Sometimes I get sucked into the extreme weight loss shows…I always find it interesting to see what the nutritionists suggest, and mostly I find the transformations and level of personal dedication and hard work inspiring. Plus Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition is on right after the Bachelorette (a high-quality program..errrr).
So last night I was watching the program, and the contestant/winner/loser of the weight had some kind of nutrient level testing done, not sure what exactly. But the doctor informed her that she was malnourished in several areas. Now this lady was over 450lbs, so she was obviously eating a tremendous amount of food. How could she be malnourished, right?
She was eating tremendous amounts of food, but it was tremendous amounts of junk! Absolute garbage. Her diet consisted almost entirely of fast food. The only detail they really gave was drive-through barbecue, including brisket, which many probably think is reasonably nutritious given that it’s beef and thus a “complete protein”.
This is consistent with an important point I frequently tell clients, and people at my workshops. If you eat food that is low in nutrition, you’ll still feel hungry. Think it’s strange how you can eat a whopping high-calorie fast food or restaurant meal and feel hungry an hour later? It’s because you didn’t get enough nutrients, and your body’s way of trying to get more is to keep you hungry. So you eat more. But if you’re not eating the nutrients, your body will keep asking. So you eat, and eat, and gain, and gain.
And now the upside! Want to curb your hunger, maybe lose a little weight? Integrate some high nutrient-density foods into your diet. (For more on nutrient density, click here). Superfoods like kale, collard greens, fresh summer berries, and whole, unproccessed grains (I’m not talking flour here – rather rye berries, kasha, quinoa, etc). You will be amazed how full and energetic you start to feel, and your body will repond by dropping some of that extra baggage. They’re tasty too, I promise.