Running With Quills: THE BATTLE OF THE...

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Sunday, September 09, 2007

THE BATTLE OF THE...

There will be no illustrations for this blog:)

I just returned from having dinner with my husband and son--a good time to share my thoughts on the inequities of the human metabolism.

Why can men lose weight so much faster than women (generalization)? Why can men commit so many more eating "sins" than women and get away with it (generalization)?

Stir fried vegetables, hold the noodles. That was my meal this evening. Husband and son: Pork wan ton, meatloaf with garlic mashed potatoes and fried onion rings, bread and butter, wine and (trumpets here) THE BIG KAHUNA, otherwise known as a vast slice of half-chocolate and half-vanilla ice cream on a bed of Oreo cookies, coated with hot caramel fudge sauce and encrusted with macadamia nuts.

Nope, I didn't have desert. "I'll have another glass of water, please," I said when the waiter looked at me.

The Big Point? Tomorrow I will not have lost an ounce of weight because I behaved myself this evening and my companions will, very probably, not have gained an ounce.

This isn't an isolated event. For years I've been turning down goodies while Jerry has said things like, "Well, what can it hurt?" or "I'll go on a diet tomorrow," before tucking into a BIG KAHUNA of some tantalizing kind. And for years the two of us have dieted seriously, at the same time, with the following results:

Jerry drops pounds like an ice sculpture in a sauna.

Stella takes off her watch and wedding ring before getting on the scale and goes cross-eyed trying to convince herself she's down a few ounces.

I'm certain the hex is in metabolic rates. Mine must resemble that of a turtle running in reverse, or maybe a goeduck. I have three pieces of exercise equipment in my office! And I use them. There are two more in another room and I use those, too. I take my dog on such long walks I have to carry her most of the way so she doesn't disappear before we get home (at 6lbs, a four-footed girl must be careful).

Theories needed!
Whiners welcome!
Share your triumphs.
Share your defeats.

Happy Monday, my friends,

Stella

36 Comments:

Anonymous said...: LOL. I share your pain, and it IS a pain. The unfairness of the world. But the simple truth is as follows.

Men have bigger muscle than women.
Bigger muscle burn more calories.
More calories burned equals faster weightloss.
Hence, men loose weight faster than women.

Arrrgghhh. Not fair. Not fair.

Anybody want Icecream fudge for comfort?

LOL.; 12:54 AM
aussie dee said...: genes and metabolism; 3:12 AM
DFender said...: Stella,

Luck of the draw. I have girlfriends that can drop weight like a stone off a cliff and I have guy friends that can't shed an ounce to save their lives.

Generally speaking though... yup, muscle mass. It's the kicker.

The struggle to love ourselves... whatta never-ending saga! LOL

Happy Monday!

Deb; 3:23 AM
Stella said...: Anon: No matter what happens, your absolutely sensible muscle mass theory must be hidden from "them." Sheesh, girl, do you realize how out of control they'll become if they can point to a protruding belly and say, "muscle mass?"

Bring on the hot fudge.

Stella; 4:20 AM
Stella said...: Aussie Dee--And all this rational thinking is supposed to make me feel better? Stella . . .; 4:21 AM
Stella said...: Deb: I didn't say I didn't love myself, just that I was ticked!

Stella; 4:23 AM
Candace said...: I have become completely convinced that weight training in the key to permanent weight loss. You can cardio until the cows come home and lose weight, but to keep it off you have to build up your muscles so they burn more calories, even while you're at rest.

And you don't have to use big weights or build up big muscles. Little weights and little muscles work just fine.

This is a truth that took me years to come to. Years! But now that I know it, I can have that glass of wine with dinner or dessert after (but, alas, still not both) and not worry about it.; 5:20 AM
AgTigress said...: My theory has always been as follows. In a basic hunter-gatherer society, it is vital that females can survive even when conditions are harsh and food is scarce, because they need to bring up the young, which are relatively helpless for ages. The males, though quite handy, are far more disposable - as long as they have impregnated the females (and one male can take care of a number of females...) most of the other things they do are fairly flashy but inessential. Regular food-gathering is a lot more important for survival than occasional hunting (and anyway, women can easily hunt small creatures that can be snared; hunting isn't only about macho posturing with big beasts like deer and aurochs.

