Warning: there’s no recipe in today’s post, and that’s rare for me. But there’s more to me than recipes, and there’s some things I want to share, so I’m eschewing my ordinary and I hope it resonates with some of you!

First, I came across this awesome, thought-provoking video shared on my trainer Tony Gentilcore’s blog. The video actually comes from Jonathan Bailor, a former personal trainer who has devoted years of research for his new book, The Smarter Science of Slim. For all of us who wonder what the “secret” to being naturally thin is, here’s the answer: there is no secret. Our ancestors have been staying slim (and more energetic, and less disease-ridden) for years without knowledge of what a calorie is, never mind counting them or being concerned about how many were used up in a given workout session. How come in this day and age, we have more people dieting and counting calories than ever, and also the highest rates of obesity and obesity-related diseases? If you have 12 minutes, spend them watching this video. There are at least 25 quotes I’d love to share, but just watch for yourself and learn. I think we’ve all been fed way too much nonsense information and this video starts to dispel those myths in an easy-to-digest manner.

Now here’s the thing. I know we can nitpick. I’ve been a calorie-counter myself, and even though I’ve gotten away from it, I’ve still kept up with posting the nutritional content for the recipes I create and share with you. So maybe you think I’m some type of hypocrite. But know this: I’ve been two kinds of calorie-counters.

First, the super-diligent-count-everything kind who kept that count as low as possible and always pushed myself to run the extra mile (literally) to burn more.

Secondly, the more relaxed kind who allowed myself a few hundred calories, but making sure those extra calories came from things like lean proteins (an extra ounce of salmon or an egg is nothing to sweat), good fats (a handful of nuts with my yogurt, some avocado on my sandwich) and of course, plentiful fruits and veggies (no more weighing that stuff!)

And guess what? When I practiced the latter, I learned that my body could EASILY handle a greater calorie load. I could still lose or maintain weight as I wished, I had more energy, my body LOOKED better not only in terms of shape but skin and nails too. But I’ll still argue that some of us need to be a wee bit more careful than others because of how we’re programmed, and that’s why I continue to provide nutritional breakdown for most of my recipes.

I’d also like to add that I have some of my own questions after watching the video. Like, WHY are there naturally thin people who do eat tons of donuts (and furthermore, why can’t I be one of them?) Secondly, can’t we still eat some totally “insane” foods in moderation and still stay healthy and slim? I think we can, although just how much is not addressed in the video. So I offer you two things to keep in mind:

Slim does not equate with healthy (I know you know this, but I think it’s always an important reminder), and I think a great follow up study would answer the question “just how many skinny-fat people are fooling themselves and the rest of us?”

We’re all a little biologically different. There is NO one-size-fits-all when it comes to nutrition and dieting. What works for me might not work for you. The best service we can all do for ourselves is to experiment and figure out what works. Just how much “extra” can your body handle when the majority of your diet comes from nutritious, whole foods it was meant to eat? No one can figure that out but you.

7 Responses to “Simplifying Slim: Got 12 minutes? Let’s do it.”

LOVE this post!! Even though it’s outside your norm. Especially your insights on the video. Both The.Boy and my brother are ABSURDLY thin and can eat whatever they want…and do. And I am forever trying to convince them that eating chipotle every day is not a good idea no matter how low their BMI is…to no avail. Meanwhile, I may have a slightly higher BMI (but still well in the normal range!), eat healthier food, never get sick, run marathons and in general feel better…all while eating the occasional homemade treat. So I think I have the better deal. 😛

Thanks for sharing this video! It really hammers in the point that we need to listen to our body and work with it to provide the best for ourselves rather than fight against it by listening to outside messages / misinformation. I will definitely share this on my blog and spread the message. 🙂

Good information to put out there! Now, if the common individual can just have access to organically grown fruits and vegetables (without GMO’s or pesticides) and meats without hormones or steroids, we could all be healthy. These healthy foods are among the most expensive so that a family has to make hard choices as to whether they can feed their family for a few days on the good stuff or a week on the cheap, bad for you and highly processed stuff. We have to do a better job as consumers demanding that our FDA stop catering to factory farming and large corporation influence and protect our health-not a corporations cash flow.
This video doesn’t even bring up the fact of all the diseases and rise in afflictions that have had a dramatic rise since the introduction of GMOs and chemical laden and highly processed food the past 20-30 years. Auto-immune diseases, autism, Alzheimer’s, cancers, food allergies, infertility and many more can all be linked to what we put in our bodies .
We have to get smart and as the video says, choose real and good foods for our families. Become smart consumers and demand organic and real foods and the food industry will rise to meet our needs. (Does sugar and fructose really have to be in EVERYTHING?) Watch legislation that controls the food industry as well as the FDA and actively demand that your rights to know what is in your food and to protect you from harm from bad policies is carried out. (Why do large factory farms get government subsidies while the local farmer/rancher who grows food that is actually good for you and the environment received nothing? Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Thanks for helping to make us all aware we have to take responsibility for what we put in our bodies.

Thank you for making this available! Very encouraging opinions expressed….he does not mention the role of dietary fats, beyond seeds and nuts–for instance, what would be the role of cold-pressed olive oil, lard, coconut oil or butter, in this scheme?

The way of eating he is describing sounds just like the diet I needed to follow to kill off the intestinal fungal overgrowth I was fighting. I’m free and clear of the overgrowth now after 3-1/2 months of the diet + antifungals + probiotics + determination + NO cheating. Now I’ve been trying to re-introduce foods like gluten-free bread (I’m also diagnosed gluten intolerant) and find that when I eat bread = weight gain. Interesting. Coincidence? I don’t know. I’m going to talk to my nutritionist about it, though. Just thought-provoking to see this video at a time while I’m trying to make a transition to what I *thought* was a *normal* way to eat. True… everyone is very different. I, too, when I was thinking about who to forward this to, considered family and friends who seem to be able to eat anything they want and still are slim. This is a good idea, though, to just put the info out there in the video, without keeping anything about it a secret, and just letting folks make up their own minds what they’ll do with the info after they see it.