SHIFTING THE WEIGHT

SHIFTING THE WEIGHT

By Frances Harris

It looks so easy; just reduce the food intake and exercise regularly and the pounds or kilos will peel off automatically – right?  Well, that’s the theory, but there’s one little hitch and is called the addictive brain. David Kessler, former head of the Food and Drug Administration (USA) and paediatrician and professor of paediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco has something to say about this. He claims there is a ’sweet spot,’ in the brain, that if engineered  the combination of fat, salt and sugar in the right quantities, (FSS) the product you crave, perhaps potato crisps and cakes, will become almost irresistible. I won't even mention the ice cream aisle. Evidently when stimulated in this way the reward centre of the brain lights up like an amusement park after dark. This should explain why people continue to eat well after they are hungry.

 Looking back, it makes sense to me. I can remember the times I walked down the potato crisp and cake aisles of any supermarket, and was instantly drawn to them like a magnet. My thoughts would instantly race into defensive mode, making excuses to myself why I had to buy them.  ‘It’s only this once,’ or ‘if I hide them it will avoid the arguments,’ and ‘even though I bought a packet yesterday, I don’t get them that often.’ And there is one more; ‘if I eat the chips or cake first, followed by a healthy lunch, they should cancel each other out.’

It seems food manufacturers discovered the human, ‘sweet spot,’ well before the rest of us were made aware of it, and they’ve been making the most of it ever since.  In fact, they have encouraged we crisp and food lovers to happily following like lemmings on the way to our own demise. After slowly reducing my exposure to the trio (FSS) I have dropped a dress size, now that I recognise the pitfalls. I’m avoiding the potato crisp and cake aisles like the plague. Wouldn’t it be great if scientists could come up with a patch to ween us off (FSS) like there is for cigarettes?

It’s true, exercise is a must-do for people who want to be healthy, but calories – in, and calories – out, must be in balance to loose eight. Just like any addictive element, (FSS) can’t be stopped overnight. I started off by purchasing the smaller size of sugar instead of the bulk pack. I like to put it, as well as salt on food after it is ready to eat where reasonable. That way the ingredients are unlikely to be added during the mixing stage, then again when the food is ready to serve. I discovered when cooking many meat products, add lots of spices to replace salt, then a little water at the base of a pan will stop the meat from burning, before a smudge of natural fat leeches out as it would anyhow. No added oil is necessary or the doubling up of fat.  The formula is working and I have a lot more energy.  Then finally, more vegetables are on the menu. If you spread the vegetables over the plate first, then place the meat on top, it's less obvious that the quantity of meat has been reduced.

With the extra energy from diet changes, I am able to do more exercise with less effort. It’s hard to get started, but everything gets easier with these few simple changes. See below where I’ve been walking regularly and riding my bicycle.  

Walking track at the end of Main Street, Mornington, Victoria, Australia.

Elwood Beach walking track, Victoria, Australia.