From a person who's been a master of gaining and maintaining weight that I could probably put up my own weight gain consultation camp, it's quite easy conclude that I eat so much than what I intend to burn. You might be thinking that I eat cups of rice, creamy viands, dessert, gulp coke and crunch on all amount of chips in between office hours. You might think that I eat more than six times a day, all belonging to major 'modern' food groups of Sugar, Oil and Salt. You think that I shouldn't whine if I couldn't put my pants on, that my case is useless except when I undergo cosmetic surgery's medical intervention. But sadly, I'm not that kind.
I do eat food, real good food. I do not deprive myself, but I know I'm not really going overboard. I eat breakfast, usually a bagel, coffee or occasionally a simple combo meal at Mc Donald's, just like what other people eat every morning. Then I don't have snacks in between. I eat lunch next. My lunch sometimes comprises of a fairly healthy Country Style Sandwich or a pasta dish or one cup of rice with a viand, which is usually fish. I have dessert sometimes, but my dessert is like a one serving type leche flan. I drink water, but sometimes I drink Pineapple juice. For snacks, I don't eat snacks except when I think I'm about to have my menstrual cycle when my appetite sometimes goes haywire. For dinner, depends on my late night work, I'd grab a simple Cheeseburger meal at McDonalds, have noodles at Chowking or enjoy a simple dinner at home. Just like everybody else. I seriously think I'm not going overboard with anything. Everything is manageable. It's true that I appreciate food. I try out different things. That's why it annoys me that when people find out that I want to eat this at a given time and proportion, they would immediately think that I'm hopeless. I'd hear endless side comments. But when in fact if they do eat the same stuff that I do, certain side comments wouldn't erupt. What's the difference?
Sure my physical outlook isn't what you would call "fit," but that doesn't mean I should starve myself to death. If there's one thing that I can't do is totally dissuade food and starve. If I starve myself, my mind goes crazy, my mood gets jolty and my life is ruined. I need to have good food, not necessarily many, but good food. I just hope they would understand that.
Also, it's safe to assume that I eat normally, but I don't burn as much that's why I'm easy to gain weight. That is true. I don't walk long distances at work. I don't exercise. I don't do anything physically stimulating. Aside from I have no time (which is more of an excuse), I don't have the heart for doing exercise. I just don't. Probably that's where the problem lies. But honestly, I'd rather work on the exercise part than depriving myself of good food. I'd rather face the music and exercise like crazy than have to diet and "starve." Or so I thought.
I also have to count in my medical condition. I have a serious Polycystic Ovary Syndrome that helps build up unnecessary fat in the abdomen area. This condition stores fat and one of the major effects is immediate weight gain. You could also count the genes aspect and the body make-up of a person.
But disregarding any medical or genealogical condition, experts and health buffs told me that exercise is useless without any proper diet. There are just some food that you would have to cut back. They testify that while exercise promotes good health, discipline and movement, it's not necessarily the sole agent of instant weight loss like what most people have envisioned. While certified dieters who have lost a relatively good amount of weight without doing any exercise at all just strengthen this claim. Dieters just avoid almost everything like Rice, Pasta, Bread, cheese, milk, Cafe drinks, dessert, meat. But they do lose weight. The impact, they say, if one does it right, is instantaneous. But I know I've read somewhere that following a strict and 'unofficial' diet leaves a person in a grim outlook. The mental aspect would be affected and the mood would be undesirable. I know an officemate who fed on Light Coke and Mentos all day without eating any meals. She ocassionally feasts on banana. She lost a lot of weight fast, but I doubt if it was healthy. Meanwhile, my boss on the heavy side just enrolled at a gym with a personal trainer and does exercise regularly. She also stays away from food such as rice and all the food that could help in gaining weight. Double Pain, I say.
In a nutshell, we immediately think that intensive exercise promotes good health and helps us lose weight. It may not be fast, but exercise has lots of benefits. Others say that they don't exercise but they do "starve" or go on a strict diet. Their weight loss may be fast, but I dare not risk my other faculties. Personally, I chose to go on an exercise than diet. But is this the real path or the lesser evil?
I just recently read in TIME that losing weight is not achieved through exercise. Experiment and analysis show that the more you exercise the more you get hungry. A percentage of those who do exercise gain weight more compared to people who don't do anything, but with a controlled food intake. I instantly lit up. If there's a serious way of losing weight without medical intervention, intense exercise or "intense" diet or starvation, I'd do that in a heartbeat. Sorry to my fitness buff uncle if he gets to read this, but this article "Why Exercise won't Make you thin" gave me another perspective.
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