to start when solving your weight-loss puzzle. It is important that these initial building blocks to outstanding health are in place. It can be a challenge to balance hormones, for example, if your digestion is the bane of your life. The gut is essentially like a second brain in your body. Did you know that 80 percent of the body’s serotonin is in the gut? And with serotonin being our primary happy, calm, content hormone, gut dysfunction can enormously affect our mood.
Some of the information in this section may make you giggle… it can be a bit tricky to find the right words to describe our stools! And some of the advice may at first seem obvious and too simple to make much of a difference. But reflect on your own eating habits and digestive system functions as you read on, and be ready to be accidentally overweight no more.
The digestive system
Digestion is the process of breaking down food so that we can absorb and utilize it for energy and nourishment to sustain our lives. Food is simply broken down into smaller components. For example, proteins are broken down into amino acids, and it is through this breakdown of food and the absorption of these smaller substances that we are nourished. As I have inferred, it is a process that never ceases to amaze me.
The digestive system is made up of a digestive tract, a big long tube (imagine it looking like a hose) and numerous ancillary organs, including the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas (figure 2 opposite gives you an idea of how it all fits together). The big long tube begins at your mouth, and food moves down the esophagus, through a valve, and into your stomach. The food then moves through a valve at the bottom side of the stomach into the small intestine, through the small intestine and ileocecal valve into the large intestine, and then any waste is excreted out the other end. When this process works well, you look and feel fantastic. When it is in any way impaired, the opposite can be true, and correcting it can change your life.
Figure 2: The human digestive system
The esophagus enters the stomach. From there, the tube continues into the small intestine and then into the large intestine; waste is then excreted. The liver, gallbladder, and pancreas are also noted above.
Chew your food
Food enters the mouth and moves down the esophagus into the stomach. But what do we do to our food before it reaches the stomach? We chew it or, in some cases, we inhale it! There are no more teeth beyond the mouth. You can’t chew it once the food has left your mouth. Yet, so many people eat as though their esophagus is lined with teeth. Many of us are in such a hurry with our meals, or we are so excited by the flavor of our food, that we might chew each mouthful four times if we’re lucky. It’s a case of chew, chew, chew, chew, mmmmm, yum, next forkful in, chew, chew, “Oh gosh my mouth is so full, better swallow some food…” So we swallow some partially chewed food and some not-at-all chewed food, and we do this day in, day out, year after year. And somehow we expect our stomach just to cope.
The stomach gets to a point where it doesn’t like the rules by which you are playing anymore, so it takes its bat and goes home. Slow down! Chew your food! If you are a food inhaler, try this: Put food into your mouth, chew it really well, and then swallow it before you put in the next mouthful. I know that sounds simple, but try it. For food inhalers, it can take an enormous amount of concentration to change their eating behaviors. Put your fork and knife or spoon down between each mouthful if that helps. Engage in conversation if you are eating with others. Or, think of your own technique to slow yourself down if you hoover your food. You need to pay attention when you eat and to how you eat.
Watch portion size
Now back to the stomach, the first place your food lands after swallowing. Make a fist and look at it. Yes, clench your fist and observe its size. That is how big your stomach is without any food in it. Tiny, isn’t it? So, think about what happens when you pile your plate high in the evening and inhale that big mountain of food. Your stomach has to stretch to accommodate it. And food has to sit in the stomach for a minimum of 30 minutes to allow the stomach acid and other digestive juices to begin to break the food down properly.
Once your stomach gets used to being stretched, it expects it every day, and this stretching is part of the reason why, if you decide to eat less or go on a “diet,” you tend to feel hungry after your meals for around four days, as it can take a few days for the nerve endings around your stomach pouch to “shrink back” and become accustomed to smaller servings. The nerves are fired off when they reach a certain stretching point and send a message to the brain to let you know you have eaten.
