Guest Blogger Post: The Twinkie Diet

The following post was guest-written by my pilates student- and my friend- Heather Buehl.

I am delighted to write for Heads Up On Your Body. About 2 years ago, I was 15 pounds overweight, in an unsatisfying career, and had very low energy. By making step-by-step, easy to incorporate changes that were right for my body and lifestyle, I was able to achieve my goal – to live a happy healthy life full of authenticity! My own health journey left me inspired to help others achieve their goals – and to achieve happiness. Happiness, to me, is internal and external contentment. Only you can measure what that is for you. I look forward to chatting with you through Elaine’s blog and sharing some food for thought (no pun intended – ha-ha!) around health and lifestyle.

The Twinkie Diet

There are so many opinions of what measures good health. Calorie counting is one. The Twinkie Diet brings this measure to a whole new level. In recent health news, Professor Mark Haub from Kansas State University underwent a 10 week study of calorie restriction. Prepackaged overly processed “food” made up 2/3 of his diet. He did supplement with a multi-vitamin, assorted veggies (eaten only in front of his children so as not to set a bad example – ha!) and a protein shake. His reasoning was in weight loss, pure calorie counting is what matters most - not the nutritional value of the food. Both CNN and ABC News covered his research.

As a health coach, I believe in bio-individuality. No one diet is right for everyone because our bodies, lives and needs are very different. Believing this, I still cannot help but state this study just doesn’t sit right with me. I feel torn because I don’t want to draw any more attention to this study, but my fear is that the media will distort it and people will listen. Prime example is the news reporter in the ABC video clip. She states that people feel if they are eating healthy food, then they can eat more of it, but consequently gain weight. She goes on to say how important calorie restriction is. I feel the body does need to be treated like a laboratory and certain foods whether healthy or not, do need to be tested by an individual for as the saying goes, “One person’s feast is another person’s poison.” But dieting is only a temporary fix. Where is the quality in this diet? Sure Professor Haub lost 27 pounds in 10 weeks, but what other parts of his health were affected? Let’s face it, putting on weight or developing health conditions like high cholesterol or diabetes, does not happen overnight. Why do we expect weight loss or living happy, healthy lives to happen overnight? Read on, there’s more.

Mentioned repeatedly throughout both links were statements not recommending this diet long term. There was also uncertainty as to the effects of doing this diet long term. Haub’s bad cholesterol levels did decrease by 20% while his good cholesterol did increase by 20%. But as stated by a dietitian within the CNN article, any significant weight reduction will improve certain health markers, like cholesterol, but not all. Should Haub have stayed on this diet long term, I have no doubt in my mind that nutritional deficiencies and cravings would start to outweigh the initial benefits he saw.

Throughout this diet study, Haub does emphasize calorie restriction rather than moderation as a key to weight loss. Calorie restriction is such an empty term in my opinion. It brings up the good and the evil, the guilty feelings, the disregard for quality. A great teacher of mine, Dr. Joshua Rosenthal, founder of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition has a 90/10 rule. Ninety percent of the time, eat whole foods that are right for your body. Include exercise. Live true to who you are. Ten percent of your life can include a Twinkie. This helps people sustain a long term healthy weight and life.

On his Facebook page, Professor Haub remarks that his family threw away fruits and vegetables due to spoilage. He feels this demonstrates people could save so much money if they bought extended shelf life, packaged foods – like Twinkies. He feels these types of foods would be more realistic for those living remotely. All I can comment on here is be empowered to take control of your health and your life. Grow a garden or visit a local farmer or farmer’s market for fresh food. Buy less vegetables and fruits initially to see how much your family is eating and note what your family seems to enjoy the most. Then shop accordingly.

Oh, but then there is the argument that this diet may help people fit into social situations. It may seem that eating any food at a party is liberating as long as you stay within the allotted daily caloric intake. I would imagine the effect would be quite the opposite. I don’t want to be worried about whether I have gone over the caloric limit or embarrass myself by asking the hostess if he used full fat or low fat sour cream in a dip. Let’s look at the party as your 10%. Maybe you can bring a dish of your own and expose your friends and family to something new and healthy. Live authentically; there is nothing wrong with honoring your body and eating well. We are not meant to be carbon copies of one another.

In United States, Americans look for quick fixes to their problems. Yes, losing weight is an awesome thing, perhaps calorie counting helps to do that. I truly believe if you are to lose weight and keep it off, a lifestyle change needs to happen. Eating healthy has to become part of your life. The foods we put into our body become every cell, thought, and feeling we have – that is some powerful stuff when you truly stop to think about it. ALL areas of our life need to be in balance though too. Weight is not just put on because we eat poorly. An unsatisfying career, a difficult relationship, low self-esteem can put weight on your bones too. So ask yourself, have short term fixes worked for you in the past? Or are you ready to make that change that will give you vibrancy? Dr. David Katz says, "One of the things I hope people recognize is that the diets we choose need to be more than just losing weight as fast as possible. We also want to find health and it's combining those two goals that should dictate the kinds of diets we try and the kinds we professionals recommend.”

Would you like to have more energy, feel less stressed, lose weight or have a deeper understanding of food and lifestyle choice that work best for you? Contact me for a free wellness breakthrough consultation. I would love to hear from you at heatherbuehl@mhcable.com. If you are interested in learning more about my approach, please visit my website.

Heather is a board certified health coach. She studied at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in NYC.