Are you perplexed by your weight because you eat "healthy"?

Today's post, filed under "Bad Advertising"  is from Yoni Freedhoff's blog Weighty Matters:

Badvertising: Dole Dark Chocolate Coconut Bites

"Real fruit in every bite".

Must be good for you, no?

And yet looking at their nutrition fact panels I learned two things.

Firstly that despite there being "fruit in every bite", no bites contain any vitamin C - odd given vitamin C is something I thought was found in most "real" fruit.

Secondly that these are pretty much nutritionally equivalent to Chips-A-Hoy cookies though to be fair they do contain 20% fewer calories and 10% less sugar.

Here's a shopping tip for you: If you put "fruit" in a cookie, it's still a cookie.

Eat cookies because you love cookies, but don't let someone dupe you into thinking you're making a healthful choice or that fruit-inclusive cookies somehow are a "better" cookie choice.

Less bad is not the same as good. --YF

 

****

I cannot tell you how often I get in the "but I eat healthy" discussion with someone trying to lose weight.

 

You may eat healthy foods (or you may just think you make healthy choices but like Yoni's post indicates -- you may have bought snake oil).  However, if you're eating too much healthy food (as determined by your weight gain), you're still eating too much food!

 

Ratchet it back!  9 bites per day.  Start listening to your body to determine whether you are physically hungry or some emotion is driving you to eat (boredom, anyone?)  9 bites fewer = enough calories to lose 1/2 - 1 pound per week.  Find. Those. Bites.

 

 

 

Fighting for vs. fighting against

The other day, Seth Godin said this:

When there's a change in your tribe or your organization or your trusted circle, you face two choices:

You can fight with the person creating the change, push back against them and defend the status quo.

Or you can fight for the person, double down on the cause, the tribe and the relationship, and refocus your efforts on making things work even better than they did before the change.

They're similar emotions and efforts, but they lead to very different outcomes.

Seth's focus is organizations and groups -- obviously, mine is on individuals but interestingly enough, the thought still holds true.

I see people everyday who are struggling with some sort of health issue -- their weight, how they manage stress (because they know stress is toxic....which just makes them more stressed!), diabetes, heart disease, an injury or chronic pain....

Some of those people spend a lot of time fighting against themselves.  They want to be the way they were when they .... were in their 20's (40 years ago!)....before their doctor told them they have high blood pressure....before their pancreas lost the ability to produce enough insulin to deal with their sweet tooth...before...before...before.

And some people, under extremely tough circumstances (like being overweight, receiving a diabetes or heart disease diagnosis, or suffering an injury, find themselves in a spot they never intended to be but instead of fighting to get back to where they were (40 years ago, before the accident, or before the trip to the doctor's office), they pick a new direction.  One that moves them away from the place they find themselves and toward a place where they are wiser, healthier, happier, and more fulfilled than they have ever been.

So what it comes down to is the people I see are either fighting against their current state and trying to go back to the way things were. 

Or...

They are fighting for a new life.  One that accepts where they are right now and uses those conditions as a spring board to get to someplace better.

And, from what I can see (and my own experiences), I do believe both of those options require the same amount of effort.  There's no "Get out of Jail free" pass that I've found.  Which means the choice is yours:

Do you want to fight for something or against something???

A Thought for the Day...

Here is a guideline (can we all agree to make it a Rule instead?)  Please note this applies not only to how you treat others -- honestly, that is probably the easier part of the equation -- I am more concerned with how you treat yourself!! --KSW

Be kind whenever possible.  It is always possible to be kind. 
--Dalai Lama

Do something Friday -- or in this case maybe it's a Don't Do something Friday

Today's post comes from Robb Wolf's blog***, written by Amy Kubal.  Enjoy!!

 

It’s kind of like when you’re walking through the toy section at Target; you know – there’re those toys that have the buttons that say “push me”.  Now, it’s likely that you aren’t even remotely interested in buying that troll looking doll that sings AND dances; but not pushing the button is completely out of the question.  It’s like a magnetic force that draws your finger directly to it – Can. Not. Resist. Force.  You did it, pushed that button, and now the toy is singing (extremely loudly) and doing something that sort of looks like convulsing (think Elaine dancing on Seinfeld – “the full body heave”).  Needless to say, people are turning your direction to see what all the commotion is about.  Frantically, you search for the off button and find that THERE ISN’T ONE!  There is no way to turn this thing off, and just your luck, the song of choice just happens to be endless and annoying.  (Sort of like this introduction…)  You think to yourself, “why did I push that $%# button”, even though you say that EVERY single time you do it.