This is one of the numerous mechanisms we have that has the potential to tell us to stop eating, that we’ve had enough. Trouble is, for some, the stomach is so used to being stretched, by the time the nerves fire, we may have overeaten and be berating ourselves. This is a process through which carbohydrates let us know we have eaten. With fat and protein however, once we have chewed these foods, messages are already being sent from the mouth to the satiety center of the brain to let us know we are eating. These signals usually reach the brain within five minutes of chewing, while the stomach stretch method can take more like 20 minutes! As an aside, it is important to include fats and/or protein with each meal, as you are likely to eat less and be satisfied with less total food for that meal than if you simply ate carbohydrate-rich foods on their own.
A rough guide to the amount of food we need to eat at each meal is approximately two fist sizes. That is concentrated (low in water content) food such as proteins or carbohydrates. You can and need to add as many greens (non-starch vegetables and/or salad) to that as you like. Although they have a high-nutrient content, they are mostly water. Remember that.
For some folks (not everyone), the key to body-fat management is simply eating less total food by reducing portion sizes. If this is you, make the decision to eat less. Reduce your portion size by one quarter, especially in the evening if you overeat, and see how you feel. Obviously, many people know they need to reduce their portion size or not eat after dinner, yet no matter how hard they try, they can’t seem to eat less or stop eating once they start. This is why the “whys” behind our food/eating behaviors need to be explored and Puzzle Piece 9, Emotions, does just that.
Stomach acid pH
Food arrives at the stomach after you have chewed and swallowed it. The aroma of food, as well as the chewing action itself, stimulates stomach acid production, which is an exceptionally important substance when it comes to great digestion. The role of the stomach acid is to break down food. Imagine your food is a big long string of circles as shown in the first row of figure 3 below. It is the job of the stomach acid to go chop, chop, chop, and break the circles apart into smaller bunches, as the second row illustrates.
Figure 3: Digestion
The action of stomach acid on whole foods breaks them down into smaller components.
Our bodies are governed by pH ranges, which is a measure of acidity or alkalinity. In scientific terms, pH refers to the concentration
of hydrogen ions present, but you don’t need to worry about that to understand this very important process. The pH range is based on a scale from zero to 14, with zero being the acid end of the spectrum and 14 being the alkaline end, while seven is neutral. Every fluid, every tissue, every cell of your body has a pH at which it performs optimally. The optimal pH of stomach acid is around 1.9, which is so acidic it would burn you if it touched your skin. But it doesn’t burn you while it is nicely housed inside your stomach, as the cells that line the stomach itself not only produce stomach acid but are also designed to withstand the super-acidic conditions.
For many of us, though, the pH of our stomach acid is not acidic enough, and it may have a pH far greater than 1.9, which is not ideal for digestion. To be precise, animal proteins appear to be optimally digested at a pH of 1.9 while starch is optimally digested at a pH of 2.1; this may not seem like much number-wise, but inside your body, it can mean the difference between having a flat or a bloated abdomen after a meal. A professor in the USA has been researching the pH of stomach acid in various groups of people who have been diagnosed with specific conditions, such as children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Many children with ASD have been found to have a stomach acid pH of around four, far too high to be effectively digesting protein or starch.1–3
Adults with reflux or indigestion tend to assume that the burning sensation they experience with heartburn means they are producing too much acid, when the reality is usually the opposite. They are usually not making enough stomach acid and/or its pH is too high. To understand this, remember the analogy given above in figure 3, and that stomach acid plays a vital role in breaking the circles apart. A pH that is much higher than 1.9 cannot effectively break the circles apart and larger segments of, for example, seven circles in length may be the result. The body knows that if something that is seven circles in length continues along the digestive tract, it is not going to be able to further digest these partially broken-down circles. Rather than allowing that food to proceed down into the small intestine for the next part of its journey, the body regurgitates the food in an attempt to get rid of it. We then experience the acid burn and assume it is too acidic, when, in fact, it is not acidic enough to break down the food and allow it to pass into the small intestine. It “burns” you, because anything with an acid pH that is too acidic for the tissue to which it is exposed will create a burning sensation. When the acid is contained inside the stomach pouch, all is well, but when it escapes out of this area, the lining of the esophagus and the first part of the small intestine are not designed to cope with such acidic contents. Many people with reflux respond very well to the stimulation of stomach acid (and/or omitting problem foods for them) and experience much fewer symptoms as a result.