My intention here with this blog is to share some of what I’ve learned during the last year about weight loss, food, nutrition, and getting healthy, but moreso about staying healthy.

I’ve been on the 17 Day Diet (http://www.the17daydiet.com/) this year and never thought I’d find something that was a TRUE change in my life that could and would last a lifetime.

With this diet, I’ve found that.  I’ve learned a lot, shared a lot, and created some resources that people are finding helpful, which makes me feel wonderful.  

I am ALL about Sharing information and resources with others — no fees, nothing to buy, no strings attached, nothing asked in return other than you at least read what I give to you; I just want to make this easier for others than it was for me in the beginning.

I don’t have all the answers, none of us does.  But we’re all in this together, so let’s share some information and support!

Setting the Record Straight. Shifting Your Perspective Toward Recording.

Here's what she had to eat. Take a look. Then write down your assessment and tell me what you think. You know, as if you were the nutritionist working on helping her improve her diet and her relationship with food.

8:30-9:00

Bread and jam, 2 slices

Freshly juiced red grape and berry juice, ~8 oz.

Coffee with whole milk

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Vanilla yogurt with fresh peaches

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Semolina cake with plum topping

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1 fried egg

Bread and jam

12:30 PM

Medium gelato,

~2:00 PM

Wine samples and bread sticks

3:30 PM

½ a thick cheese and tomato sandwich, on white Italian bread

½ a thick pesto and roasted veggie sandwich, same bread

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Wine tasting, approximately 6 oz, and a few bread sticks

7:45 PM

Cheese samples, approximately 1-2 oz.

8:00 PM

Bread, 2 slices

Large vegetable salad (enough for 2 or 3 people) with olive oil and vinegar

Wine, approximately 5 oz.

Gnocchi and sauce

~9:30 PM

A couple of cheese bites from around the world.

Nectarine with hazelnut chocolate sauce--day two's breakfast!

So what did you think? And have you figured it out yet? The she is me, and you are seeing an entire day of my eating while vacationing in Italy, unadulterated.

I'm not in the habit of sharing my food intake in such detail, in part because what's fine for me is not necessarily right for you. And I don't have a ton of personal experience with recording—the last time I tracked my dietary intake was for a grad school project, a good 25 years ago. But I decided I needed to address the topic of recording because it can have great value.

For most clients, recording is the bane of their existence. I say for most, because I have seen that rare person who loves recording. It suits their need to do things perfectly, completely, meticulously, so they follow the recording recommendation to the "nth" degree, including every sip of water and every bite of food they eat.

Do you know how many times I heard "I left my food records in the car" this week? No, you are not alone. They’ve been eaten by dogs, whirled away by hurricanes, and inadvertently used for fireplace kindling. Yes, I have heard it all, the most creative excuses. It reminds me of a NY Times article on North Korean doping (July 17, 2011). Following evidence revealing their soccer team’s use of steroids,

“A North Korean delegation told FIFA (the world governing body of soccer) that the steroids had accidentally been taken with traditional Chinese medicines based on musk deer glands to treat players struck by lightening on June 8 during training.”

You can do better than that, I'm sure.

The egg course--day 2!

More about record keeping in a bit. But first, I want to say a few words about this day's eating, a real day last month in Tuscany.

This is 100% honest. I neither overestimated nor underrepresented my food intake. It is a description of a day we spent in the town of Bra (no, not a typo), the home of the Slow Food Movement and the international, biennial cheese festival which we attended. I don't usually eat quite like this. And I certainly don't drink like this. But we were in one of the most amazing regions for red wines, home of Barolo, Barbaresco and Barbera, and so we did a good deal of tasting.

When you evaluate your intake, please ask yourself  "is this typical?" Perhaps you need to view the day in the context of your usual intake, recognizing that there are always exceptions to the norm.

Here's my take on my day's eating:

The evening before the breakfast at Villa La Favorita

The breakfast meal was crazy. Crazy good. And endless. We stayed at a bed and breakfast called Villa La Favorita  where the breakfast was served in courses. Multiple courses. The broken lines show the breaks between items served. 

Unfortunately, I did not have the benefit of knowing what was coming next, nor how much was coming my way. And the food was wonderful. By the second of our two days there, I knew enough to leave the bread and await the more exciting baked item, to skip the items I cared less for, and to pace myself.