So, in general, women make good use of all nourishment, and readily store any surplus as fat against the hard times to come; in animal-husbandry terms, we are 'good doers', fattening up nicely without costing too much.

Well, it's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it.

:-); 5:42 AM
Anonymous said...: Oh Stella,
How do I share your frustration! I work out, watch what I eat and gain weight! Now explain that one...
My hubby on the other hand, just thinks about loosing weight and away it goes.

But, I have found that since I added weight resistance training to my weekly work out, I can eat more things and NOT gain weight.

Just one more of life's jokes played on us women!; 6:33 AM
Lori Foster said...: Poor Stella! I think you look great, so I don't why you're bothering. But hey, I know plenty of men who have the same issues. They diet, work out, stay active... and don't lose a pound. But if they don't do those things, they sure gain! It's frustrating.
Losing weight has to be one of the hardest things around!

Lori; 7:20 AM
DFender said...: Stella,
My comment about the "struggle" was aimed at myself, not you.
Deb

I'm in the camp of wanting what I don't have...

Skinny-ness
Rich-ness
Straight-hair-ness
Boob-ness; 8:02 AM
Anonymous said...: In the world of weight loss I have a part time job at Weight Watchers, and the biggest headache I have is getting ACTIVE women to eat the proper "enough".

For too many years the headlines say: eat less, exercise more.

Well, that is fine if you are close to sedentary. BUT ACTIVE PEOPLE need fuel.

Off my soap box, but I have too much evidence of people that are VERY busy in their jobs (nurses in hospitals, teachers moving around schools, etc.) that figure they aren't active because they don't go to the gym. Well, the gym is not the only activity out there!

My point is lots of people actually have pretty good metabolisms but don't always recognize it.

PS: I am TOO sedentary and do little to get moving and need to work on that almost all the time as a TO DO! Sigh. Time gets away to quick.

SusanB; 9:01 AM
Jayne Ann Krentz said...: I like the AgTigress theory. Makes intuitively good sense to me. Why don't we talk about this over a Double Big Kahuna?

--Jayne; 9:13 AM
susan andersen said...: Metabolic rates are largely affected by exercise. The more you exercise, the more lean muscle you accrue, the faster you burn off calories. And guys have it all over us because they just naturally have more lean muscle mass than we.

It's soooooo unfair. My husband started taking the bus several days a week instead of driving. His firm is almost 30 miles from home, so he has to transfer 3 times and probably walks a couple of miles those days. With no other change to his diet, the pounds melted away. I walk about 10 miles a week, ellipical and nordic track another 10, take a dance class that makes me sweat like a pony, a pilates class and lift weights. But unless I keep track of every calorie that goes into my mouth, I don't lose an ounce.

Unfair, unfair, unfair.; 10:45 AM
Pia said...: Stella,
I share your sentiments but I agree with Lori, you look great!

Well upon Doctor's orders my husband needs to lose 50 lbs. and I on the other hand feel so overweight that for the first time ever, we both decided to join the gym.

I walk faster than Bong and feel like I work out more than him, but guess what, he already lost 5 lbs. while I still weigh the same (at least it's the same not more, but still). Some say it's because now that I'm lifting weights I am gaining more muscles and that they weigh heavier than fat? Who knows.

Tomorrow I will start with my dancing class - belly dancing (so watch out Shakira).
As for my diet, I also started eating yogurt and organic whole grain food.

So basically it goes back to what my mom used to tell me, a balanced diet and exercise.

Thanks and good luck, Stella.
Pia; 11:36 AM
Stella said...: Candace: Couldn't agree more with your comments on weights--there are a number of those in this office, too. I used weights in conjunction with all stationary equipment.

Does anyone have any thoughts on resetting the metabolism? It's obvious that the burn rate starts at a lower level for some than for others.

Wow, I think I need a knickerbockerglory!

Stella; 12:08 PM
Stella said...: AGtigress: I absolutely endorse your theory. Hard to argue with reality. And I continue to fight against my tendency to hate adipose tissue!

