Hearty Habits #11: Fat and 40
August 15, 2006 by Lei
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Today’s Hearty Habits come from Tammy who’s so serious about getting fit that she started a blog documenting her journey – Fat and 40.
1) Walk anywhere from 20 minutes to 45 minutes depending on my time and energy, but the key for me is to try to do it everyday. This way it becomes a routine.
2) Drink loads of water with lemon juice (from real lemons) every day. The lemon juice gives the water a little something extra as far as flavor, and it helps flush you out.
3) Eat two to three servings of fresh fruit. I am trying to lose weight, counting calories, etc, but I don’t stress too much about the calories in fruit.
4) Stay away from processed food. This is really hard for me because I’m not much of a cook, but they are usually loaded with sodium, which will make me retain water.
In the emerging study of infectobesity (as mentioned in the Sunday New York Times Magazine), scientists theorize that we all metabolize food differently not only because of our unique genetic make-up but also because of differences in our native microflora.
[Jeffrey] Gordon likes to explain his hypothesis of what gut microbes do by talking about Cheerios. The cereal box says that a one-cup serving contains 110 calories. But it may be that not everyone will extract 110 calories from a cup of Cheerios. Some may extract more, some less, depending on the particular combination of microbes in their guts. “A diet has a certain amount of absolute energy,” he said. “But the amount that can be extracted from that diet may vary between individuals — not in a huge way, but if the energy balance is affected by just a few calories a day, over time that can make a big difference in body weight.”
Many many factors influence our weight but there’s no doubt that Tammy is going about it the right way by exercising and eating right. It’s not easy, but it’s the way to be healthy and fit no matter your size.
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