Not knowing what awaits you is most difficult. If you struggle in such situations, obtain as much information about what will be served as you can, so you can prepare yourself. But let's say you didn't, as occurred on day one at the B and B, and you, too, ate more than you needed. What's the worst thing that will happen?

Have you seen enough gelato yet in these posts?

In my case, I didn't get hungry until later than usual. But by 12:30 I needed to eat something. Imagine my pleasure at finding a gelato shop en route to the car! And so I had my second gelato of the trip (see post gelato diet). And it was good. I thought about ordering the small, but had the medium instead. My husband got the small (he is so well trained), but then I shared mine when he was done. So, I think that counts as a smedium?

After a wine tasting in a lovely castle!

 The additional "snack" of some wine (quite little, truly—we paid for these tastings by the sample) and some bread stick pieces resulted in a rather late lunch. It wasn't until late afternoon that we got hungry, quite hungry, in fact. That gelato and wine tasting just didn't cut it. By then I couldn't decide what to eat, and so we ordered two different sandwiches, sharing them both evenly. (It was, perhaps, the best food per euro we had anywhere, in a nothing special seeming little spot.) Thankfully, my husband is accommodating and enjoys similar foods.

Dinner reservations were secured for 8 PM, so we decided to start our cheese tasting before the meal. As for dinner? There was nothing I yearned for more than vegetables! After the preceding week in Switzerland where I ate much less of them than I am accustomed to, I was thrilled to find a large salad as a starter to the meal. It was truly the best part of this meal for me. Then I ate a portion of the gnocchi— although I found them a bit too rich—but had enough room for some more varieties of cheese bites, as we strolled around the lovely town of Bra late night. And did I mention these cheese samples were not low fat?

Bra during the cheese festival 

By the way, my activity for the day was largely eating and wine tasting. There was minimal walking around some quaint medieval towns, but this was not a high output day, by any means. No biking and drinking for me.

What can you take from this?

Get as much information as you need to feel comfortable, and where appropriate, ask for foods to be prepared how you need them. But when the situation prevents that, trust it will be okay—because it will be. And work on being flexible. In the situation above, perhaps I could have asked about the breakfast menu. But it honestly didn't cross my mind. And so in spite of the breakfast being excessive for me, I had what I wanted, and left part of the foods that I was indifferent to, like the egg. It likely was more than enough; I could have had less, perhaps, and felt just satisfied. But I didn't. 

The fuller breakfast meal sustained me, removing the need for an AM snack. (If you are someone following a meal plan at this point, don’t get any ideas about skipping meals or snacks because you don’t “need” them. When your body and your mind are working to keep you healthy and safe, of course you can and will use these cues. But for now, stick with the program and use your meal plan.) Really the gelato met that need—just a bit later than I'd usually need a snack. The source of my calories at 12:30 was hardly relevant, as long as I had enough, and I ate what I wanted to eat. And I enjoyed every creamy bite.

Gotta expect the unexpected! Sculpture from a wine
tasting town in Piedmont

If a struggling client had recorded this day, and was self assessing his intake, here's what they'd likely say, and what I would have countered with:

Client: Nutritionally, this day was way too high in saturated fat, as well as in alcohol calories.

Me: This is quite atypical for your eating. You rarely graze on cheese with such frequency, and you never drink in the afternoon, never mind multiple times in one day. Given the frequency of this type of eating, then, nothing to worry about.

Client: Breakfast is too big.

Me: It may have been more ideal to distribute your food better, spreading this enormous breakfast through the morning. But you couldn't. And so it was. Radical acceptance.

Client: I shouldn't have had the gelato; I should have chosen something healthier.

Me: No, you chose what you felt like eating, and that's appropriate.  And you had as much as you needed. You started to share when you were feeling you had had enough. Perhaps the small gelato dish might have done the trick. Maybe next time you’ll try the small. (Wow, a next time? What a thought!) You never do know how much will be enough, until you explore the options and learn to titrate.

Client: I consumed a lot of calories from beverages, including alcohol.

