Weight Loss Information |
Were Cave Dwellers Ever Fat?
In our mind's eye, we see our ancient ancestors as they have been depicted in paintings, stories, films, and scientific recreations. Small, wiry, hairy figures surrounding a huge beast, poised for the kill. Do we know if that picture is really accurate? We do know, from skeletal fragments that have survived, that they were definitely smaller than present day human beings. We can surmise that they were wiry from the lifestyle they pursued: irregular availability of food and long hours of daily hunting. We can assume that women started to gather plants, grasses, fruits, and seeds to provide an alternate source of sustenance to the men's only intermittently successful hunting efforts. We have only vague timelines on when tribes started to move out of caves and into shelters they made themselves. We can only guess about the invention of cooking pots, an enormous advance from simply an open fire. As the race became more domesticated, the variety of food expanded and therefore the availability of something to eat became more assured. Eventually, civilization sparked, agriculture was born, and eating became a process of selection and choice rather than mere consumption to stay alive. It was at this juncture, we can posit, that individual's weights started to differentiate, depending upon personal choice, the wealth or strength to obtain extras, or the physical demands of one's occupation. What did our cavemen forbears bequeath as their legacy? Underfed and overactive, they willed us a body that still thinks we dwell in the primordial forest. Suddenly cut back on our intake of food and the alert is sounded through the nervous system and organs of our prehistoric physiology. "Famine coming, famine coming" our bodies shriek and immediately our metabolism slows to a crawl. The body attempts to hold onto its fat like a Paleolithic hunter grasping his animal skin against the elements. In the very architecture of our bodies: tail remnants, vestigial organs, and a primitive metabolic system, we carry the seeds of our own weight difficulties. To work with our bodies, rather than constantly fight them, we need to recreate the world in which our bodies developed. While we cannot participate in a primeval hunt, we can repeatedly, over a long period of time, consume only limited calories so that our bodies don't have to worry about getting enough food, but process the little they do get rapidly and efficiently. Our little friends, the white rats in the laboratory mazes, have proven over and over again, that consistent undereating is the pathway to good health and longevity. For all they did for mankind in the dawn of history, the cave dwellers deserve our thanks and our respect as do the bodies they left as their testimony. What ungrateful abuse we heap on them when we allow ourselves to grow flabby and fat, desecrating their gift and nullifying their efforts. Virginia Bola is a licensed psychologist and an admitted diet fanatic. She specializes in therapeutic reframing and the effects of attitudes and motivation on individual goals. The author of The Wolf at the Door: An Unemployment Survival Manual, and a free ezine, The Worker's Edge, she recently published a psychologically-based weight control e-workbook, "Diet with an Attitude" which develops mental skills towards the goal of permanent weight control. She can be reached at http://dietwithanattitude.blogspot.com
MORE RESOURCES: Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting |
RELATED ARTICLES
Learning How to Become a Good Loser The Quest to Reach Your Ideal WeightIt was late in the day and my next patient I would be meeting for the first time. As the woman entered my office upon introduction I was surprised by her response to my question of how she heard about me. The One and Only Way to Lose Weight There is only one way to lose weightThere really is only one way to lose weight. You have to burn more calories than you use in a day. Atkins Bankruptcy: Your New Decisions To A Healthy Life! Atkins Nutritionals filed for bankruptcy at the beginning of August 2005 in light of a decline in the diet's popularity and profits. Atkins low carbohydrate craze focused on eliminating grains, fruits and vegetables to shed weight, and embraced high-protein diets rich in meat and cheese. Mediterranean Diet - Lose Weight Quickly, Easily & Safely If you are looking for a way to lose fifty pounds in two weeks, a high protein diet, a low carb diet, a fruit diet, a no fat diet, a blood type diet, a juice fast, a diet named after a place in Miami, a grapefruit diet, a cactus diet, a coffee and cigarette diet, a diet that includes sweets, a diet based on your body type, a diet based on an ancient religion or a diet based on