If you haven’t figured out where this is going yet, let me help you.  Let’s consider that bag of chips, can of nuts, or bowl of candy.  You don’t really ‘want’ the stale Dorito, cashew, or piece of candy corn, but it’s there and just one won’t hurt, right?  It’s like that magnetic force is drawing your hand to the food and putting it in your mouth, and now it’s too late.  The button has been pushed and there is NO STOPPING until the entire bag, can, or bowl is empty and maybe not even until the entire day, weekend, week or month is over.  The button is stuck and the off switch is nowhere to be found.

What is it with this phenomenon?  Why is it SO impossible to stop once we start?  And why the heck do we start in the first place?  First, let’s identify the trigger – are you having a bad day, are you happy, bored, or did the food just ‘appear’ (think complimentary tortilla chips or bread at a restaurant).  Any of these reasons, along with a laundry list of others, can drive us to push the ‘on’ button and give into our cravings, emotions, or even peer pressure.  There are also all of these crazy chemicals and hormones in our brains that drive us to keep pushing the ‘on’ button even when we know we shouldn’t, don’t want to, and aren’t even going to enjoy it.  It’s exactly like the toy and the song – at first it’s cute and catchy, after awhile, yeah, it’s still cute but the song is starting to get a little old.  By the time the toy FINALLY stops singing you swear that if you EVER hear that song again, someone is going to get hurt.  In the case of, let’s say M&M’s, the first ten or so taste great, the next ten are still pretty good but not quite as good as the first.  The ‘on’ button has been pushed, you keep going and there’s no turning back until you’ve reached the bottom of the bag.  By the time you get to the end of the ginormous sack of sweet you feel like you’re going to be sick and swear that you’ll never eat another M&M ever again.

Let’s go back to the toy aisle for a minute – you push one of those ‘on’ buttons, but instead of singing and convulsing like usual, the toy does nothing. So what do you do?  Push the button again, of course – but the follow-up attempts are proving as unsuccessful as the first.  Finally, you give up, set the toy down and search for your next victim.  I know what you’re thinking – “yeah Amy, but my ‘on’ button NEVER malfunctions like that.”  Am I right?  Think about this scenario for a second: You walk into the break room at work and are greeted with a beautiful tray of fresh vegetables.  You grab a carrot, a piece of cauliflower, and a cherry tomato, calling it good.  Whoa!!  Well, I’ll be damned – no ‘on’ button…  Craziness!  Replace that veggie tray with a bowl of candy or chips, plate of mini-brownies, or box of donuts, and the ‘on’ button suddenly starts working again.  What’s up with that?  Why is it that only certain foods push our ‘on’ buttons, and others do absolutely nothing?

There are several reasons that trail mix can do what a tomato cannot.  Here comes the brain again (that reminds me of a song – hey, if I have to suffer – so do you…).  Yep, all those crazy circuits and neurotransmitters hard at work.  There are underlying genetic and individual factors that play into all of this and how our brain responds to different ‘addictive’ substances.  This is why some of us can control our ‘on’ buttons better than others.  It all has to do with the value that the ‘reward’ brings to us, or how much pleasure we get from the M&M’s or chips.  Unfortunately, the sneaky food industry is in on this little secret and has concocted ‘hyper-palatable’ foods to bait and hook us.  Just take some high fructose corn syrup (also known as street legal crack), combine it with some refined white flour, tasty hydrogenated fat, and a plethora of artificial flavors.  Finally add the ‘piece de resistance’ and finish that bad boy off with a sprinkle of salt – or better yet – MSG.  Yep, that right there folks is the stuff that dreams are made of…  Those test kitchen wizards know our weak spots.  DO NOT let them bamboozle you and push your ‘on’ button!  You’re smarter than that!  You don’t have SUCKER tattooed across your forehead, do you?

