Years ago, before I met KD , I read all of Susan Powter’s books. I liked “Stop The Insanity” and “Food” and learned a lot about food labels (and the sneaky things they can do with them) but then she got all weird & strange so I quit buying her books.

There was something she said in one of her books, I think it was the first one, that I never really understood. I don’t remember exactly how she put it but it was basically “eat like a thin person” and “eat as if you are already the weight you want to be” and I couldn’t figure out what she meant. The thin people I knew ate, cake & candy & donuts & ice cream and I knew (even back then) that I couldn’t eat like that or I would get even bigger than I already was.

My recent daily posts, the body fat test at the end of last month and bumping up the RMR thread the first of this month have had me thinking a lot about metabolism. Jill’s thread about “Thin Person’s Thinking” made me think of what I had read & wondered about in Susan’s book so it was in the back of my mind when I saw a notice at the Y that you could get your metabolism & VO2 tested (what is VO2?) and I had a “light bulb moment”. Everything clicked into place and I knew what she had been talking about.

If the RMR formula can tell you how many calories it takes to maintain (or lose) at your current weight then it can tell you how many calories it would take to maintain at the weight you want to be so that you can “eat as if you are already the weight you want to be”. All you have to do is change the weight in the formula to the weight you want to be instead of the weight you are currently at and it will tell you how many calories you need to eat to maintain that lower weight. It seems to me that if you are eating to “maintain” a lower weight, your body should eventually attain that weight.

Does that sound logical to you? Or am I missing something?

I do a lot of sitting and watching people eat, mainly to get new ideas for our restaurant. And what I have noticed about most thin people, is they never finish an entire meal. They leave something on their plate...usually NOT vegetables. They ask for what they want, maybe trading a potato for more vegetables, maybe asking for another glass of water. When they use the buffet, they start with a BIG plate for the greens, and use a smaller plate for meat, etc. And never, never make second trips to the dessert bar. They half dessert with a friend.

I'm taking these ideas home.

Cathy J cobismom

quote:

Originally posted by Nbox:
[...]I'd probably lose weight just fine on, say, 1,200 calories a day, but with my current thought patterns that just wouldn't work out in the long run.

You're right. You do have to be mentally ready and understand that if your 1200 calories are all from junk and fast food you may lose weight but you will not be healthy.

If your 1200 calories are all from junk and fast food, your body will not be getting the nutrients it needs and will constantly crave more food and more food in an attempt to get the nutrients it needs to function.

quote:

Originally posted by BrenauMom:
All you have to do is change the weight in the formula to the weight you want to be instead of the weight you are currently at and it will tell you how many calories you need to eat to maintain that lower weight.

I may be missing something, so forgive me. To me the formula tells you technically what you need and what to do once you've reached point B, but not a whole lot about the best way to get there, and I don't really learn anything about changing my mindset. I can learn to live on X calories in order to get to point B but unless I change my thinking it's not going to stick.

"Eat like a thin person" and "as if you are already the weight you want to be" probably involves knowing about calories etc. but I'd combine it with something à la Beck.

I'd probably lose weight just fine on, say, 1,200 calories a day, but with my current thought patterns that just wouldn't work out in the long run.

quote:

Originally posted by Brie:
[...]
As for VO2 testing, I would caution you against doing that test at the Y. That's something that should be done under a physician's supervision, especially with your medical history.

V02 testing measures your oxygen levels while you are doing aerobic activity.

Athletes worry about improving their V02 levels. I don't think that's soemthing that the recreational exerciser needs to worry about and the test itself can be taxing.

Thanks. I had no idea what a VO2 test was. I already know my blood oxygen levels are lower than normal. That is why I get out of breath so easily. I definately don't need any tests that require sustained aerobic activity.

I don't know if I will even do the metabolism test or not; I already pretty much know what mine is; but it would be interesting to compare it's numbers with the numbers from the body fat test.

When I think "eat like a thin person," I don't know that I think of "skinny" people, but rather people who don't APPEAR to struggle with their weight.

