The Thrifty Gene

I hate the 'thrifty gene'.

Have you heard of it? Scientists are researching the possibility that some people possess a gene that basically stores fat in the body, to protect against famine. 

I say, if I'm starving, just let me die already!

Now, I don't know if this is for sure fact, but I'm inclined to believe it is.

We all have that friend who can eat whatever junk she/he wants, and never gain a pound. Those are all around. I wouldn't mind at all to be one of them, but I'd settle for this person. I have friends like this...you know who you are! They say "I needed to lose some weight, so I started walking and I lost that last 15 lbs." or "I decided I wanted to get down to my super skinny jeans, so I stopped eating fast food" or "I stopped snacking in between meals/ not eating after 8pm" or "I started doing Zumba a few times a week and lost 30lbs over the summer!".

Now, I would gladly be one of the latter people. I'm not giving myself an excuse to be obese, but currently I am considered overweight, even with these self imposed dietary guidelines for myself.

1. I don't eat fried food. Once in a blue moon I'll have onion rings or fried falafel.
2. I don't cook with oil when it's not needed (soups, saute) and cut it down in recipes
3. I avoid sugar and don't eat artificial sweeteners. When I do bake something sweet, I substitute stevia for half of it, which has no calories.
4. I try to avoid carbs. I eat small portions of rice with stir fry/curry or when I do eat pasta, I add more veggies than pasta. 
5. I avoid cheese (of course I"m already a vegetarian, so calorie laden meats are out too)
6. I don't eat fast food often. Literally once a month maybe I'll eat a burrito at 490 calories.
7. I don't butter things.
8. When I do have carbs, I usually eat whole grains.
9. I don't make creamy dishes.
10. I don't keep any kind of junk food in the house.

You would think a normal person would be at a healthy recommended weight by adhering to these guidelines, yes? Well, these guidelines keep me from being clinically obese, but not overweight!

Maybe higher protein? Tried that. It made me gain weight. Maybe exercise? While it's great and a needed addition to every healthy lifestyle, I did intense cardio classes a lot this past summer. I had a goal of working out at least 3 days a week formally for at least an hour. The result? I gained 5 lbs over the course of a few months. Muscle? No. I have read up on this and it's not possible for me to gain that much in muscle. My clothes also didn't fit better, if you were wondering. I even just did a thyroid blood test to test my TSH and it was very well in range.

So what does work? Vegetables (raw/cooked), fruit, salad (with dressing calorie count under 40 a serving), 1 oz nut, beans, greens, and no more than one serving of whole grains a day. No dairy, no oil, low salt. That's it.

I lost 13lbs in 12 weeks doing this last year (without an exercise regiment), but it crept back when I stopped. Probably need to adopt it as a permanent lifestyle. At least for a while.

Now, I wasn't always this way. I was a slender child, with a pudgy phase from 16-17. After that I was thin again until after I got married at 22...and I married someone who celebrates every tiny thing with food. Greasy pizza type food. If I knew then what I know now, things would be different!

At least I get sympathy from my husband, he's just as baffled as I am, and empathy from some fellow thrifty family members.
Some good news is...I'm forced to eat food that keeps my insides healthy, I should save money on food since I can't eat a lot, and I now know what works!

But seriously, I hate the thrifty gene.