I know, in a ‘perfect’ world (the one where unicorns and fairies exist and there are no taxes) we would all vow to NEVER let our ‘on’ buttons be pushed again.  Unfortunately the temptations are everywhere, and unlike alcohol and cigarettes, we can’t avoid food all together.  So, the whole eat until its gone scenario is one that plays out often for some of us. The key is to stop it before it starts. Like the toy in the store, once the button has been pushed – you’re committed, no going back and no getting out alive.  But stop!  Yes, I know it’s easier said than done.  Let’s say you’re munching on some trail mix (right out of the really big bag you bought at Costco…) and you get to the point where it still tastes good, but it’s not ‘great’.  This is when you need to stop.  Pick up an almond (or raisin, chocolate chip, etc.) look at it and ask yourself, what is eating this nut going to do for me, and am I truly enjoying this, or just eating it because it’s here and I started?  Is this piece going to taste as good as the first piece did?  Answer these questions honestly, and really think about how further handfuls of this stuff are going to make you feel.  That pause maybe all the time it takes for the ‘song’ to reach its end; saving you from another three cups of the mix, followed by guilt and a stomachache.

If you’ve discovered that like the toy you don’t have a ‘pause’ or ‘off’ button, remember this simple mantra – tape it to the fridge, cabinets, pantry; tattoo it to your forehead; put it wherever you need it – but whatever you do – don’t forget it!  Are you ready?  This is profound stuff people…  Here it is: “If you can’t turn it off, don’t turn it on.”  Yep, I told you – GROUNDBREAKING!!!  Don’t push that button – why start what you already know will not end well?  Avoid temptation.  If the toy aisle at Target is problematic – just don’t even go there in the first place.  If there are no buttons to push, you and your fellow shoppers are ‘safe’.  The same is true with food – if the chip or bread basket is a problem don’t even let them bring it to the table.  If nuts, candy, ice cream, etc, are your gig then they probably shouldn’t be guests in your house.  No buttons – no temptation – no regrets.  An occasional indulgence is totally okay – but know your limits, and no matter what you do remember –

“If you can’t turn it off, don’t it turn on.”

***just as an aside: Robb's blog is all about the Paleo diet lifestyle.  Although I really enjoy a lot of what is said there, especially Amy's posts, I am not advocating Paleo for you.  Please just take this post at face value :)  --KSW

Junk Food, Willpower and your environment

A little while ago, I watched this video for a presentation I was putting together about habits.  It's a funny thing to watch -- totally worth the less than 3 minutes just for the comic lift.  But once that's done, take the time to watch it again.

Can't see the video?  Click here.
Can you see yourself in any of those coping mechanisms?  Are you the "kid" that sits in the chair rocking back and forth?  Are you the one that eats most of it right away nad puts the sticky leftovers on the plate hoping no one will notice?  Are you the one who has it almost in your mouth and then (with a big grumpy face) puts it back on the plate?

It's an interesting experiment.  The original (which of course didn't use video) found that 4 year olds that were able to delay their gratification and earn the second marshmallow turn out to be (on average) higher wage earners, less likely to be obese, earn a college degree, etc.  Makes sense, right?  Have a lot of willpower and you'll be able to "make" yourself do what you need to do.

But let's look at that whole situation again.  Why are the kids under this marshmallow stress?  Because they have to sit with the marshmallow right in front of them.  They have to use their willpower to stave off the power of the treat.

Now, think about the experiment another way.  How much stress would the kids be under if they were just asked to sit in the room (without the marshmallow in front of them) until the researcher came back and she would give them two marshmallows.  Probably not much.  The kids really didn't seem to mind just sitting in the chair (or at least the ones they showed in the video).  Without the treat in front of them, none of them would have been able to eat it -- bad for the experiment but gives us a valuable illustration for ourselves.

If you recognized yourself in any of those kids (and I'm dying to know which one YOU identified with**), then let's talk about the solution to getting yourself out of temptation's way:

Change your environment to support the behaviors you would like to see in yourself.  Willpower only lasts so long!  If the marshmallow (or it's adult equivalent of your choice .... chips, cookies, chocolate, pretzels, tacos, trail mix .....you get my meaning) isn't in your house, you won't have to stare it down every time you open the pantry, fridge, freezer or cupboard.  You won't put yourself into the condition that leads to the stress you saw those kids dealing with!!!

In other words:  don't buy it at the grocery store to keep it on hand.  If you need it that bad, it will be worth an inconvenient trip to the corner market!  Rethink your environment so you don't have to rely on willpower!

