Open Economy of Nutrition

I want to share some insights that have come to me about the economy of nutrition.

I am so affluent that I can eat three meals a day and snacks which equals roughly ...

2 eggs, 3 strips of bacon, hashbrowns, 2 slices of buttered toast, orange juice = 700+
1 cola = 240
1 Double McCheeseburger, Lg. Fries, 16oz Cola = 1160+
1 cola = 240
1 breast, 1 drumstick fried chicken, mashed potatoes w/ gravy, mac & cheese, green beans, 2 biscuits, 16oz cola = 1460+
4 oz Doritos, 2 beers = 860+

Total = 4660 calories

I am so affluent that I could...but I don't. If I did consume that much food (calories) I would have to burn that many calories (give or take a metabolic variable*) to keep from putting on weight. In view of this country's obesity epidemic I can assume that we as a society are so affluent that we can afford to consume many more calories than we burn.



The BMI calculator at
said that my 221 lbs on my 6'0" body = 30 = Obese. That was just before Thanksgiving, 2007.

Now, before I go any further this is not about a diet and how much weight I may or may not have lost. There are plenty of blog posts that extol the merits of every diet imaginable, somewhere else.

The insights that I want to share in this post are 'side effects' - lessons that I have learned along the way. Before elaborating I feel obliged to assert the following: YMMV - please consult a physician.

I limit my caloric intake to 1500-1750 calories per day. I can eat anything, anything I want. I just cannot eat as much as I might want.

Another important part of this experience is my Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

You use energy no matter what you're doing, even when sleeping. The BMR Calculator will calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR); the number of calories you'd burn if you stayed in bed all day.

You have a BMR of 1939.95.

I take this to mean that if I consume 1500-1750 calories a day and burn 1939.95 then I am likely to lose weight. Additionally, since I get up and go to work most days I am likely to burn significantly more than just my 'BMR'. (Spoiler: It is working.)

1. When I started eating 1500-1750 calories per day - my chronic heartburn went away. I went from taking a maximum strength 'Acid Suppressor' and 4-6 antacids per day to zero, nada, none. This is a MAJOR achievement for me as I don't like taking as much as an aspirin - even if I do have a splitting headache.
   
2. I became reacquainted with fresh green vegetables and fresh fruits. To put the most delicate spin on the matter this had a cleansing affect on my alimentary system.
3. Once my internal plumbing system was cleaned out I quickly realized how BLOATED and uncomfortable I get when I do "enjoy" one of those caloric-expensive double McCheeseburgers.
4. Initially I was HUNGRY all the time. This was/is very frustrating. I am an affluent American, born to the land of plenty - Why, oh why must I feel hungry for even one minute?!? Why (whine) must I endure such 'agony' ... "I'm whiney hungry. I deserve to eat anything I want. I demand the right to satisfy my desires. I should get anything I whiney want!"
5. By paying attention and eating small amounts of good food to alleviate my desires I can manage my hunger. In fact, once I begin to understand the difference between my desires and what real hunger is... I have realized that I am not really hungry all the time...like I thought I felt.
6. Society, most specifically the media and its supporters in conjunction with the major food producers, contribute more than any other to America's problem of obesity. Sadly it is a simple matter of supply-and-demand profit driven economics. Put in its simplest terms... FAT is cheap. If I sell you FAT then I make more money. If I convince you that FAT tastes better than lean you will buy more FAT...and I will make more money. The more FAT you buy the FATTER you become. Ironically, our obesity is a direct result of our capitalism flourishing.
7. Which brings me to the real... economy of nutrition. This is the real lesson in all of this. It is true, I can eat anything I want. So I can eat one double McCheeseburger _or_ I can have 2 HUGE salads. The McCheeseburger leaves me feeling bloated and uncomfortable and HUNGRY 2 hours later ... 2 HUGE salads will satisfy my hunger for the entire day AND allow me to snack on healthy food throughout the day. By being nutritionally selective I get the benefit of food value and the volume that satisfies my socially driven desires.
   

(You see? I haven't just been obsessing about the Democratic primaries... I really do have a few other concerns in my life. :)