The great question becomes, why can't some of us accept that we cart around these desposits against starvation even though the next sandwich is rarely more than a two-minute walk away?

I know the answer, darn it. We want to walk faster, breathe more easily and look better in our clothes, but the Chelsea bun even smells so much better than a stalk of celery:)

Stella; 12:18 PM
karende said...: The whole idea of metabolism sucks. DH is one of those tall lean drinks of water that if he stood sideways to the sun and stuck out his tongue his shadow would look like a zipper. And he eats like a pig. One memorable time we had steaks at a friend’s house - 1 lb sirloins, the guys each got one and she and I split one. The trimmings were in proportion, big salads, big baked potatoes with butter and sour cream, Black Forest Cherry Cake [home made] for dessert. After a couple glasses of wine and some conversation, we went back home, where DH said ‘I’m hungry. How about an omelette?’ So I fixed him an omelette with a dozen eggs, half a pound of bacon, a handful of cheese, about a cupful of diced onions and green peppers, and he ate the whole thing! All I have to do is watch him eat and I gain.

Life is NOT FAIR. Nor does it help when he tells me I’ll never have to worry about starving during a drought or some other natural disaster, my metabolism is very efficient. I’d rather it be less efficient and have to learn to eat incredible edibles if it ever became necessary.

karibear; 1:33 PM
AgTigress said...: Stella said: "The great question becomes, why can't some of us accept that we cart around these desposits against starvation even though the next sandwich is rarely more than a two-minute walk away?"
***
Alas, that's the problem. Nature planned all this before humanity had even achieved the Agricultural Revolution at the beginning of the Neolithic period (enabling us to grow and raise food, and store surpluses, rather than just grabbing what we saw when it happened to be available), let alone the dawn of Urbanisation. We still have this primitive Early Palaeolithic metabolism, darn it.

And some of us (definitely NOT you Stella!) still look remarkably like Palaeolithic female figurines. Who said history was not relevant to today?

:-D; 2:19 PM
Nell said...: Ms. Tigress is onto something! :-)

I live with a teenage boy who inhales food while getting taller and thinner.

The husband cuts out his 3rd glass of milk to drop weight.

*sigh*; 4:21 PM
Ranurgis said...: I guess there are almost as many theories as there are people.

I've been one of the more "lucky" ones as far as weight goes. I'm 5'4" and so far, I've never had to diet to lose weight even though I was over 150 lbs. for a while. No, if I have to diet, it's usually to *gain* weight.

Some people conclude from the fact that there are few fat Chinese who don't use any dairy products (the women also have a much smaller incidence of breast cancer) that dairy products that the "Westerners" love and think they need for calcium, which the Chinese find in vegetables, are one part of the difference. Genes and metabolism certainly are important as well.

My weight is like a yo-yo if I ever gain any. Stress and "tummy" troubles wore off those extra pounds over time so that I'm now around 115 pounds. Though I don't drink milk, I love yogurt, normal or fruity frozen. I'm also a sucker for ice cream. How that fits into the picture I really don't know.

My next-oldest brother was always known as the "garbage-can" at home. He'd eat all the left-overs but his wait has probably not fluctuated much all his life. My younger brother, however, has had periods of sporting a paunch as did my father. My mother and sister have actively dieted to lose weight though they were never really fat.

The only family members who can really need a diet is one of my sister's boys (he wanted to become a chef) and one of my sisters-in-law, the one who plagues me every time I visit about not drinking enough milk.

The moral or conclusion of all this? I have absolutely no idea.

P.S. I'm supposed to be exercising for my illness. I wish I could find the motivation to do it, but all it does is make me more sore and tired when it really should be doing the opposite.; 6:03 PM
Brandy said...: I wish I knew a solution for you. I recently started Yoga classes and hubs and I joined the Y. I haven't lost any weight but have lost inches. Hubs worked out for 2 weeks and then stopped and hasn't lost any weight at all. So there goes that theory. (I recently guilted him into going back.)
Best of Luck!; 8:09 PM
Anonymous said...: Metabolism - yep, it sucks and while nature is against there are some things to keep in mind. Inches are more important than pounds and check your bmi (body mass index) there are tons of calculators on the internet, it's a rough guess but it's better than paying for someone to pinch you with one of those fat calipers.