**So back to the kids!  Which one resonated with you the most?  I am definitely the first one they showed (the blond sniffer with the "do the right thing" angst!).  Click the comments button at the end of this post and share which one seemed most like how you feel when faced with a similar dilemma.

If you're on the Eating Coach blog, click on the word Comment at the end of this post and share.  If you're reading this via email, click here to be taken to the Eating Coach site and then you can click the comment button!  I appreciate your sharing!  It gives me feedback on which direction to take the blog in the future :)  You comments are very much appreciated!

Redefining our idea of Desserts

The other day, I read an interesting take on desserts.  When we get right down to it, we know desserts are something that should be a treat...a "once in a while"... a "special occasion" (never mind that we seem to be able to justify special occasion at any given moment).

But what if we expanded our definition of dessert to include things like french fries, chips, popcorn, along with all the traditional sweets.  How would it change your behavior if you stopping making dessert be time dependent (something nutritionally void containing unnecessary calories that comes only at the end of the meal) and started thinking about anything that meets the dessert criteria (nutritionally void containing unnecessary calories) that you eat at any point throughout the day?

And then, you only allow yourself one dessert a day.

All of the sudden, it may mean the hummus and celery looks like a much better option because you don't want to squander you dessert for the day on the bag of plain chips at the end of the Subway counter.  If you only get one dessert a day, don't you think you would be a little more stingy/selective with what you choose?  I do.

But we don't think about chips, nuts, popcorn, etc. as dessert.  We justify eating them because we've been taught if you're buying a sandwich, you need the chips to round out the meal --when in actuality, all we're rounding out is our physique.

Junk food -- let's give this some thought

I was just reading the comments section of a post and the commenter asserted:

If you label it junk food, should you even be calling it food?

Much of what I've been reading lately (Food Rules, The Cure for Everything, some other blog posts) has been talking about what is food and what is not.  Michael Pollan talks about "products" versus food.  I can see his logic in that division.  Chips (baked, fried, or encrusted with cheese....or more accurately cheeze dust that contains no actual dairy derived cheese) are definitely a product.  Twinkies -- product (you know this because they last forever under the car seat and they never go bad).  Soda ?  Well it's a drink so we don't usually think of liquids as food but still -- product...no getting around that!

Hot dogs?  Product.

Apples?  Food.

Cake?  Hmmmmmm.....this is where it gets sticky.

According to Dictionary.com, the definitions of food are:

1. any nourishing substance that is eaten, drunk, or otherwise taken into the body to sustain life, provide energy, promote growth, etc.
2. more or less solid nourishment, as distinguished from liquids.
3. a particular kind of solid nourishment: a breakfast food; dog food.
4. whatever supplies nourishment to organisms: plant food.
5. anything serving for consumption or use: food for thought.

So, okay -- cake.  It does provide calories we can live off of (not that most of us really need those calories).  But maybe nourishment is just as much about sustaining the soul as it is about sustaining the body.  From that definition, cake can nourish.  So -- food.  Then the next question would be:

How much cake do you need to nourish your soul?  (Answer?  probably a lot less than you are ever served! It can probably be measured in bites -- not pieces.)

But that bag of chips you automatically pick up with your lunch sandwich -- we're already established it as a product but is it nourishing you?  It gives you calories, yes. (which, again, you really don't need)  The nutrient level is almost nil -- so it's not nourishing your body.  Does it nourish your soul?  I bet not.  I bet NOT EVER. 

Who among you has ever been transported to a better place from a potato chip?  My guess is no one. (correct me if I'm wrong -- click the comment button and share the experience!)

People, what are we doing?  We're eating food we label as JUNK.  Why?  We're intelligent.  We want to be healthy.  We value our appearance to one degree or another.  What are we thinking???

My guess:  We're not.  We are willingly being blind to our drives, our needs, and the return on the investment of our calories.

Here's a trick:

Next time you pick up a food product to put into your mouth, try to imagine something that would taste better than whatever is about to go in.  If you can come up with anything that would taste better, put the food product DOWN!  Don't eat it.  You don't want it.  It won't nourish your body (because it's junk) and it won't nourish your soul (because you don't even want it).

No JUNK FOOD -- you deserve better.  Eat real food.  Nourish your body.  Nourish your soul.