Fat Maths. Health History. An Education For Us All.

Daniel J. Boorstein wrote: “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, but the illusion of expertise.” Never have thirteen words so heartily encompassed the problems of the surprising variety of human societies, more so than their resounding representation of the modern health industry. 

Technology has undoubtedly allowed us to take instantaneous steps towards our fitness and health goals. From blogs to personal instagram accounts, social media is loaded with images that aim to influence; from the draw dropping seflies of sculpted men and women, to the #FitFam members posting daily meal prep and exercise regimes. Their cult-like following and rampant popularity has inspired a bitter sweet information environment, that has both dazzled and darkened the pursuit of great health and physical well being. 

On one hand, there is no shortage of exercise or dietary counselling, yet the sheer volume of information circulating is overwhelming and quite often misguided or unrealistic.The ironic contribution of this blog therefore, has not gone un-noticed. However unlike the cohort of dedicated and aesthetically enhanced sales men and women, I don’t possess any ulterior motives, hidden agendas, or organisational affiliations which could affect the integrity of this discussion. I’m not asking you to hire me as your personal trainer nor am I trying to sell you any products, bootcamps, or meal plans. I have nothing to gain other than to clarify and contribute to what I’ve found to work for me...and add a few comments and commentaries along the way. Basically, just one girl telling the world what has helped her to progress in the hope of generating a bit of inspiration and curious provocation.

FAT MATHS 101

Contrary to common belief, weight loss and maintenance does not have to involve suffering, sacrifice or deprivation. Essentially, flexible calorie intake or IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros) is the foundation on which I have built my health mantra. This is a process where you track your food consumption, and aim for certain calorie and macronutrient targets. It preaches healthy habits and denotes moderation whilst encouraging nutritional awareness. The World Health Organisation advices that we consume approximately 2000 calories per day. However this figure is far too general and needs to be tailored according to your existing weight, height, lifestyle and activity levels.

Ranging between 9st 7- 9st 11, my personal calorie base line (calculated by height, weight and goal orientation) centres around averaging the consumption of 1500 calories every day. However, as I exercise almost daily, (some days this just entails going for a walk) the equation is impacted by the level and duration of activity I participate in. 

Put very simply, if I burn 500 calories on a run I get to eat 2000 calories because I am in a 500 calorie deficit e.g.

1500 (daily intake) + 500 (calories burned) = 2000 (today’s new calorie total) 

Realistically, calorie counting it is the most valuable component (invisably masked !)  in every fad diet on the market, because fundamentally:

 If you burn more calories than you eat....you will loose weight

If you eat fewer calories than you burn....you will loose weight

However, keep in mind that your body burns calories all day as part of your basel metabolic rate  (BMR), because it takes energy (calories) for your body to perform basic physiological functions that are necessary for life ( breathing, digesting etc). On top of that, discreet physical activity such as general movement, walking, house work and manual labour use even more calories. Consequently, you must never decrease your calorie intake to the degree of physical depravation as you need a certain amount of calories just to exist and function normally.

Never the less, if you love food, this method is a great way to utilise activity to manage your weight. Calorie flexibility means if you eat according to your calorie base line you can afford to indulge if you can balance your calories on a daily/weekly basis. Frustratingly, this theory possesses the ability to challenge almost everything we know, or think we know, about ‘healthy eating,’ nutrition and weight management. Fundamentally it’s the materialisation of a mathematical equation. There have been numerous examples of academics and nutritionists who have tested the theory by consuming unhealthy foods whilst staying within their calorie base line. This is why weight is not necessarily the greatest indicator of health because technically if I were to exclusively eat 1500 calories of chocolate everyday, I would still reach my goal weight. Therefore the most important distinction to emphasise in this post is that ‘Health’ and ‘Weightloss’ can be two completely constructs in the pursuit of optimal health and excellence. Arguably I have seen great results from IIFYM but that progression has also transpired from the fact that I have made health and fitness a dominant factor in my lifestyle, rather than simply a means to a dietary end.

Health History

As a subject of extremes, health and nutrition has captivated the modern era. However, we have been discombobulated with severe visual stereotypes which have left us feeling inadequate, unfulfilled and deflated in a no mans land of self persecution. To expand an excellent point made by the writer Mary Pipler, our culture has bench marked a standard of health that we cannot obtain by being healthy. When unnatural thinness or exaggerated muscularity became attractive and desirable, we began to source and utilise unnatural ways to achieve them. The acceptance of a one-dimentional appearance of health has occurred to the detriment of personifying healthy people.

 

As ‘Men’s Health’ eloquently noted, fruit and vegetables won’t have a single advertisement praising or promoting their nutritional benefits, because fresh produce doesn’t have a zillion dollar marketing department to pump out or pay roll content and campaigns. A deeper understanding of nutrition will be the primary prevention of disease in the future. The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison. Think about it... If your diet fizzy drink contains zero calories, zero sugar and zero fat, what the hell does it contain? In a chemically enhanced wonderland of genetically modified and preserved food substances, the consequences of nutritional choice transcends calorie intake to pose serious consequences for our health. For hazardous reasons beyond the basic discussion of this blog post the cheapest calories in the supermarket will continue to be the unhealthiest...and the most popular.

Paradoxically, orthorexia is an obsession with healthy eating. The first three letters in the word diet should tell you everything you need to know about how they will make you feel. Disciplined nutrition may bring you instagram notoriety, but what would garnish the meaningful moments of your life? What is the point of living to a hundred if you can’t enjoy birthday cake on your birthday or a hugemongous Christmas dinner during the festive season? It's unrealistic to expect yourself to be disciplined all the time, and quite frankly a little boring. You should be able to see friends, go out for meals, go on holiday, attend functions, and have a good time while eating because you’re able to make informed choices about the type, quality and QUANTITY of food you are consuming. (Hence the advantages of IIFYM).

Additionally, the word Fitness appears to allude to a promised land where all our physical and aesthetic aspirations will be achieved and sustained and we can live their happily ever after,drinking protein shakes, talking PB’s and the intracacies of technique. However this place does not and will not ever exist. Health serves as the reflection of the things we do and eat on a continual and daily basis. If we physically and nutritionally stop, limit or push ourselves too hard our health is guaranteed to suffer as a consequence. Training is a far more appropriate health philosophy to follow. To train means to continually develop and progress. It has no end game, only a focus on amerloiration. It involves being better than yesterday. Being more informed from the day before. That’s why great nutrition and optimal health has to be seen as a lifestyle and not some fleeting solution that you pick up and drop in January.

My priority is holistic health. Mind, body and soul. The most important thing to take from this blog is that we need to develop a healthy relationship with food and exercise. Health and fitness is a trial and error process of self discovery. Perhaps one of the most frustrating things is that there are no definitive answers. However, no matter the excuse, if you sacrifice your health for any duration of time, you’re making the wrong choice. Health flourishes from balance. Deplorable or draconian diets are a recipe for disaster, no matter how well you keep to your GDA.  Giving generic advice although helpful, is not absolute. We all need a little external inspiration but true motivation is an internal process. A healthy body is the greatest reflection of a healthy mind. Health affects the way we feel just as much as the way we look. It impacts your self esteem just as much as it influences your physical form. Spend a little time researching what’s relevant for you. 

The most valuable knowledge prevails from the application of information in context. The specific context of YOUR own life.

From Rockcliffe with love.