Notes on "The Park Avenue Diet Show: What is a Personal Myth?"; June 27, 2010

The article cited this week comes from the current Journal of the American Medical Association. It discusses the link between obesity and the development of diabetes in older adults. Needless to say, the illness indeed develops insidiously, as with other age groups. There are no surprises here:

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/303/24/2504

Much more interesting and sadly emblematic of our times is a cover article in a recent “health” magazine. Last week I saw a famed “nutritional” periodical tell its readers how to “eat more, weigh less”, a physical impossibility. But this week I stared at the cover of a well-known journal with the headline: “Lose 7 Pounds in 6 Days.”

Let’s explore the mathematics of dieting, a favorite topic. 3500 calories = one pound, whether calories are taken in or burned off. In order to lose 7 pounds, you need to incur a calorie deficit of 24, 500 calories. If this is divided among 6 days, that comes to about 4000 calories a day. Now remember, you need a deficit, so that means…no eating at all…as well of one of these “exercise programs”: swimming for 6 hours per day, taking eight aerobic classes in sequence daily, or mowing the lawn for 10 hours per day—a “green” alternative.

Therefore, that article I saw promised something physically impossible. The “weight” lost by any crash program is extracellular tissue fluid—water—which will promptly be regained. Did you get fooled by any similar articles today? I hope not.

The general topic for this evening’s broadcast was “What is a Personal Myth?” This topic has been explored for decades by my lifelong friend, mentor, and literary colleague Dr. Stanley Krippner. My own take on this complex and fascinating topic:

Personal myths make up our “rulebook”, the code of behavior that we have developed for ourselves over a lifetime. Many can be positive, for example: “I can best help the world during my life by being a physician.” [one of mine]

But all of us harbor negative personal myths, and sometimes these can undermine our best efforts at living. A distorted belief system can lead an individual into unrealistic viewpoints, self-deception, and self-validation. The latter is nicely expressed in French as soi disante…[self-styled, making the speaker an authority figure].

Here are typical negative personal myths that interfere with some individuals’ inability to stay on a weight loss diet.

1) It’s been a hard day at work so I’m having another piece of pie.
2) I’m allowed to have “cheat days” because overall I plan to lose weight.
3) I’m going to eat macrobiotic for the rest of my life.
4) I just worked out at the gym so now I can eat whatever I want.
5) Ordering a diet beverage offsets the high calories in the rest of my meal.
6) Buying cakes and muffins in bulk is the perfect way to save money in a recession.
7) My kids aren’t overweight. That’s baby fat.

And so on…

The remedy is to replace each of these incorrect statements with a productive and realistic thought that leads to a healthier lifestyle. That’s part of The Park Avenue Diet, by the way.
In coming shows, we’ll explore how to do this. Meanwhile, can you think of any of your own personal myths…and how I might “rewrite” them to send you off to a happier tomorrow? Give it a try.

Meanwhile, here’s a superlative classic book by Dr. Krippner that belongs in your library.
http://www.amazon.com/Personal-Mythology-Ritual-Imagination-Discover/dp/160415036X/ref=pd_sim_b_1