your hair color, then this article is NOT for you.Fad and crash diets, such as the ones described above are not only unhealthy but they also cause rebound weight gain. Rapid Weight Loss Tips - Lose Weight with the South Beach Diet It's the American Dream: "If I could just lose a little bit of weight.. Negative Calorie Foods FAQs What is negative calorie effect?Whatever food we eat, our body has to work hard to digest and absorb. There are certain foods that require more calories to digest than their own calories. Lose A Pound Lose a pound of fat? what does it take? Not eating for a day? Not eating for a week? Eating less? How much less?Professionals say that it takes 3500 calories in order to loose One Pound of fat you stored in your body. That simply means that you have to reduce your calorie intake for 3500 cal per week, and here you are - one pound less. Milk: The Weight Loss Drug Lose Weight - Grab A GlassIn childhood, we heard it: Drink a glass of milk at every meal. Now TV commercials are touting the weight-loss effects of milk and other dairy products. Liberate Your Set Esteem and Lose Weight Are you a 'look-and-lose' dieter? Have you studied every diet ever created, read a zillion diet books, and yet are still unhappy with your weight?Has your quest for the holy grail of dieting become a substitute for actually making changes required to take the ill health out of your current diet?If so, you may not realise your thoughts are key to your happiness and success.Do you look at yourself and say, "I'm fat", or "My hips are too big"? Many of us look in the mirror and immediately compare ourselves to those 'perfect' human specimens we see every single day on TV, in magazines and in the newspapers. Weight Loss Surgery: Benefits and Risks You may be considering weight loss surgery if you are overweight or obese. For many people, surgical weight reduction is one of the only viable ways to lose a significant amount of weight and enjoy better health. How To Lose Weight Quickly and Safely "I eat like a bird, why do I gain weight?" When someone says that, I ask them "What kind or a bird a sparrow or a vulture"? Studies showed that there is a direct correlation between a person being inactive and weight gain. Experts say that it is inactivity, not excess eating that can add excess body fat. A Look at Bariatric Surgery Patients Individuals who are interested in bariatric surgery need to be aware of the ramifications. Although significant weight loss can be achieved with the procedure, patients need to have realistic weight loss expectations. Weight Loss for Good - If Only You Had Known? Whether coming from a close friend, the nightly news or from a letter in the mail, it's hard to face the truth at times. Hear-ing it can really cut to the core of our be-ings. Is Losing Weight The Same As Losing Fat? Contrary to common belief, your weight is not really the indicator of a weight problem - the actual percentage of body fat is the true indicator. You need to know what percent of you is actually FAT. Weight Loss And Nutrition Myths - What You Need To Know! Part 1 MYTH: Fad diets work for permanent weight loss.FACT: Fad diets are not the best way to lose weight and keep it off. Breaking Research: Whats a Dieter To Do? Every day, it seems, a new study pertaining to weight loss or nutrition is released to the public. These studies tout the latest and greatest trends, products or discoveries and then a willing public jumps on the bandwagon expecting mighty results. Weight Loss Problems? - Why The Gastric Bypass Surgery Does Not Stick! Gastric bypass surgeries are temporary physical fixes to a long term head problem!If you think the surgery is a cure all, think again. The crazy thing is people are gaining weight on purpose so they can be qualified to even be considered for the surgery. Slimming Solutions Here are 5 solutions to slimming:1. Set Mini-Goals: Try setting short-term or "mini" goals to help you achieve your goal of shedding the excess weight. Combating Obesity So you ask, "How do I determine if I am Obese, Overweight or fat?" Usually 20% or more over recommendations on standard weight charts indicates that you fit into the obese category. Obesity refers specifically to having an abnormally high proportion of body fat. The R Factors - Your Answer For Getting To The Perfect Body For Fitness And Health Building a Perfect Body for Body Perfect Fitness and Health Is just Four Factors Away!!! The R Factors!!!!What are they?Rev upYou must incorporate an on-going Aerobic (with oxygen) exercise program in each of your weekly goals. That means a minimum of 3 times per week, you must work on strengthening and protecting your heart from the risks associated with a sedentary lifestyle. |
home | site map | contact us |