Comments (8)

By jamie, February 23, 2010 3:06 pm

I think I should probably read this book one chapter at a time and then reflect on (and blog about) each before moving on. There are 12 chapters, but the last one looks like it’s just a grocery list, so that means 11 posts (give or take) on this book.

I served myself a bowl of low-fat lemon cookie ice cream and read the Introduction and Chapter 1 this afternoon. Jillian Michaels, the famous trainer from The Biggest Loser, shares her story about how she was a chubby kid, and how she struggled with maintaining her famous physique while on television helping people lose 100 pounds or more. Cry me a river, huh? – That’s what I was thinking at first, but then she started to win me over. It looks like I am going to learn about my body chemistry, hormones in particular, and how my choices over the years have negatively effected my metabolism. I may even clear out my pantry of junk (I don’t know about giving up my secret chocolate stash, but more shocking things have happened).

In truth, this book is scaring the heck out of me so far. Some highlights:

• “For each can of diet soft drink consumed each day, a person’s risk of obesity goes up 41 percent.” (!!!!)
• One in four diabetics do not yet know they have diabetes.

I could go on, but I would just be quoting from every page so far. Let’s just say that, in the U.S., we eat a lot of junk, have too much stress, don’t sleep enough, and are killing ourselves slowly with our lifestyles. This is not easy to hear, but is certainly true. (As for the specific statistics, I would be remiss not to mention that they are not connected with specific studies, so I am taking the numbers with a grain of salt, and you should too – they are still scary to read though.)

It’s difficult for me to feel any commonality with someone who is famous, in part, for her perfect body, but she does her best to make us feel as though we are all in the same boat. I like her – and I think I would like to follow her advice. We’ll see how it goes as I read further.

Scroll down for other posts about Master Your Metabolism:

Other posts about Master Your Metabolism:
Review
Part 1: So Long, Chocolate, Old Friend
Part 2: I KNEW It – My Hormones are Out of Whack!
Part 3: Nothing Funny About Chapter 3
Part 4: “There’s No Food in Your Food”
Part 5: Artificial Sweetener Can Mess Up Your Brain?
Part 6: “Okay, I’ll Admit it. Organics Can Be Pricey.”
Part 7: Ice Cream and Chocolate are Allowed!!!
Part 8: Really, Jillian, I Just Wanted a Cute Butt
Part 9: Protein! I Need You Protein
Part 10: Now, Off to the Market

Comments (8)

By jamie,

Without our emotions, we are incapable of making decisions. The logical mind needs the emotional mind or else we cannot function properly. So when I say I just “had a feeling,” it actually means that the emotional part of my brain has been studying the intricate details of the situation and helping me make the right decision. Wow, huh?

I am finding it hard to put this book down. At the same time, blogging about it is probably helping me to remember what I read (I admit, some of those books I powered through in high school the weekend before they had to be read have not stayed with me at all – it’s as though I never read them).

Here’s some trivia about me: I used to be a psychology major before I took a break from school and went back to become a sociologist. I used to love to learn about brain chemistry and the science behind what makes us who we are. Then I moved on to sociology and discovered the power of social influence and I haven’t really looked back. This is a good book for me to read because it is reminding me why I was once so fascinated by how our brains work. Our brains are constantly absorbing information that we are not consciously aware of. It’s amazing really.

I’m going to get spiritual for a minute, so be warned if you think academic types should not do this: the book talks about how it has taken countless years of evolution for the brain to develop to its current state. This section, for me, reaffirmed that a Creator had to have been involved in designing our brains – I can’t imagine us evolving from single-celled organisms into the complex creatures we are without some kind of Designer.

One important thing for parents to know: when we give our children praise, we should praise their efforts and not their intelligence. In other words, we should say “Wow – that was great work!” and “you must have worked very hard to accomplish this” instead of ” Wow – you are so smart!” Studies show that kids who are told that they are intelligent are more likely to avoid challenges because they are fearful of failure. They do not learn from their mistakes, and instead try to avoid making mistakes, which actually limits their general ability to learn.

Scroll down for other posts about How We Decide:

Other posts:
Review
Post 1: Quarterbacks have to take IQ Tests
Post 2: Emotions Control our Brains
Post 3: One Marshmallow or Two?
Post 4: The Cheap Stuff Tastes Better
Post 5: Moral Instincts Are Emotional, Not Rational
Post 6: Political Pundits vs. Dart-Throwing Chimps
Post 7: Want to be a Psychic Poker Player?