Me: If you are working to increase your calories, the benefit of beverages (non-alcoholic, I mean) is that they move quickly through your gut, and the feeling of fullness passes fast. But if you’re looking to feel more satisfied from your intake, I'd vote for fruit over juices. Again, it really depends on your need. As for alcohol, it's important to identify the impact drinking has on your awareness and mindfulness of your eating. Some can manage modest amounts, others simply cannot.

Client: I should have limited my dessert to once a week, not twice a day!

Me: Once you set arbitrary limits on your "indulgences" you'll set yourself up for trouble. If cake can only be eaten on birthdays or special occasions, you will certainly find yourself eating more of it on the one and only day you allow yourself to have it. If you are only allowed to eat before 8 PM, you'll find yourself eating a lot more before the time is up. Ultimately, these rules fail you.

Client: I ate so much and should have exercised.

Me: The food doesn't turn to fat because you didn't exercise. While I absolutely do recommend exercise for health and disease prevention, it is essential that you consume enough food to support it. Your body is quite forgiving. A larger intake on some days doesn't result in weight increases that day or that meal. Of course over time, if you exceed your need for maintenance, whether you exercise or not, you will gain weight. And for many of you that really is a good thing! You know who you are.

Benefits of Recording

Recording gives you the opportunity to view things differently, to gain insight, while letting go of the self-criticism and self-loathing. Inevitably my view of my clients' eating is way more compassionate than their perspective. So writing things down and debriefing about it with a knowledgeable provider may truly help shift your opinion of yourself and your eating.

Rather than seeing this as a report card, or a confession, consider yourself a detective, with the goal of uncovering some answers, solving the puzzle of your eating struggle. This helps you break down the barriers to implementing dietary change. Including information such as your hunger rating and other eating triggers, along with the location food is eaten, is enormously useful.

Recording avoidance is common, for individuals dealing with all kinds of eating, regardless of their weight. Record keeping makes us more aware of our eating, which ultimately helps us make change. It's an in your face reality check. And that benefit may be the very reason you may flee from writing down what you eat. It is easier to not confront it. If you don't see it, you don't have to acknowledge it.

But if you don't acknowledge what you are doing, you don’t have to make peace with it. Hence, eating while on the computer, while watching TV, reading, driving, multi-tasking really do the trick to keep you stuck.

If you no longer record, but still consider what you eat, whether you are hungry, or simply satisfying a range of other needs, than putting it down on paper may not be necessary anymore. If that awareness starts to fade, you may want to resume recording.

What Should I Include When Recording?

Let’s start with what you shouldn’t be recording—calories, fat grams, fiber, and any specific nutrient content. Why? Because that leads to relying on external information, versus internal cues. Internal cues? Hunger and emotions, for instance. Here’s a list of what you ‘d benefit from including:

Don't go by this clock, though!

·         The time you ate

o   This helps you see your eating pattern and understand why you ate as you did. Too long between eating? That will lead to trouble. Eating every hour? Is there something other than hunger driving your eating?

·         Your hunger rating

o   I’ve come to like the scale 1-7 best, with 1 meaning starving and 7 meaning stuffed. But use whatever works best for you, including word descriptions.

·         Your thoughts and feelings

o   This helps you see your obstacles to eating, and to then work with strategies such as CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) to change them. Food rules and misinformation may come to light, best addressed with your nutritionist.

·         The location food was consumed

o   Does the location support mindless eating? Are you eating in bed for comfort? Would you sleep on your kitchen table?

·         Any other diversions while eating?

o   Distracted eating is mindless eating. For those trying to get their needs met and not know it, this can be useful initially. But ultimately, we all want to be in control of our eating and our weight regulation. So try to separate eating from distractions.

So if you choose to stay stuck, skip the recording. If you want support, and a new perspective, record and share with your providers. Or, self assess as if it were your sister’s or your best friend’s recall; this will likely give you a more compassion perspective. If the only result of recording is more preoccupation with food and eating, and changing your perspective isn’t helping, than please do yourself a favor and don’t record your food. But even assessing these other components, minus the actual food items, can be quite useful. So give it a try.

And please let me know if it was helpful. As always, I welcome your thoughts, comments, reactions, and corrections to my assumptions!

The Brain Controls Insulin Action

Insulin regulates blood glucose primarily by two mechanisms:

1. Suppressing glucose production by the liver
2. Enhancing glucose uptake by other tissues, particularly muscle and liver

Since the cells contained in liver, muscle and other tissues respond directly to insulin stimulation, most people don't think about the role of the brain in this process.  An interesting paper just published in Diabetes reminds us of the central role of the brain in glucose metabolism as well as body fat regulation (1).  Investigators showed that by inhibiting insulin signaling in the brains of mice, they could diminish insulin's ability to suppress liver glucose production by 20%, and its ability to promote glucose uptake by muscle tissue by 59%.  In other words, the majority of insulin's ability to cause muscle to take up glucose is mediated by its effect on the brain. 

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Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie Bread

Tender, delicious tea bread that tastes like pumpkin pie.

I'm feeling a tad, shall we say, under the weather, lately. Nothing serious. Just an autumnal cold that has knocked the stuffing out of me. I feel like a rag doll. An achy, cranky, ratty old rag doll with matted squirrelly hair and baggy sweatpants.

It ain't pretty is all I'm sayin'.

So forgive my delay in sharing the promised new pumpkin bars recipe. Soon, Babycakes. Soon.

In the meantime, here's an easy gluten-free pumpkin bread recipe- a lovely tea bread you can bake in a bread machine. Or in your oven, if you prefer.

As mentioned earlier the oven here in our temporary studio isn't exactly a cook's dream. So I was inspired by a reader who mentioned baking my banana muffin recipe as a banana bread in her bread machine (how brilliant is that?).

For my first excursion into bread machine tea bread baking, I converted my Big Banana Muffins recipe to a banana bread. And holy tap-dancing zombies- it worked! The trick (for a vegan egg-free bread, at least) is to use two teaspoons of baking powder. For those of you using eggs in your gluten-free baking, you may not need the extra oomph of a little more baking powder- but, please, as always, use your best judgment.

For this scrumptious pumpkin pie flavored pumpkin bread, I used a Breadman bread machine, but I don't see why any bread machine wouldn't work- as long as it has a rapid cycle and can accommodate a 2-lb loaf. Double check your manufacturer's instructions for baking an un-yeasted sweet bread.

Pumpkin pie bread.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie Bread Recipe

Originally published October 2009.

I kept tasting pumpkin pie with every bite of this moist and delicious tea bread, hence the name. I baked it in my Breadman bread machine but you could also bake it in a conventional oven. Just be sure it bakes long enough- I'm guessing, about 50 to 55 minutes up to an hour at 350ºF. This is a large loaf.

Ingredients:

Add to the bread machine:

1 cup packed organic light brown sugar
4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/4 cup light olive oil
1 tablespoon Ener-G Egg Replacer whisked with 1/4 cup warm water (or two large eggs, beaten)
1 tablespoon bourbon vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree (canned pumpkin is fine)
1/4 teaspoon light tasting apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
1/2 cup GF buckwheat flour
1/4 cup GF millet flour
1/4 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch or potato starch
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or gluten-free Pumpkin Pie Spice blend
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

As needed for liquid as it mixes:

Pure apricot or peach juice

Instructions:

Using the 2-pound setting with light or medium crust (not the dark setting or it may create a tough crust) program the bread machine for the Super Rapid setting.

As it begins to mix the ingredients, use a soft silicone spatula to scrape down the sides. After a minute or two of mixing check the consistency. If the batter is at all like my batter, it will be a bit thick and stiff. Add a tablespoon at a time of your favorite unsweetened pure apricot or peach juice until the batter becomes slightly thinner than muffin batter but thicker than cake batter. Not too thin, but not too thick. You'll know it when you see it. When you are happy with the consistency, close the lid and let the paddle beat the batter.

When it pauses to let the batter rest and rise, reach in and remove the paddle; smooth the top. Cover and let the rapid cycle do its thing (rest and bake the loaf).

When it beeps done reset the program to Bake. Set a timer and bake for an additional 10 minutes. It's a large loaf.

*(Now, if for some unknown reason your bread looks ready at this point, test it before you add on ten more minutes baking time; I'm at sea level now, so I imagine my baking times are in the normal range, but as we all know, humidity and temperature and ambient weirdness- not to mention, the fickle baking faeries- can affect gluten-free baking times.)

When the top is domed and the loaf is firm to the touch, and a wooden pick inserted into the center emerges clean, this is a good sign it's done. Using a pot holder, remove the bread pan from the machine and cool it on a wire rack for five minutes or so, until it's a tad cooler to handle.

Using a clean tea towel and a pot holder, grasp the pan and carefully tip it upside down to release the pumpkin bread onto the wire rack; set the loaf upright on the rack and continue to cool.

Although you'll be tempted to slice and eat it warm, wait if you can. This moist bread only gets better as it cools. In fact, I did an experiment.

Half the bread- we ate that day. It was tender and moist. The other half we wrapped in foil, bagged and froze. Although the fresh loaf was tasty, I thought the frozen and thawed half tasted even better, and had an improved (less fall-apart) texture.

Makes one generous loaf.

Karina's Gluten-Free Bread Tips:

If you'd rather bake this pumpkin bread in the oven, use a large loaf pan and  bake in a preheated 350ºF oven, for 50 to 55 minutes, until the top is firm but gives slightly to a gentle touch.

If your gluten-free baking is gummy in the middle, try cutting back on the amount of liquid- one tablespoon at a time. Your flours may be damp from humid weather (or from storing them in the refrigerator).

I also find that using too much agave or honey can create gumminess. When I develop a recipe with fruit puree (such as pumpkin or banana) I prefer to use a little less olive oil in the recipe, and no agave or honey. This improves the texture.

At sea level you need less honey or agave than you would need at dry higher altitudes; adjust the liquid-to-dry ratio to see what works best for you.

If your ingredients are cold, allow the batter to rest and come to room temperature.

Check your oven calibration; several readers have reported that their pre-heated ovens had not- in fact- reached baking temperature when they tested their ovens with an oven thermometer.

I'm now using less brown rice and brown rice flour, and eating fewer rice cakes, etc. Here's why- there is elevated arsenic in rice.

Enjoy sugary treats in moderation. Gluten-Free Goddess advises consuming no more than 2 tablespoons of sugar a day. 

Harvard Food Law Society "Forum on Food Policy" TEDx Conference

Last Friday, it was my pleasure to attended and present at the Harvard Food Law Society's TEDx conference, Forum on Food Policy.  I had never been to Cambridge or Boston before, and I was struck by how European they feel compared to Seattle.  The conference was a great success, thanks to the dedicated efforts of the Food Law Society's presidents Nate Rosenberg, Krista DeBoer, and many other volunteers. 

Dr. Robert Lustig gave a keynote address on Thursday evening, which I unfortunately wasn't able to attend due to my flight schedule.  From what I heard, he focused on practical solutions for reducing national sugar consumption, such as instituting a sugar tax.  Dr. Lustig was a major presence at the conference, and perhaps partially due to his efforts, sugar was a central focus throughout the day.  Nearly everyone agrees that added sugar is harmful to the nation's health at current intakes, so the question kept coming up "how long is it going to take us to do something about it?"  As Dr. David Ludwig said, "...the obesity epidemic can be viewed as a disease of technology with a simple, but politically difficult solution".

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Healthy At Every Size?

Read first, then decide.

Today I saw a 12 yr old girl, I’ll call Gabrielle, whose weight was off the charts. She was referred by her doctor, supported by her concerned parents. And here's what I told her, because I believe it to be true.

Her place on the weight chart is likely the right place—for her. Since the age of 2 yrs she has paralleled this curve at just above the 95^th percentile, (in spite of being only 5 ft tall, much shorter than average), resulting in a very high BMI. She is an active, healthy girl—more active than most thin girls and boys I see, with no apparent suggestion of health issues. She eats well—appropriate portions, as I'd expect for her need, a healthy balance of foods, including those I'd call "junk" food, and she eats the same when she is alone and when with others. In other words, she’s got a healthy relationship with food. Most importantly, she feels good about herself, and the last thing I wanted to do was add mental health issues to any perceived, but non-existent risk of physical health issues.

Gabrielle is one of several patients I’ve seen recently, fitting this description. Some individuals are larger than average size, some smaller, kids and adults, males and females. And we should not assume that’s a problem, as several bloggers are sharp to point out. Health At Every Size, The Fat Nutritionist and others enlighten those who don’t know better, who don’t ever question their assumptions, that large people can be healthy, fit, and in fact happy.

End of story? 

Not quite. The key word is can be. While we cannot and should not assume that an individual’s weight is causing them medical or emotional problems, there are overweight individuals who are not healthy or comfortable at their size, for whom weight loss may help. I question the belief that striving to lose weight, in all cases, is bad. And I am not talking fad diets, mind you.

I am not simply projecting here. I speak on behalf of the patients I have seen over my 25 years of practice. Just as we cannot assume that they’re distressed at their current weight, we cannot assume they are very comfortable or healthy at their state of health and size either.

There are kids, and adults, like Gabrielle described above—always large, but healthy and fit. Many are self-accepting, many self-loathing, perhaps due to society’s discrimination and learned messages they need to unlearn. And I do my best in my sessions to convey this very message, that they are just fine as they are—their eating, their activity and their weight. I am not addressing these “Gabrielles” in the remainder of this post.

Rather, I am speaking about those for whom obesity, or the degree of obesity they are living with, is not their norm, the men and women who have gained weight outside of their comfortable and usual weight range. This includes individuals struggling with compulsive overeating, as well as those without any emotional baggage. It applies to those who no longer take time to meet their needs for exercise, or who might have suffered an injury, which forced a decrease in activity, without adjusting their food intake. I’m describing those who don’t know how to prepare a healthy meal as well as those who eat many meals out, juggling the modern life of working and parenting, soccer practices and carpooling. And those who minimally eat throughout the day, only to eat excessively at the end of the day.

I am not judging them, merely conveying what I hear from them day in and day out. They put off travel because airplane seats feel too tight, and European cars fail to accommodate their size. They want to be off the medications they now take daily, for hypertension, high cholesterol and joint pain. They want to be free of their sleep apnea and their heartburn. 

Sure, there are plenty of normal weight people, thin even, who also develop such conditions (count me in—thin with high blood pressure). But as a population, increased weight increases the odds of developing such conditions. The damage to their knees may be already done, but it is easier to move a body with a lower mass versus carrying surplus weight, particularly when you’ve got pain.

I’m not picking on the obese. If you read any of my posts you’d clearly see my philosophy. Similarly, I do not believe there can be health at every size at the low end of the spectrum. While not all slim individuals have eating disorders, (some are naturally thin, always were and always will be) I can tell you that a low body weight that contributes to loss of menstrual periods, low body temperature, a very low pulse, distorted thoughts and preoccupation with food similarly would benefit from a change in weight. 

And if you think these individuals are immune to society’s judgment, think again. There is equally little sensitivity to those struggling with weight issues on this side of the spectrum. Yes, sometimes the very people who preach size acceptance are all too quick to dismiss, insult and disregard the opinions and insights of someone who is thin, simply because they are thin.

A rabbi friend once said jokingly “Anyone who is more religious than me, is a fanatic. Anyone less religious, a heretic.” Sometimes that’s how I think we all behave around the issue of weight. It’s fine if you are my size, but thinner or fatter we accuse of needing to change and have a difficult time accepting.

Ultimately, the primary focus should not be on losing weight. Yes, even for those who truly care to lose weight, for whom a high BMI was not the norm. Rather, they need to address their behaviors and experience tangible benefits—a sense of accomplishment, having set a realistic goal and achieved it; better sleep; better endurance; better concentration; less irritability by honoring their body’s need for fuel; and a better relationship with food. As these changes occur, weight loss also follows.         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Where do you fit in all of this?

Does your activity need to be addressed? Are you even at a healthy enough place to be exercising? What modest goal can you set that you’ll be able to achieve?

Do you allow yourself to eat when you need to? Or do you push this to the limits, thinking you are too fat to be eating? Everyone, 

regardless of her size, needs and deserves to eat throughout the day.

Do you give yourself permission to eat foods you enjoy? Do you even remember what those foods are? Or are you so stuck following everyone else’s rules (including your own), absorbed from years of dieting and denying yourself?

Yes, allow yourself to eat whatever you’d like—no single food makes a person fat. And have it when your body needs it—when you are hungry, any time you are hungry. But learn to have just as much as you need (do read through the many older posts that address this topic).

In fairness, the palpable anger I feel from those who blog about fat acceptance is understandable. They have been mistreated by our society, including those that should know better, such as the medical community. They include those, like Gabrielle, for whom weight loss may be inappropriate. They are repeatedly told to change, when change is truly not necessary.

But let’s not over generalize. There are also those overweight individuals who would like nothing more than to be accepted for who they are but have medical conditions that may be assisted with weight loss. And they deserve to be supported on their journey to a healthier place.

Weight Management Gelato Style

The first time I traveled to Italy I was 19. I recall marveling at marble fountains, being seduced by sculpture and impressed by massive stone architectural creations while touring through Rome and Florence. But perhaps as memorable as Michelangelo’s larger than life David (http://bit.ly/nyY9rx), with which I fell in love, was the smooth and creamy gelato. Twice daily I would indulge in such intense flavors as nicciolo (hazlenut) and espresso, midday and late evening. 

In fact, I would purchase a scoop regardless of the hour, whenever I had an excuse to pass through the famous square the gelateria occupied. I had purchased it fearing I’d never, ever, see gelato again. It was now or never, as gelato doesn’t travel well in luggage. This, by the way, was the early 1980’s.

During my recent trip, however, I was older and (somewhat) wiser. I had gelato only twice in 7 days. (Okay, I did share some bites of my husband’s on a third occasion, I admit, but does tasting just a bite on those tiny plastic spoons really count?). It was not because I was watching my weight (I was not), but because I trusted this time; I knew it wasn’t my last chance to get this fabulous Italian ice cream. Boston has great gelato, as does NYC, which I visit not infrequently. In fact, you can even purchase some good stuff from the supermarket these days—at least where I live (check out Whole Foods). Or, as I’ve done, you could make it at home with an ice cream maker.

But back then, I harbored many a diet thought. As a teen, I had dabbled in the Scarsdale Diet, and wasted my time at Weight Watchers (Now you understand my vengeful post! (http://bit.ly/gY2653) 

My thoughts about food and eating and my body have changed enormously over these years. At the age of 19 and by the end of college, my BMI was out of range and it was not okay—I was sedentary and hardly fit—and I was rather disconnected from my body’s signals and needs. And I was not a large-size person from early childhood, genetically predetermined to exceed the BMI charts, justifying this above average size.

I’m older and wiser now at 48. On my return trip to Italy, I savored the rich and flavorful, slow cooked meals of the Piedmont, filled with mushrooms and truffle oil—but I didn’t fear it was my last supper; I lingered over multicourse meals, filled with flavors I adore. And I stopped when I had had enough—even though it was delicious. 

I skipped desserts when they seemed unnecessary, but took advantage of the aforementioned gelato when I needed a snack.  I sampled many a local Pecorino cheese in Tuscany and savored the hearty Tuscan Ribollita soup filled with beans, bread and vegetables. We enjoyed divine meals artfully prepared with local ingredients, served by Italians passionate about their culinary art. 

Among the very best meals was at La Coccinella, located in the small town of Serravalle DiLonga in the Piedmont. Fabulously prepared fish, as you can see from this photo. But like the gelato of old, I will never forget the dessert lovingly prepared with local hazelnuts, a delight of textures and flavors I can never duplicate.

I write this not on behalf of the Italian tourism department—no one is advertising for your clicks here. Nor, to brag about my travels I feel fortunate to have taken, along with my husband who enjoys great tasting food as much as I. Rather, it is my hope that this will inspire you. 

You may never care about great olive or truffle oils, perhaps. And traveling may be the furthest thing from a reality for you right now. But enjoying food can start at home, wherever you live. Sure, it may require some prep time (although good gelato, like fine chocolate, could easily be obtained and consumed). It requires you to start asking yourself “what do I feel like eating?”, when you are hungry, not just “what am I supposed to be eating?”, yearning later for the very items you’ve prohibited yourself from having.  It necessitates giving yourself permission to eat now, and again later—even if what you choose to eat later is ice cream. Because when you know you have permission to eat it again, you can stop when you’ve had enough. You’ll begin to trust this is not your last chance.

And after doing this for some time, and really trusting your body, you’ll note something strange. Sometimes, there may be times when you’ve truly had enough gelato, and there’s nothing more desirable than a fresh, juicy piece of fruit. And that’s ok to eat too.

