Whole Grains, Weight Loss, and Health

Hey Shank,

I understand your anti Lucky Charms position but isn't it true that whole grains are superior for weight loss and health?

Signed,
Mr. Slimbody

Hi Mr. Slimbody,

Given your colorful name I might assume that you "get it" when it comes to knowing how to live a lifetime of leanness. Either that or somebody is playing a cruel joke on you like when they call stupid people genius. Or like my shop teacher in school whose nickname was lefty even though he had lost 3 fingers on his left hand in a tragic belt sander incident.

But so I digress.

When it comes to whole grains I don't really give them much thought, especially when it comes to weight loss and health. In fact, when it comes to weight loss and health I don’t give them much thought either. Both are outcomes where as I tend to focus more on behaviors.

I find focusing on behaviors versus outcomes works much better. I do this given my experience that the biggest fallacy in this life is the idea that we are in control. I know some people believe we should be able to direct the people, places and events surrounding our lives but we don't. To add insult to the control freaks injury my experience is that we never can. When it comes to weight loss and especially health you will find there is no greater area where we lack control more.

Now understand I didn't mean to get all Maharishi Mahesh Yogi on you. I am just trying to drive home the point that buzz concepts like eating whole grains to spark fat loss make about as much sense as pre moistened diapers.

(He is supposedly a heck of nice guy but not exactly a Gillette man I would say)

My approach to whole grains is such. When I am out on the streets getting my business done I sometimes find myself without a cooler stocked with low calorie, nutrient dense foods. Now instead of freaking out like the Cookie Monster on a date with Mrs. Fields I simply go to my default meal, turkey with lettuce and tomato with lots of spicy mustard on whole wheat. I tend to like the ones from Panera Bread the best but you can pretty much pick one of these up anywhere. I do this not because I believe the bread I put on my sandwich is going to make me live longer or develop six pack abs. Both of those processes revolving around weight loss and health are dependent upon so many other bigger and more important variables. The reality is I eat my sandwich this way because that is how I like it. If I am worried about fiber I tend to default to the three or more cups of vegetables and three servings of fruit that I eat each day.

When it comes to things like whole wheat pasta and brown rice I have already gone on the record how much I hate the taste of those things. I just don't see the point in eating foods you don't like because of some long term payoff that could easily be accomplished some other way.

I have been eating white rice and white pasta for years and you could iron a shirt on my stomach (gratuitous Water Boy reference). So when it comes to how "fattening" those foods are you have me at a loss. Portion size seems to be more important than anything, especially when concerning weight loss. Maybe that is why if you know someone who switched to whole wheat pasta they lost weight initially because it tastes so bad they can't really eat much of it.

If you want to really focus on weightloss and health than my advice would be to get more consistent with the behaviors that have a proven track record of working. First is to pray to God, Darwin or whomever else it is your worship that you were dealt the right cards at birth. Then focus on behaviors like consistently eating less than you burn off through portion control and a lifetime of consistent and challenging exercise. If there is one chink in the armor of the no control mentality it would be the ability to exert behavioral change in ourselves (albeit as challenging as that might be). For me whole grains just don’t seem to make a very loud blip on the Mr. Radar of life.

(Now that I have my coffee I am ready to watch Radar.)

But then again what the hell do I know.

Yours in chocolate chip cookies,

Mike Cruickshank