Week 2, Day 5 (Let's Change It Up)

Typically, I begin each post with breakfast, describing what I ate, why I chose it, and how it made me feel, and continue down the line detailing my daily activities in much the same manner. Each post is generally followed up by a reference to one of the five books I am reading over the course of this project.

But what happens when my days start to look too similar to one another? Granted, this doesn't happen often. One thing I have learned from this project is each day and each class and each meal is unique and something can be learned from all of those experiences. But in the case of Friday, May 14, the day was pretty ordinary.

So, for today's blog, I thought I would change it up from the regular format. For a quick summary, so everyone gets their fix, Friday, on the whole, was very typical. I came home from Kelly's house feeling very full and angry with myself. At about 10 am however, there was no denying my hunger, so ate my Special K with milk. I went upstairs, blogged, did some chores, and then felt that clear sense of hunger again. I opted for soup and fruit. Later, I went to RetroRobics with my mom, and then out to dinner at one of our favorite places, Brennan's Colony in Cleveland Heights, where I attempted to order healthfully off of a menu comprised primarily of bar food. I am really getting good at that. I was supposed to have training with Tracy Williams at 9 am, but our schedules somehow managed to get mixed up, so we rescheduled. I slacked off slightly with the appointments with Nurse Gali this week, largely due to the fact that I am really enjoying these classes, and taking more and more of them, slowly moving away from the whole personal training side of this project. In the majority of the classes, we lift and do most of the exercises from personal training. I just enjoy them more in a class setting with music and lots of energy flowing.

With all that being said, My book for the week, Nutrition for Life is coming to a close, and I really wanted to make sure I got to share all of the interesting facts I possibly could. I have said a lot about food and different vitamins and what is appropriate to eat for different lifestyles and such. But one area I really haven't covered is the issue of disordered eating. This book offers a small section of issues of that nature, and I would like to take this opportunity to point some things out about it now.

First of all, as promised, let's talk about the body's natural set point. One of the things that my mother always stresses to me is that my body has a certain weight, or range of weight, where everything in my body functions optimally. From my heart to my brain to my arms and legs. Something that has been really difficult and stressful for me is figuring out where that range is and accepting it. Sometimes I don't like the numbers I hear. Sometimes, on paper, I think it looks too high or automatically means something is wrong with me. But what I find, time and time again, is that I am not happy when I am either above or below that range.

The best way to find that set point, as my former nutritionist Nancy Blazar told me over and over is to listen to my body and eat promptly and adequately in response to hunger. My body knows where it wants to be and it is constantly working to get me there. Where people get into trouble is when they find themselves consistently eating when their bodies are not asking for fuel, or ignoring their bodies' cries for food.

In Nutrition for Life, there was a basic and interesting segment about the "set point." The book was talking about it in the context of crash dieting and why diets like that are doomed to fail, in part, because of the set point. It was an interesting point being made that I will share with you now:

"Short term diets are doomed to fail. You may lose some weight but when you return to your usual diet, your weight will return to its usual level. This is due to what scientists call "set point"-- the level at which the body defends its current weight. If you burn more calories that you eat, your body will become more efficient at converting those calories to energy so that you will not lose weight. If you are trying to slim, make sure it is a serious commitment over a long period of time in order to retrain your body and readjust your set point."

This was relevant for me because it explained an aspect of eating disorders, and one of the many reasons why they are so dangerous. The heart rate drops insanely low due to converting calories more efficiently. Because your body is trying to counteract the diet and preserve the set point. Even though with eating disorders, preserving the natural set point is usually a losing battle for the body--there is only so much it can do-- it still tries its best to keep your body at its natural, healthy weight.

This brings me to another section of the book I wanted to make sure I shared with you on this blog. The eating disorder box.

"Eating disorders most commonly affect adolescents and college aged women and occur across all of the social groups. Figures suggest that about 20 percent of teenagers engage in abnormal eating behavior, while about five percent have a diagnosed eating disorder. (Just a side note that I have to point out-- it's not 20 percent of teenage girls, it is 20 percent of all teenagers. This means two things. First, the figures for teenage girls are at least slightly higher than that 20 percent. And second, this is not strictly a female disease--it happens to boys too.)

Those with anorexia nervosa typically have an altered perception of their own body image that leads to severe restriction of calories and a resulting loss of weight. Parents should look out for changes in eating behaviors, such as skipping meals and exercising for at least three hours every day. Because anorexia nervosa often leads to the cessation of menstrual periods, it is important for parents to be aware of changes in their daughters' cycles.

Another eating disorder, bulimia nervosa, is characterized by episodes of binge eating followed by purging. Those affected tend not to lose weight so the problem may be less obvious. You should look for changes in your daughter's teeth. She may complain of heartburn from vomiting and spend a lot of time in the bathroom after meals."

This is a very elementary explanation of two types of eating disorders that barely scratches the surface of what can actually happen, signs to look for, or other types of problems.

EDNOS stands for Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified. It is when someone meets some of the criteria for a known eating disorder, say anorexia, but not all of them. Though they cannot be called anorexic, it does not make their eating disorder any less real.

Though this book's segment on eating disorders was somewhat cliche, most health books' are. Truthfully, you don't know anything about this kind of illness until it has happened to you or someone close to you. One thing that I wish the books I'm reading were more sensitive to is the issue of disordered eating. It is extremely frustrating for me to read things that I know are triggering only because I have been down the road before and I know what can set people off--The Diet for Teenagers Only, for example. I am sure the authors had no intention of being triggering to girls with eating disorders, but unless you know what it is and how it works, it is impossible to be sensitive to the disease. The best advice I can give anyone--parents, teenagers, people looking to write diet or health books--get educated on this issue. It can end up saving lives.