Why even try?

     I finished the book I mentioned yesterday:   "Rethinking Thin, The New Science of Weight Loss--and the Myths and Realities of Dieting" by Gina Kolata, who is a science writer for the New York Times.  The basic story line is coverage of a 2 year study comparing Adkins dieters and low calorie, low fat dieters.  This story line alternates with a history of dieting since the mid 1800s and also obesity research since the 1940s. 
     The history of dieting was very interesting.  People have been worried about their weights for at least 150 years.  Also, people's perceptions about what is normal weight have been changing....decreasing over the past 150 years.  At the same time, since the civil war, average heights have increased by 3 inches and people have gotten fatter.
     She didn't give the results of the 2 year study, just anecdotal results of some of the dieters.  Most of them lost weight at first and then, no matter what they did, the weight came back.  
     She quotes other research that found the same thing....weight loss will eventually lead to regaining the weight.  She states that most of obesity is due to genetics...that there is a narrow comfortable range of 20-30 pounds in weight that most people can sustain.  She also quoted studies that show that overweight people (not obese or underweight) are healthier and live longer.  She blames the Diet Industry for not letting this information be known...that overweight is not unhealthy, and that diets don't work.  She theorizes that "higher weights could be an unintended consequence of the nation's generally better health, or maybe even a contributor to it."
     I found the book depressing, hopeless, even.  I can see how being overweight can be healthier, especially if you are fit, but that doesn't explain the sudden growth in obesity in the world.  Morbidly obese people do have health problems, and it doesn't help to have someone generalize from a few studies that weight loss is never ever sustainable.
     She never mentions the people who do manage to lose weight and keep it off.  The National Weight Control Registry follows these people.  The registry participants have lost an average of 66 pounds and kept them off for an average of 5.5 years.  45% lost the weight on their own, 55% used a diet program.  98% modified their food intake in some way.  94% increased their physical activity.  The majority eat breakfast every day, watch less than 10 hours of T.V. a week, weigh themselves once a week, and exercise on average 1 hour a day.  Sustained weight loss is certainly possible.
     My thoughts: 
          1.  The point should be health and fitness, not a number on the scale.
          2.  None of the researched diets discussed were what I would call
               "healthy."   Low calorie, low fat, or even Atkins are starvation 
               diets and obviously won't work.
          3.  Why has no one researched eating high fiber, unprocessed, real food?
          4.  Why no research on plant based vs animal based diets?
          5.  Why no research on eating steroid-free, hormone-free, added
                chemical-free organic diets?
          6.  Why no studies on increasing fitness?  The fitter you are, the more
                you crave healthy food.
          7.  I do wonder what the statistics are for continued weight control for
               "Biggest Loser" participants.  That would be fascinating to know.
     After some of these questions have been answered, then and only then, should conclusions start to be drawn.

     In Dr. Andrew Weil's blog today he discusses new research showing that inflammation can cause depression, and that eating an anti-inflammatory diet can help treat it.  http://www.drweilblog.com/

     In Dr. Joel Fuhrman's blog today he discusses fighting breast cancer by eating flax.  http://www.diseaseproof.com/

One more Thanksgiving picture.