Four-and-a-half years ago the planets eventually aligned for me, and I discovered that I could actually do it. In a nutshell, after decades of being obese ─ with a few years also as a type 2 diabetic ─ I lost three stones in twelve weeks and changed my life forever; in doing so, I reversed my self-imposed debilitating lifestyle condition. The full narrative can be digested in my published piece, “Balls! A journey from 38 to 30.”
The initial euphoria was tempered by numerous tales of the simplicity of losing it and the flipside ease of piling it all back on again; indeed, the statistics are demoralising.
Together with other colleagues, professor of psychology at the University of Minnesota, Traci Mann, conducted research that emphatically shows that dieters lose weight in the short-term (9 to 12 months) but over the medium term (2 to 5 years) they pretty much put it all back on again. To add insult to injury, a control group of diet dodgers gained – on average – a solitary pound, leading her to conclude, “The dieters had little benefit to show for their efforts, and the non-dieters did not seem harmed by their lack of effort. In sum, it appears that weight regain is the typical long-term response to dieting, rather than the exception.”
I had initially managed to buck the trend, but over the previous twelve months had nonetheless seen an unwelcome uplift of ten pounds that stubbornly refused to move, even in the face of repeating my previously successful regime. I initially blamed it on holidays, then on Christmas, and so on, but the truth of the matter was that my original approach wasn’t working. But why not?
Of course I am a little older than when my initial weight loss extravaganza occurred, and, according to the medical fraternity, certain aging processes can adversely interfere with the status quo of looking like a lean, mean, fighting machine – as I like to believe I still do. Advancing years cause muscle mass reduction ─ commencing in our 30s ─ rather annoyingly replaced by fat. Since maintenance of the former burns more calories (energy) than maintenance of the latter, this mission creep means there is a resultant need for less of those units of energy.
Doctor Medha Munshi, director of Joslin Diabetes Center’s geriatric diabetes programs in Boston, solemnly points out that decreasing amounts of certain hormones – including estrogen and testosterone – intensify this sad reality; and, according to Doctor Leslie Cho, an interventional cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, as we age we may also pay an additional levy for weight gained in our youth. “Weight gain changes metabolism. A 60-year-old who now weighs two hundred pounds, but once weighed three hundred, for example, will need far fewer calories per day than someone of the same age and size who was never so overweight.” The gut doctor concludes, “You do have to eat less to maintain that weight if you’ve been heavy.” Getting old isn’t much fun, especially if you previously carried additional timber.
Chatting with a couple of friends, a glimmer of light began to appear. Archie Kumar – an undergraduate Biomedical Engineer at Kings College, London – put it bluntly. “It’s hard work being overweight.” He had a point. Prior to my original fat fight, I was carrying the equivalent of nineteen bags of sugar. Lugging that lot home from the local supermarket would require some effort. He added to his pragmatic assertion, “Our bodies aren’t designed to carry excess load and any positive change in lifestyle can have a dramatic effect.” I immediately reflected upon my transformation, and yes, he was spot on ─ yet I was finding the latest addition as stubborn as fuck to jettison. The reframing of my dilemma took a swift turn when Kiran Meka entered the room.
Senior researcher at the University of Southampton, whose work focus is on a “Whole Systems Approach to Obesity,” Kiran explained that following successful weight loss, the key to sustainability is the notion of getting to know your own body. I admit that I struggled with this concept as I believed that keeping on track was simply a case of mimicking what had worked before. I was – of course – wrong, since I had changed, and I needed to better understand my new status. Kiran initially suggested that I purchase a couple of glucose monitors that would accurately gauge my natural sugar spikes after the consumption of food and drink. They easily attached to my upper arm and synced effortlessly with my iPhone, allowing me to make digital notes on what I consumed and view the resultant graphs that mapped my body’s reaction to what I put in my gob.