There are a couple of ways to jump start your metabolism - lift weights. For time saving, space saving (but not money saving) hand held gyms try DragonDoor.com and look into Kettlebells - those Russians are so inventive. The other thing is cardio fast. If you walk, bike or nordic sprint. After a 4-5 minute warm up sprint 30 sec, keep a fast pace for a minute then sprint again - do a few cycles of it - you can't keep it up for long. Each time or every other add another cycle. You can get a great cardio workout in 10-15 minutes with warm-up/cool down. I noticed a diffence and I loved the time it saves - just some stuff I've read.

Here's to at least one Big Kahuna a month.

Zeusly; 9:23 PM
Cbell said...: Here's an option... though it was one I didn't really plan. Have a minor organ removed. I had my gall gladder removed in April and I am down 30 pounds. The gall bladder itself was an ugly 6 pound problem. I'm trying to come up with other organs I don't really need to survive... like my tonsils and appendix.

Funny... my surgeon didn't just want to take those out on his own!; 8:06 AM
Candace Salima (LDS Nora Roberts) said...: I feel your pain! My husband was 400 pounds when we married (long story.) After 8 miscarriages my once svelte 5'10", 130 pound frame was . . . uhm bigger. We started working out. My husband lost 70 pounds the first six months, I lost -- NOTHING! I biked, I swam, I walked, I lifted weights -- NOTHING, NADA, ZIP.

I don't know the answer. I don't drink pop anymore, I've cut the refined sugars down to almost nothing and still, my husband loses weight (currently at 280 (big Samoan guy)) and me . . . well, we won't get into that.

5HTP and Xoçai chocolate have been added to the mix, the weight is finally starting to come off. Sheesh! It's about time!; 9:31 AM
Elizabeth Guest said...: agtigress said: Some of us still look remarkably like Palaeolithic female figurines...In a basic hunter-gatherer society, it is vital that females can survive...

Then I'm definitely a survivor! :-)
~EG; 1:08 PM
Linda said...: I think there is scientific evidence that men do indeed lose weight more easily than women, particularly after the age of 30.

I recently started South Beach Diet, and it seems to be really working. I dont feel that restricted when I eat out, and I feel healthier.

I don't want to shill for a company/lifestyle, but the very low carb/low sugar diet seems to work.; 6:01 PM
Stella said...: Hi Linda:

I absolutely agree with your low-carb endorsement.

Stella; 9:48 PM
Stella said...: Candace:

I'm so glad something is working for you. The frustratioln of the fight can be overwhelming.

Stella; 9:50 PM
Stella said...: Zeusly: I just added weights to all of my workout routines. Very light weights since my post-surgical shoulders are not always amused. Sprinting does work.

Stella; 9:52 PM
Stella said...: cbell:

The surgeons lack of enthusiasm for multiple organ removal--d'you think it could have been a logistical question?

Stella:); 9:54 PM
Stella said...: Agtigress and Sue:

Statuesque is a word I particularly admire:)

Stella; 9:55 PM
Stella said...: Brandy: Replacing fat with muscle is the answer, I think. Yoga helps a lot with that.

Stella; 9:57 PM
Stella said...: Deb--I, too, fight the fight, I assure you:) Stella; 9:58 PM
Stella said...: Ranurgis: You might get lynched for a comment like "I've never had to diet!!!"

Do you have fibromyalgia? If so, I hope you can force the exercise because it works.

Stella; 10:00 PM
Stella said...: To sum up--I've really enjoyed everyone's comments. We are all in this together and I ain't giving up yet:)

Lori, thanks for saying nice things. Folks, Lori is about as big as an elf, a shapely elf, that is.

Susan, you, too, are perpetually slim.

Jayne, well, we can all aspire to Jayne's discipline...

All the best, Stella

Sue works hard, too and Ann can be relied on to eat properly and exercise.; 10:03 PM

Previous Posts

Sunday, September 09, 2007

THE BATTLE OF THE...

36 Comments: