Are you looking for a weight loss tip? Well, here's a weight loss tip I've to keep me in a fairly narrow weight band for the past 25 years.
With parties and business meals galore, it's so easy to pack on some weight and transform your once slender figure into a mound of dough. The global pandemic didn't help, and neither does having kids.
Is there any wonder why many people fail their weight loss goals? You can be doing great all year and then BAM! You wonder how you gained so much weight.
The good thing about our bodies is that we have a natural mechanism to stop eating when we get full. Otherwise, we'd all be unrecognizable in a year. However, if we're honest, we know we often can't control ourselves and overeat anyways. I can't control myself when it comes to eating buttery cookies and gobble two at a time. Yum, yum.
My weight used to fluctuate in a 10 pound upward band, which is a lot considering I'm 5′ 10″ and every pound counts on the tennis court or pickleball court. I could be a taut 160 pounds one month and a soft 170 pounds just a couple months later if I wasn't careful.
At my prime, I used to be 10 pounds lighter given I ran track as well. Oh, to be that fit again. Nowadays, my weight only fluctuates by 6-7 pounds since a visit to New Delhi and Agra in 2001 that changed my outlook on eating forever.
Seeing The World Changes You – My Weight Loss Tip
Each time I travel to a foreign country I learn something new. For example, there are some 22 languages recognized by the Indian constitution, and some 300+ spoken languages in India.
In New Delhi, all I saw were skinny people. And when I looked closely, all I could see on the streets was abject poverty. There are so many people in Delhi, you have to look past the layer of bustle to see the beggars on the street. You may choose to ignore, but I couldn't. How could I when poverty surrounded me like a blanket of smoke in a dimly lit cigar room.
On the four hour drive to Agra where the Taj Mahal resides, the driver pulled over for a pitstop. No sooner had I got out, did both adults and children start tugging at my clothes asking for change.
The more rupees I gave, the more they begged. The more I tried to talk with them, the larger the swarm until my driver shrieked rudely for them to all go away. They didn't budge and I had to force myself back in the car.
As we drove away, I could see one spiny young man chase after us. He was unique, because he was on all fours and moved like a spider. It was as if he was determined to leap on the roof of our car and extract one last coin from my wallet.
His look was of great determination, but he couldn't keep up so I dropped some coins out the window. The car's rear wheels scrambled up a dirt cloud and that's the last I saw of him.
But, I was wrong. I see him always in my mind.
The Mental Shift To Eating Better
I have visited many impoverished nations before and so far never one as dire as India. There's something really wrong with so much concentrated poverty. I often wonder how they will be able to improve their standard of living, if ever?
It's just strange to have a $1 billion dollar, 27 story home in Mumbai owned by Mukesh Ambani, yet have so much despair on the streets. I'm afraid that unless the government does something drastic, their lives will never change.
The reason why my weight doesn't fluctuate too much anymore is because I've become more conscience of how much I eat. Be mindful of the suffering of others. This is the weight loss tip to die for.
When I'm feeling slightly full and I have thoughts about getting a second helping of anything, I think of the malnourished and the man in this picture above on my way to Agra and stop.
I know that it takes about 20 minutes for the body to register food after eating, so in those 20 minutes I wait and reflect if I'm alone.
We're not even being asked to help the poor and the hungry, just ourselves.
During reflection, I am appreciative of the abundance of food all around me in America. I wonder how one nation could be so rich, and another so poor.
How can we ever over eat when others are constantly starving? Is it right to gorge ourselves if millions of children around the world are malnourished and can't even reach a healthy weight?
We can't ever let ourselves go because to do so would mean that we ignore the suffering of others.
Maybe we are ignorant and have never seen poverty. Why else would Americans who go to private school and have nice jobs claim they've never experienced prosperity?
Or maybe we just choose to turn the other way. But, even if you have never left the country, if you look hard enough you will see suffering all around us.
Once you see it, you'll be hard-pressed to ever take your body for granted again. Fight on!
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Update: It's been 16 years since the trip to India. During the pandemic and after two kids, I finally blew my weight range above 170, to 173 pounds for about two years. But after reminding myself to be mindful of the suffering of others, I'm back down to an ideal weight range of 166-168.
Excellent weight loss advice. Tracking food intake and incorporating strength training are particularly effective strategies for long-term success.
Thank you for writing this article!
This is the link I needed to make. I will keep in mind that I can always get something to eat if I am truly hungry while others are not as lucky. My weight has trended up in the last few years from 210 to 250.