One of the most dramatic data outputs was what happened following a bowlful of my favourite weight loss buddy – soup. Made from fresh vegetables nuked in my trusty soup maker – a vital piece of engineering for every discerning person about town, or, in my case, one of only a handful of cooked foodstuffs that I could manage to rustle up without help ─ I had held this chalice of liquidised nutrition above all others. But the statistics didn’t lie. As regular as clockwork, my consumption of soup saw a surge in glucose. As Kiran explained, “We are led to believe that soups and juices are healthy; indeed, they are, especially for someone who has been eating ultra processed food who changes to these foodstuffs. The key to understanding the gut-brain connection is to get a signal that you are full, to avoid overeating. Foods like soup are easily absorbed during the intestinal process, and that may, or may not, increase the glucose spikes. Everybody is individual and understanding one’s own body and the choices we make is the key to fixing lifestyle related diseases.” As I processed this initial raft of welcome revelations he added, “All foods are converted into glucose which is stored in the muscle and fat tissue. The pancreas releases insulin to take the blood glucose into the cells to use later. People with type 2 diabetes and obesity have a dysfunctional metabolic system; if someone is overweight, their glucose signalling system is impaired, causing a metabolic disorder.”
As I recoiled from this remark – having no idea what my pancreas actually does but recognising I had been championing soup as my road to absolution – he followed up with a remarkable illustration. “We must put the right fuel into our bodies to function better. We don’t put petrol in a diesel car do we? It’s the same with the human body. Eating foods in the natural forms available in nature will fix that signalling system. That is why eating soups will not make you full.” Sensing my awakening he reinforced my rapid learning curve, “The healthiest way to eat an apple is straight from the fruit bowl. Cut it into segments and the natural sugars increase as the exposed fruit causes a chemical reaction with the air. Make a smoothie and the internal glucose reaction accelerates. Put the same apple in a pie and the process is supercharged.” I get it!
Soup was never the enemy, and it once represented a subtle change that greatly helped in the beginning of my journey, but things change ─ and I have too. This exercise allowed me to virtually look inside myself and monitor those dietary chemical consequences. One refinement was simple – roasting my favourite veg instead of transforming it into soup ─ and I still enjoy beer and ice cream; but I am content ─ and on a downward trajectory – knowing that if I do ingest ninety percent of the right stuff dictated by my personal dietary plan, I will be better equipped to land at my desirable destination. Kiran was keen to add further endorsement of this vision. “Keeping off weight lost previously is significantly impacted by what you eat. Exercise is vital for healthy living, but in terms of weight management, it’s ninety percent diet.” To do that effectively, you have to know what works best for you; and for that you need raw personal data.
Supporting this notion, recent research conducted at Warwick Medical School at the University of Warwick, made the welcome claim that lifestyle changes to manage weight loss are effective in reducing obesity, regardless of age, with lead author Dr Thomas Barber stating, “Weight loss is important at any age, but as we get older we’re more likely to develop the weight-related co-morbidities of obesity. Many of these are similar to the effects of aging, so you could argue that the relevance of weight loss becomes heightened as we get older, and this is something that we should embrace.”
In relation to my previous condition of type 2 diabetes, “co-morbidities” are associated symptoms including obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, heart disease, depression, kidney disease, sleep disorders and certain types of cancer. I should know, as I suffered from some of those issues, and I have no desire to experience any of them again.
This second epoch of my weight management voyage has blown me in a few directions, although where I’m pitching up on this occasion is in the welcome sunshine of talking to others who occupy the place I want to frequent and listening to their life stories. Oh, I forgot to mention earlier that the wise men – Archie and Kiran – also have fascinating tales to tell in relation to their own health management ─ but I’ll leave them to tell you those. Making subtle changes congruent to what your body is telling you is key. Be persistent and consistent and in the words of Mr Spock, “Live long and prosper.”
© Ian Kirke 2023
Title photograph by Fuu J on Unsplash
@ianjkirke