Eating Habits Gaining Weight

Question
Dear Tasha,

I have currently just passed into the "morbidly" obese range.  This is not something that I ever thought I'd have to worry about, mostly because I rarely eat.  Then, when I do eat, it's sparingly, but highly unhealthy.  So, I guess that the first question I have for you is this; is it possible to gain weight when you don't eat?

Secondly, I have been trying to de-chemicalize my diet.  I have recently begun a program to consume only non-chemically enhanced food.  This is resulting in (sorry if it's not politically correct,) an increase in bodily waste, mostly of a distinctly dark nature.  Is it possible that my body is trying to rid itself of chemical toxins to replace them with nutrients?

Finally, I know that I'm a Pepsi addict.  I have been attempting to lower my consumption of Pepsi and replacing it with water.  I am successfully able to cease drinking the Pepsi before 6 pm, and only drink water after that.  How long will it take me to get off the soda if I begin a regimen of drinking one glass per morning, and more when I have a caffeine headache?  How much would I possibly be able to lose if I were able to get off the soda?

Currently, I am 5'3" and weigh 215 lbs.

Thank you for any help you can offer.

Tracy

Answer
Tracy,

It's good to see that you are getting serious about a healthy diet.

First of all, you state that you do not eat very much.  Have you ever kept a food diary?  I have had many clients who come to me for health and wellness counseling who have never kept a food diet and are astounded at how much they really do eat.  Many people do not realize that calories can add up very fast.  I suggest that you write down everything that you eat (I mean EVERYTHING) for one week so that you can get an accurate picture of what you are consuming on a daily basis. I think that once you have done this you will find that you are eating more than you realize.

Secondly, you do not state whether you are drinking diet pepsi or regular pepsi.  Of course, if you are drinking regular pepsi, you are consuming a LOT of calories that way.  If you are drinking diet pepsi, that is a whole different issue.  You might not be getting calories from diet pepsi, but you are getting a host of other chemicals that are proven to be harmful and unhealthy.  Since you understand that drinking soda is bad for you, I hope that you will continue to reduce your intake until you are not drinking any soda on a daily basis.

As far as your diet is concerned, I am guessing that you are eating processed foods.  The reason I say this is that when people eat whole, natural, unprocessed foods, it is very difficult to get too many calories.  Often, I get emails from people who eat this kind of diet and are too thin and are asking me what they can eat to gain some weight.  Therefore, just by reading your correspondence I am almost certain that you are eating processed foods.

Of course, this is the worst possible kind of food to eat.  It is full of empty calories, and can cause many nutritional deficiencies. I always tell my clients that in order to achieve and maintain health they must get used to eating a diet of whole foods, preferably RAW foods, but certainly nothing processed and nothing with added chemicals and sugar.  This is not easy to do in this day and age, but if you are truly interested in your weight and your health, you must strive to eat only healthy foods.

I recommend that my clients eat approximately 75 percent raw, unprocessed fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains and oils.  The remaining 25 percent can be cooked, but if meats are eaten, chicken must be organic, free range; beef must be organic grass fed; and pork must be organic, free range.  Today's factory farming methods for meat are the single biggest cause of sickness in this country.  I would prefer that someone SMOKE CIGARETTES than eat store-bought, mass produced meat.

Also, meat consumption should not exceed about four ounces, twice a week, it has been shown, statistically that meat consumption increases cancer risk significantly. It also increases the chance of heart disease and other physical diseases and disorders.  Please consider reducing your meat intake to this amount or less.

Meals should consist of salads containing raw vegetables and, preferably, sprouts. It is very important that our bodies eat living food.  I cover this subject in length on my blog http://everydayhealthandwellness.blogspot.com so I recommend that you read it when you can.  Also, the vegetables and fruits should be organic if possible. Do not be mislead by people who say that organic foods are no different and unnecessary.  In a world where exposure to pesticides and other chemicals cause cancer, autoimmune disorders and other diseases, eating organic food is a cheap insurance policy against future disease and early death.

Finally, you need to find a physical activity that you enjoy and pursue it.  Even if it is just walking or riding a bicycle. A person's body is meant to move and if you do not exercise there are many issues that can result. Starting slowly with a simple activity you enjoy will give you an energy boost and make you start feeling better immediately.  Also, burning off those excess calories will help you begin your journey to achieving a healthy weight.

With regard to a caffeine headache. At the drug store (or WalMart) you can purchase aspirin that contains caffeine as an ingredient. I would certainly buy some of these and when I have a caffeine headache, I would take a couple.  As for getting off the soda, there is no magic bullet.  just stop drinking it.  Whenever I want to stop an addiction, I use negative reinforcement.  For instance.  Find something that you consider personally repulsive.  Discipline yourself that you can only drink soda while experiencing this repulsive event.  Let me give you an example.

I personally have a real problem reading stories about animal abuse. I am a big animal lover and it really makes me sad and upset to read how heartless people can harm animals intensionally.  So if I wanted to STOP a bad habit, like drinking soda, I would say.... "I can only drink soda when I am reading stories or looking at pictures of animal abuse".  Then I would stick to it.  Eventually, it would become so traumatic for me to do this that I would stop drinking soda.  Not only that, but eventually, I would come to associate drinking soda with animal abuse, so I would not even want to SEE a can of soda because it would make me think about animal abuse.

Other things you could use would be listening to rap (or country) music, smelling garlic, sitting outside in the cold, wearing wool socks.... anything that you dislike.  That way you will associate drinking soda with these things and WANT to stop. Negative reinforcement is a very powerful tool to change behavior.

You have to remember, Tracy, that your weight and your health are in your hands.  You are not some hapless victim that is being manipulated by outside forces. YOU are in charge of everything that happens to YOU and NOTHING can happen to YOU without your permission. Your weight has increased because you have allowed it to happen by eating poorly and drinking too much soda.  YOU have the power to change it any time you want.  You simply must make up your mind to do so, and stick with it.  You can do ANYTHING if you make up your mind to do it.

Please feel free to contact me any time. I wish you all the best in your efforts to change your eating habits and lose weight.  

Tasha

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