Sunday, May 29, 2011

Coming to grips with obesity...


The transition, from 20 to 60 years old, brings with it added Adipose tissue... unsightly fat. The possibility of metabolic syndrome, extra weight around your waist, places a strain on our liver and heart, and a real possibility of developing type 2 diabetes. It ain't pretty, no matter how you look at it. Yet to ignore the issue of excess tissue is a death wish.

Fundamentally, there are three options. 
  1. Do nothing and face the symptom menagerie: sleep apnea, sluggish energy, high blood pressure, diabetes, sexual impotence, poor self-esteeme... the list of consequences for middle-age obesity seems endless. But there is an end, earlier death.
  2. Do the conventional solution, try and restrict calories: This can be a logistical nightmare as participants are perpetually hungry, as they laboriously calculate all they eat. Appetite suppressants can help but leave you edgy. Exercise will burn a few calories, in most cases, too few to mention. The premise is 'calories in' must be much less than 'calories burnt'. Considerably less, than what most people are use to, and much less than satiation, thus an endless nagging hunger. 
  3.  Do the popular, yet controversial, alternative, a low carbohydrate diet. 
My choice has been to Low-Carb the challenge. 
I have averaged a kilo per week lost, from an initial weight of 134 kilo to my present 120 in 14 weeks. The advantage is: both protein and fat create a feeling of being full and satisfied. 
The disadvantage is: adjusting to a life-style different form before, and different from the popular culture. No sugar and starches, like potato, spaghetti, bread, and rice requires a keen awareness of what you are eating. A useful skill, yet one that requires vigilance. 

Fortunately, Option 3 works for me. And nothing beats success!