I also push myself self every year to donate more to organizations that are improving the places I enjoy. That has allowed me to go from donating $1000 to over $4000 per year. I will consider a Donor Advised Fund long term(My employer matches my donations).
I will push myself to reach a weight of 200 before the end of 2025.
No problem Marcus. So great you are donating so much. And best of luck with your weight goal. I understand the difficulty, especially as we get older. I hope this mental shift will help you as it has helped me.
I have traveled to six of the seven continents and have seen the poverty that you speak of firsthand. It is troubling, but much of it is difficult if not impossible to change because of long held beliefs and caste systems. I, like you, try hard to not overeat. Holidays are the most difficult times for me to stay at my 175 to 180 weight range (which is up now that I am age 71 per my doctor). But know in my heart, that no matter how much I do not eat, it will not change the plight of people in poorer countries. We are still giving to charities and outreach organizations every year although we are far from rich. And to me that is the best we can do from my position in the United States to hope that what is given will reach at least some of those in need to help.
I’m doubtful that constantly being “Be mindful of the suffering of others.” is a good way to live. Seems a bit of a downer. Yes suffering exists, always will, lingering on it will not enhance your life. Our government gives millions in foreign aide annual (paid for from my taxes), so I am comfortable that I am contributing.
A more practical tip – if your morning weight increase beyond a set band, skip a meal that day. I skip breakfast every day (fast from midnight til noon). Works for me…
For me it’s not the sugar…its just age. But I have recently discovered Intermittent Fasting and after 90 days Im down two inches in my waist and one pant size. I don’t pay any attention to what I eat, just when I eat. I eat in a 5-8 hour window and then I don’t eat anything (except for black coffee) the other time. It’s like magic. It’s appetite adjustment (great book), its autophagy (cleaning up my insides, it’s my body becoming leaner, and I’m actually wanting healthier food. And still eating donuts. Dr Fung is my hero for sure.
I blame age as well :)
But I know I’m just lying to myself and being lazy.
Intermittent fasting is good.
Why are portion sizes so large… Americans are very price sensitive and equate food volume (not quality) to price. The basic ingredients of food are cheap, all of the related costs of serving food are more expensive. Hence to justify raising the price of a meal, and/or be more competitive, they pile on a super sized potato, make the drink larger, etc. The incremental cost of the additional food is minimal but we feel that we are getting a better value – even if we don’t want the additional food. Many of us old timers, are negatively effected by this from being taught at a young age to “clear one’s plate.” If course when I grew up, clearing the plate was not an issue as there was not an abundance of food – the plate of chicken did not pass around the table twice….
This is such an interesting post.
As far as weight loss is concerned, I noticed no one mentioned caloric density in the comments. Here’s a post I did about caloric density: https://uncommonlybrilliant.blogspot.com/2011/12/caloric-density-revisited.html
It’s shown that the longest lived peoples eat low on the calorie density spectrum. It appears to be a very simple formula. The lower one eats of lower density foods, the less one weighs (and the longer one lives). The more one eats higher density foods, the more one will weigh.
Most of the studies about caloric density are coming out of the Univ of Penn. Barbara Rolls has written a book called Volumetrics.
Here’s an excellent short video of Jeff Novick talking about caloric density: https://uncommonlybrilliant.blogspot.com/2011/11/jeff-novick-calorie-density.html
Sam, this is an old post, and I hope you get my comment.
I mentioned to you a book, a while ago, and you said you were going to read it. It was called “The Pleasure Trap” by Doug Lisle.
If you read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts about it.
You’re story of the spiny legged man chasing after you is haunting. Was that a picture you took of the spiny legged man or was that a stock photo?
My friend just adopted a 3 yr old boy from India. If you saw how he looked when he arrived to what he looks like now you would think he was a different boy. What makes me go up in weight? It’s simple. I have food. When I am bored or psychologically hungry I eat. Control has to come from me. That is why their are so many weight loss centers. There is no control because we have the means. We see it with the rich. We see it with the famous. We see it with the overweight.
What makes some us overweight in the US? (Us meaning me..) Easy access to fast food, easy access to internet, and easy access to just about everything leaves no time to think about what you are putting in your mouth. Some people use food as an escape or a “drug” to mask what is really bothering them.
Consciously changing bad habits is a slow process. Getting out of the drive thru lane is the first step for me. One day at a time…. one day at a time.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Lisa. The good thing about living in a free world is that we’re free to do whatever we want that makes us feel happy.
No time like the present time!