Losing Fat With Simple Food-- Two Reader Anecdotes

Each week, I'm receiving more e-mails and comments from people who are successfully losing fat by eating simple (low reward) food, similar to what I described here.  In some cases, people are breaking through fat loss plateaus that they had reached on conventional low-carbohydrate, low-fat or paleo diets.  This concept can be applied to any type of diet, and I believe it is an important characteristic of ancestral food patterns.

At the Ancestral Health Symposium, I met two Whole Health Source readers, Aravind Balasubramanian and Kamal Patel, who were interested in trying a simple diet to lose fat and improve their health.  In addition, they wanted to break free of certain other high-reward activities in their lives that they felt were not constructive.  They recently embarked on an 8-week low-reward diet and lifestyle to test the effectiveness of the concepts.  Both of them had previously achieved a stable (in Aravind's case, reduced) weight on a paleo-ish diet prior to this experiment, but they still carried more fat than they wanted to.  They offered to write about their experience for WHS, and I thought other readers might find it informative.  Their story is below, followed by a few of my comments.

Read more »

Pumpkin Quinoa Cookies

Pumpkin cookies with quinoa flakes. Like oatmeal- but better.

Dear Reader (yes, Babycakes, I'm talking to you)- you know how I feel about you, right? I'm crazy about you. I read your kind and thoughtful comments. I'm thrilled you follow the blog on Facebook. I am humbled by your generous,  warm and giving e-mails (I save them). 

Your feedback and support keeps me going and inspires me.

I started this whole crazy blogging adventure back in a village on Cape Cod famous for quaint. One of those slow paced leafy communities with whitewashed churches and a town grist mill. Salt weathered shingles and white picket fences and roses in June. You know, historic. Beachy. The magical stuff of regional painters and windswept poets prone to melancholy.

Then an empty nest ignited the urge for going and my husband and I moved west to the rural high desert of New Mexico where the cobalt beauty of an oceanic sky met the hot iron of isolation and a certain individual's proclivity toward brittle bones. My broken hip changed my body forever.

Four years later (relocated to Los Angeles) I am profoundly grateful to live by the ocean again. I am wrestling with new ideas and facing certain limitations (still waiting for Margaret Mead's promise of zest). Days are often a stew of conflicting realities, losses and gains stirred so close together they emulsify.

There are days I feel thirty and days I feel eighty. Sometimes in the same single moment. 

Forgive my habitual drift into philosophical territory here, but here's the thing. A growing, deepening awareness of how little we actually control has sparked my need to surrender. And shake loose some assumptions. Including the perception of Other (risking a messy and complicated expansion of the heart, the awareness of Yeah, I am that too). Which startles you with a sharp clean view of what is valuable and true. 

What is bare bones rock bottom important.

Important not in some airy-fairy New Agey or even dyed-in-the-wool religious way. I chafe inside any system and its man-made rules (key word: man-made). I'm old enough now to look back upon decades with an estrogen-free seasoned eye. I see the need behind belief. I see the old paradigm. I see why people judge and separate, critique and belittle. I see the reason why unruly concepts are snipped down to size and labeled and tucked safely into rehearsed little packages of fear whisked with a pinch of faith. The Ego rules. And the Ego loves conflict.

I also see the powerful few doling out platitudes to the millions who struggle with so much less. And we are not blameless, either, we who are so willing to consume what masquerades as inclusion when it is anything but.

So here's the thing.

Before I share my recipe today, before I conjure words about cookies and yummy flavors and how much vanilla to beat into the dough, allow me some food for thought, if you will.

We are all given moments of grace.

Far too many of these moments are missed, floating by the fuzzy edges of momentum, a stream of invisible assumptions. And needs. Life guarantees change, but really, what else? Opportunity (what are you going to do with what you've got?). Choice. Self explanatory, right? We cut a swath of choices every single day. Trivial choices (would you like whipped cream on that?). And loaded choices (some requiring nothing less than moral courage to execute). Each and every choice spins us off in a direction, a trajectory with consequences.

And what I am coming to realize, even cherish, now more than ever, is this. The choices boil down to a choice between love (connection) or fear (separation). So what will you choose today?

Think about it.

As for me?

I vote for love.

Read more + get the recipe >>