Losing weight: A view from the trenches

It's a war.  Losing weight at least in America is a daily battle.  The enemy works hard at undermining your defenses and infiltrating your ranks.  The commercials, the "value size" containers, and magazines are always present.

Then the propaganda.  We are taught from childhood that food invokes pleasures, family unity, healthiness, companionship, healthy bones, stronger teeth, shiny hair and so many other things.  If these things were all true then why are so many of us overweight, unhappy, depressed and alone?  Some would say that simply is because WE have poor self-control and/or no will power.

But maybe, just maybe, we are basing our opinions, hopes and health on false or misleading information.

1. Truth in listing calories. Did you know that most "calories" we see printed regarding foods are actually kilocalories also known as "Kcal?" Meaning a thousand calories.  In common usage, non-specialists and consumers refer to kilocalories as calories, although these two terms have different technical definitions.  Think about this . . .If you knew a Big Mac was really 540,000 calories and not 540 calories, would that make a difference to you?
2. Calories in a pound of fat.  Read any book, study or whatever and the answer would be 3500 calories.  A pound of dead fat might truly be that, however, a pound of live fat (that which is on your body) is closer to 2400 calories.  These live fat calories is what makes or breaks our weight goals.
3. The body has two basic food needs and two basic byproducts.
1. Nutrients. This being the vitamins, minerals, and acids needed for the body to process and function.  The values for which would be based not upon a baseline of disease prevention as it is now, but based upon an optimum level.
2. Energy.  This being the stored fat of the body and part of the daily food consumed.
3. Refuse solid.
4. Refuse liquid. (includes vapor and sweat)
4. The thought of basing food consumption upon calories is flawed.  It should be based upon weight, not volume and a conversion factor based upon section 2 above.  It's more in line with today's thinking of yield and exactness.  In example: 4 ounces of celery might list, the nutrient values, how much is burnable energy and how much is waste products.
5. If we truly embrace the thinking that we as a group of beings are basically the same, then a base line approach should be able to be calculated for each gender and height, the variable would be current weight.  The metabolic rate should be viewed as a self-controlled variable.  It is well established that it can be raised or lowered within a parameter.
6. The 24-hour clock for our bodies might be expressed as sleeping and non-sleeping periods.  The difference being sleep time is positioned as a rejuvenation period of minimum cellular activity and the non-sleeping period being active cellular activity.
7. A diet plan addressing paragraph 2, would have a higher success rate.  A proper food plan would be created after reaching the targeted weight.

Time to do some thinking.