When I was fat I was depressed. I lost the fat. I lost the depression. Being a fat ass sucks
Sam, I grew up in that country and seen people around me. You see a foreigner on the street beggars from all corners would come towards you. In fact upon reaching this country (US) I was amazed to see beggars on the crossings, as I thoughts they are features of third world countries.
Any way coming back to the original topic of weight loss, its not always due to over eating, I have seen exceptions on both ways. I have seen people leaving entirely on fruits and gaining weight. I have seen people over eating every meal still maintaining a fat free feature.
Hi SB, to me, the reason why I have gained wait has always been due to over eating. Exercising isn’t as effective as eating right b/c often times, exercise makes me more hungry.
Are you interested in going back to India to live?
It was a wise person who said that you don’t lose weight in the gym, you lose weight in the kitchen.
Absolutely! The person who told me that was a personal trainer who I was paying to help me in the gym!! I figured it must be true since he was downplaying the value of his own service. Later another trainer told me the most important exercise was the “push away from the dinner table.”
Americans have a lot of luxuries that many don’t even realize…. besides food, hot water and electricity are also luxuries. Many Americans have grown up with all of these things without truly understanding that for many countries, these things are very limited. Traveling the world definitely helps open your eyes by seeing how other people live firsthand.
I travelled to Sri Lanka, Nepal, and some parts of India a few years ago, and I can completely understand where you are coming you.
It certainly is a mental shift and it took a while to readjust to everything we have here. I don’t blame anyone for overindulging, especially since they may not be aware of what conditions other people live in.
Watching images on the screen have virtually no impact unless you see the extreme poverty in front of you. Sri Lanka, and southern parts of India had a really strong impact on my travelling buddy and I as we had not been prepared for it.
Hi Marissa – Thanks for sharing your story on Sri Lanka. I have never been there, and was hoping to visit the north end one day before I die. Pictures are one thing, seeing it in real life is another indeed.
I’m almost 10 years older now after first experiencing this trip to India, and I have to admit using age was a big excuse.
It’s all about being mindful of the suffering around us.
The Indian diet and Indian body type is such that most young people are rail thin and can eat as much as they want. Once they hit late 20’s through 40’s they are putting on huge amounts of fat- in the belly and back for men, in the abdomen, back, legs and butt for women.
Because many Indians are vegetarians they are getting too many carbohydrates and not enough protein to balance it out. There is some sources of protein- dhal (lentils), yogurt and other milk products like paneer but that is about it.
Also I think that the Indian body type has endured periods of famine so the body is efficient at storing fat to build up reserves for times of scarcity.
This combination puts them at risk for heart disease and diabetes related illness.
No doubt you saw many pot bellied people in India during your travels, Sam…
The masses of poor people are really sad and overwhelming but I think the best way out for them is to have India keep growing and building up the middle class. You will start to see more levels of obese Indians, just not at the level of the USA.
-Mike
PS- I really like your suggestion to stop eating before you feel too full- that is an excellent habit to cultivate, and one that I lost once I started living with my wife (because she liked to have dessert or a bit more food).
That’s an interesting theory Mike, and perhaps you are right about the body type.
Yes, stop eating before we are full to be mindful and wait for our body to catch up.
Not sure, but if that’s all they know, MAYBE it’s not so bad. It looks particularly bad for us in the West b/c this is kind of all we know. Everything is relative.
It’s a story that has stuck with me at the forefront or the back of my mind. I’m using my site to keep it always at the forefront.
Most Americans are overweight because of all the processed food around us…simple as that.
In short, yes, I think the American diet contributes largely to the current obesity crisis that the nation is facing. I attribute this to 3 things in particular:
1) Oversize portions: After living in Germany for quite awhile (a nation also known for it’s portions and love of food), I really came to realize just how huge portions are in the States. Not only in restaurants, but also in grocery stores. How are we to know better if we aren’t taught proper portion sizes?
2) Sedimentary lifestyle: Again, not necessarily that Americans are lazy, but we are byproducts of a culture which requires us to drive everywhere. Here in Germany, I ride in a car once every 6 months or so. Otherwise, it’s walking, biking or train for me. This keeps weight down considerably.
3) Additives, etc..: The states began cutting down on Trans Fat about 5-7 years ago, but there are still a lot of additives and preservatives in food. These are double killers, as they fatten you up and are tougher to burn.
Interesting post, thanks!
The portions are quite amazingly large compared to everywhere else in the world. I wonder why. Often times, I just share a main course with a friend or a partner. I enjoy the feeling of being 75% full, and not 110%+ full.