The two examples in my family are my brother and my mom. My mother, until the past few years (when she turned 50 and had some significant health problems), never appeared to ME to struggle with her weight. She wasn't waif-like, but she was able to wear a petite size 6 or 8 for most of her life.

She eats a piece of toast for breakfast, because she likes toast. Sometimes she eats lunch, but sometimes she forgets. Lunch is usually something small in volume--a salad on a salad plate, or a half a sandwich and 6-8 oz yogurt. Dinner is whatever Dad makes, but if he has (example) 3 enchiladas, she has one, and a half cup of rice or beans. Her "dessert" is usually grapes, berries, or nothing at all. She does not plan her day around her meals. If she's served lunch at a mediation, she eats until she's full. If she's hungry, she just deals with it, and doesn't see that as a reason to stop the car/meeting/phone call and eat.

Now, she also used to walk 4-5 miles a day on a treadmill. She doesn't drink sugared drinks--water, mostly, or tea with sugar substitute. Food is just not a big deal in her life. She enjoys fancy dinners as much as anyone, and indulges AT these dinners in her "favorite" things--pina coladas, anything with creme anglaise, filet mignon. But she ONLY has those things 2-3 times a year.

My brother also doesn't "appear" to struggle. He is, to me, a great example. He is very conscious about what he eats--mostly vegetables and grains, with fruit and meat as afterthoughts, 29 of 30 days a month. When we visited recently, he and his fiance, at every restaurant but one, split a meal. Between them, the meal wasn't always completely eaten. He plans his food and shopping carefully--he shops on Saturday mornings, makes lunches for the week on Sunday afternoons, and has a menu for the week written in the kitchen. There is very little spur-of-the-moment eating in his life. He also exercises 4 times a week, and when his budget was REALLY lean, gave up cable TV instead of his gym membership.

My mom & brother both APPEAR to not struggle, but in watching them closely, they simply make better decisions than I do, and make them more quickly.

Dinner at a barbeque restaurant:
Dad orders an appetizer sampler for us, 6 people. Brother has one fried green tomato, his fiance has a heaping spoonful of fried okra. I have 2 fried green tomatoes and an onion ring (Yeah, this was HEALTHY appetizer platter, can't you tell?). Mom has nothing. Boyfriend has fried chicken wings. Dad has chicken wings, fried green tomato, onions rings, and okra.

And this is how it went at every meal. Mom & brother seemed to keep a tab in their heads of what would make them full and what would be too much, and only once in a week did I see either of them choose the "too much" side.

So I try to focus on that sort of thinking. I really think if I do it long enough, it will be a habit. Mom LOOKS for the child's plate and veggie plate options on a menu. My brother & his fiance LOOK to see if the restaurant has a plate-splitting charge. Going to the gym is not an option for my brother--he did it while we were in town visiting, rather than using us as a reason NOT to work out. (3:45 pm on Wednesday: "I'll see y'all later--I go to the gym at 4 on Wednesdays." <Brother leaves, not another word out of his mouth.>

Your logic is sound Judy. However, for most people cutting down to the calories they would need for maintaining their ideal weight is too drastic to do all at once.

For example, if I had cut down my calories from what I need to maintain at 215 to where I am now, I would have had to cut out almost 700 calories/day (and that doesn't take into account the difference in my activity level).

That's a dramatic decrease in calories and I would bet that most people wouldn't be successful long term if they slashed that many calories at once.

Plus, the rate of weight loss would be quicker than recommended. Study after study show that slow and gradual 'losers' are more likely to keep the weight off, not ones that lose a bunch all at once.

As for VO2 testing, I would caution you against doing that test at the Y. That's something that should be done under a physician's supervision, especially with your medical history.

V02 testing measures your oxygen levels while you are doing aerobic activity.

Athletes worry about improving their V02 levels. I don't think that's soemthing that the recreational exerciser needs to worry about and the test itself can be taxing.