Reinventing Our Eating Habits by Rachel Riboflavin

Eating Thoughtfully

Conversations about food typically revolve around WHAT to eat; what fats are the good ones? What protein source? When are carbs okay and why some people think they’re evil? This post aims to strip away the thoughts about what we should be consuming and will cover eating behaviors.

By the time we’re five, we have been conditioned to ignore feelings of fullness and subsequently have the capacity to overeat. With the onslaught of food at home, work, and social gatherings, the chance to indulge creeps up almost daily. Even folks with great self control can learn a thing or two about existing habits that we may not recognize. These “mindless” habits could be detracting from our weight loss goals.

A few simple tips may keep off a few hundred calories a week and leave you feeling empowered. From a personal stand point, my diet affects my motivation on almost a daily basis. A good day or week of food makes me feel in control and ready to tackle a workout. A bad day makes me want to throw in the towel. 

Here are a few examples to get you thinking:

Eating scripts - We are creatures of habit

Habits are formed over time and eventually become so ingrained in our routine that we rarely think about them. Unfortunately some habits or “eating scripts” can lead to slow and steady weight gain. For example: Do you have a snack when you’re making dinner? Do you always read the news or check Facebook at breakfast (or anytime you eat during a task)? Do you grab more food if you see others eating even when you’re not hungry? There are dozens of food related habits and behaviors we've learned over time. An extra 100-200 calories a day may not seem like much, but it adds up- and affects the waistline. 

The Solution? - Rewrite the script. 

Throughout the week look for moments when you find yourself eating when you’re not hungry and work on eliminating these moments one at a time. When performing a task think “am I eating until the task is done or until I feel full?” chances are if we’re eating when distracted we’re not focused on the food and are more likely to overeat. If you’re cooking and there is some snacking going on to curb the hunger…wait. Patience is an important part of diet and weight loss- impulsiveness is not.

“Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance”

The above statement is a mantra I learned from an English teacher, and boy does it apply to almost everything. Make life healthier by planning ahead. How many times have you made a poor choice when hungry and in a hurry? Studies have shown that going grocery shopping on an empty stomach makes people buy more junk food (http://www.futurity.org/health-medicine/hungry-shoppers-buy-more-junk-food/).  When I forget my lunch not only do I have to spend more money I typically make a poor choice regarding my diet because I want it to be quick and tasty. 

You can avoid having to make the choice at all by:

1.    Taking some time on the weekend and a few minutes every night to make lunch, it can do wonders.  

2.    Writing down your meals for the week, it helps a person set a schedule and stick to it.

3.    Avoid having to make a decision on impulse, it's a sure bet you’ll be making the right one.

One week of lunches ready to go!

The More You See it….The More You’ll EAT it.
The average person makes at least 300 food based choices every day (1). Every time we see food we decide "Yes" or "No", how much, how often, when, and what. This can be daunting and it’s much easier to go on autopilot.

Our bodies release insulin when we see food being prepared (even if we are not planning on eating it), this lowers blood sugar and can create sensations of hunger, yet another thing to fight even when we want to say NO.

A study was conducted using secretaries and candy jars; the results revealed that the participants ate 70% more when a clear dish was left in front of them, versus having a solid colored dish with a lid on it (1). Over the course of the year, if the behavior continued each person would have gained 5 pounds (1)! All that weight gained just from seeing food and having to think about it!

Eliminate Exposures so you don’t have to think about it.

Out of sight-out of mind. If it’s not visible you don’t even have to think about eating it. There are examples of people changing their route home from work just to avoid a restaurant. 

If it’s Thursday and you've said ‘no’ to stopping 3 times this 4^th time you might be the time you tell yourself it’s okay. 

If you can’t eliminate it from the house make it inconvenient to access. Put it in the basement - put it in the garage if you have to. The walk down the stairs should be enough time to think “what am I doing?!” Stay strong- you can do it. Another idea is to wait 20 minutes to distract yourself with something else, if you’re mind returns to the food think about how much you need it.

Sensory Specific Satiety (1)

Sensory Specific Satiety (SSS) is when we get accustomed to a flavor and it becomes less exciting. The first bite is the best and the flavor gets dulled the more you consume it. In general, this isn’t an issue until you add three or four things together. When we have multiple flavors (think Neapolitan ice cream) our taste buds are free to experience three different flavors, which takes us three times as long to get sick of it. 3X more ice cream? I think you see where I’m going.

I think we can all agree this would be overwhelming to our taste buds.

In regards to variety, try limiting your plate to no more than 3 things (if it’s bad for you). However, if your meals are already healthy let variety work for you and embrace the many vegetables you might be having.

Variety in meals can be a good and bad thing. Our food supply has so many more choices now than what it did in the 1950’s and most of what’s been added is not good stuff.  Regimented diets can work- but if you get bored it might lead to some “cheating” on your diet. Essentially, keep a diet varied enough with healthy choices so you don’t seek out something high in calories later. When you do go for the sweet treat limit it to 1 thing.

I encourage you to analyze your habits and see which ones are chewing away at your success. A healthy diet is not only about knowing what to eat but knowing yourself and being thoughtful about consumption.

Yours Sincerely,

Rachel Riboflavin

Sources:

Wansink B. Mindless Eating. Bantam Books. New York. 2006.