Over the past few years I have been on a quest for a magic bullet. I must confess that with every step I take forward in the pursuit of physical excellence I take a step back when it comes to my diet. As I look over the years I've been lifting weights I can see that my biggest obstacle to progress has been what I put in my mouth rather than what I put my body through.
And for years I hoped I would find a pill or supplement that would "fix" my metabolism. There have been some pretty promising stars on the scene. We have basic thermogenic stimulants like ephedrine. There's an uncoupler called DNP which can be very very dangerous but nonetheless effective. We have cholesterol medications like bezafibrate that burn up triglycerides in the liver and promote insulin sensitivity etc. Let's not forget thyroid medication which works very well but unfortunately does not discriminate between muscle and fat.
Then there's the newest promise - Irvingia Gabonensis. An african nut of some sort that has been "shown" to strip off 28 pounds in ten weeks WITHOUT ANY CHANGE IN DIET. Well it already seems like some holes are beginning to wear into the fabric of those claims but trip with me for a second because I'm not really concerned anymore with the drugs and the supplements. What I'm finally waking up to is the realization that everything comes down to the relationship we have with OURSELVES and the relationship we have with FOOD.
Suppose there was a drug I could give you that would completely reset your appetite. You wouldn't feel hunger anymore and you would be free to make new choices about the food you eat. Your leptin levels, insulin levels and adiponection levels (Hormones involved in metabolism and fat storage) would all be perfectly evened out. You are now NORMAL. You stand every chance in the world of getting your metabolism to stay permanently "fixed".
So now that you're perfect and we've solved your "problem" of a faulty metabolism what do we do now? Go out and pick out new clothes to adorn our body once it achieves a venusian goddess or spartan warrior visual asthetic? Well sure but you know what sounds really really good? Before we go to the store let's stop at a restaurant and get some food. After all we've got a normal metabolism now right? And then later when we're bored and watching tv we can eat some more food, some processed food or better yet straight up candy.
In other words, the point I'm driving home is this - If I could fix your metabolism temporarily it would still be up to YOU to begin making new choices about how you relate to food. Believe me, anyone can ruin this opportunity without the proper mindset.
It seems everyone wishes there was a fix to their metabolism and yet we are actually ignoring the very real co-contributor to our weight problem as a whole. I'm not going to say metabolisms aren't broken. But what I will say is that it's only half the equation. The other half is the emotional connection we have with food.
Do you snack when you're happy?
Do you snack when you're sad?
Do you snack when you're angry?
Do you snack when you're frustrated?
Do you snack when you're bored?
That last one has been the thorn in my side for years. When I'm sad I'm actually pretty good at depriving myself of food (yeah I have a real masochistic side). It's when I'm bored that things take a turn for the worse. If I am cooped up in my apartment all night without a thing to do my first thought for stimulation and interest is what kind of snacks I have laying around.
Before I begin to ramble my way out of a really good point I'm going to get focused back to my main argument.
No metabolism fix, IF THERE IS ONE, will ever fix our emotional connections to food and our unhealthy relationship with food. If you were given a pill that fixed your metabolism would you still keep yourself from eating that junk food because it feels good? Hell, I've been hopped up on diet pills and still ended up eating cookies because they just taste good!
I urge everyone to begin this examination with me. Let's take a hard look at our relationships with food and let's see if we can improve it and in the process increase our lifespan, increase our capacity for happiness and yeah, maybe look really sexy in a swimsuit....
stay tuned for more...