The additives and sugar is a killer for sure! Thanks for your thoughts.
Sam, I don’t think the answer is so simple.
Firstly, I think people in many developed nations view food as a drug not as fuel.
Secondly, portion sizes are huge, processed food is calorie-dense and all that high fructose corn-syrup and other crap screw you.
I lived in North America for 3 years and my first year there I put on 30 pounds! I have since lost all that weight but it was a battle.
30 lbs is a lot! How heavy/tall are you? Glad you reverted back to your steady state.
Well, I’m glad you’re back under 2 bells! I’m a couple inches taller and got up to 180 or something. It was depressing havoc to buy new pants. Im back to around 165, but that’s still 12-15 heavier than high school and I know I’m not stronger! Well, maybe my fingers due to all the typin hahaha.
Gordie actually had a great answer above but I’m going to put my own spin on things anyway…
Readers, why do you think it’s so easy to gain weight in America?
Because the overweight ones like me aren’t active enough! I don’t eat much more (if any more than anyone else), but at my job at work I hardly move, when I come home I blog, so I rarely get the proper amount of exercise. This 2011 I’m changing it all up. So far I’m doing much better than last year!
Do we just not know how good we have it?
Some of us americans are very naive… We really don’t realize that we are at the top of the heap. If we didn’t, Obama wouldn’t be in office because of his slogan about “Change”. Why change when you are at the top for all classes with respect to standards of living?
Would people over eat as much and let themselves go if they were aware of so much suffering in the world?
I don’t think they see the connection. Heck, I don’t see the connection. It’s not like the food that I don’t eat would be shipped over there anyway. Most restaurants throw the leftover food away at the end of the day.
This 2011, I’m going to try to change my lifestyle and lose weight because I don’t want all the problems that are associated with obesity…
Here’s the thing though. If you are overweight as you say you your comment, it’s probably b/c you don’t mind right? If you did, you would eat better and exercise more, but it’s no big deal. Or does it bother you at all?
The connection is that once we see the poverty, we don’t let our food go to waste. We eat just enough and save everything for left overs, which includes taking things home to eat the next day. We all have a self-regulating weight. Awareness of the suffering of others helps us regulate ourselves even that much more.
I have really never been to a poor country, but it does break my heart to see those photos! I think if I ever saw the way that they lived, my world perspective would be radically changed. Thanks for the post. I will definitely reconsider my overindulgence in the future.
Your welcome and thanks for reading. Visiting poverty really changes almost EVERYTHING about you. You become more thankful, aware, and may even get motivated to try and do something to raise awareness and donate to their cause. It puts things into perspective.
Very good read! Thanks! Anytime something I read provokes thought, it’s appreciated.
Not only do we over-eat, the amount of food we waste is simply disgusting. I was on an Alaska cruise this spring and a majority of people piled food on their plates only to eat a 1/4 or a 1/3 of it. It was unbearable to watch … as would it be to see starving people in the streets. I guess people feel that they have the right to waste food because it’s an “all inclusive”! It isn’t only me that has observed this, almost everyone I talk who has been on a cruise says the same thing.
I’ll be signing up for your emails. Looking forward to reading your interesting writing.
Thanks for stopping by SoloSailor. Ahhh, the great cruise vacations where one over eats to oblivion! I swear I gained 10 pounds when I was in high school after one 10 day cruise! Looking forward to having you around.
There was a point in American history when fat people were envied. It was a sign of success that you had enough food to get fat!
I think our obesity is a combination of factors of which other commenters have noted. The top two are moving from physical labor jobs to sedentary ones and the second is the abundance of inexpensive, processed foods.
Actually, I remember that perception…. it was about 25 years ago! Interesting how times have changed.
I don’t know how many more people were doing physical labor 20-30 years ago, but I guess much more.
I truly believe if people see the world and want to lose weight, they will so much easier.
I was thinking late 1800’s, LOL!
Oh, hahahahah! OK. Well, I do hear what you’re talking about though b/c of my travel overseas. I remember traveling to poorer countries and them commenting on Americans having it so good as they are so much bigger than them.
Welcome to my site! Not sure if I can do vegan, but will definitely cut out dairy. Dairy + Sugar = a shorter life imo.
I’ve been to Agra and the Taj Mahal too. India is beautiful.
You know why I think North Americans are so prone to obesity? It’s because of the fast food and conveniences we opt for because we have no time to cook (or think we don’t, anyway).
Cool. What were you doing out in Agra/Delhi? How long did you end up staying?