Planned Eating

(Quotes from "The End Of Overeating" by David T. Kessler)

"The trick is to identify food that you can learn to eat in a controlled way and that are at least as reinforcing as the foods you once overate." (page 209)

Portion Sizes

"By paying close attention to how much food you eat and how long it sustains you, you learn that portions smaller than you've come to expect will hold you perfectly well.
"There is a strong cognitive element to this process: What I perceive to be satisfying will help me determine whether it actually is. If you say 'I'm going to be hungry after I eat that' or 'That probably won't be enough' when you're served a plate of food, then you'll probably want more.
"But if you believe the food in front of you will fill you up, it's likely to do so... You can begin conditioning yourself to think 'That was enough,' 'That filled me up' or, best of all, 'That was just right." (page 212)

Choose Foods to Eat that Satisfy You

Most diets fail because they don't satisfy. A low-fat diet will keep you feeling hungry. The reason? Fat digests very slowly (2 calories per minute) and sugars (simple carbs) digest at a rate of 10 calories per minute. Protein digests at 4 calories a minute. Foods high in fiber tend to be satisfying because they are broken down more slowly than their processed counterparts.

So the goal is to eat high-fiber, complex carbs (whole grains and veggies) with protein (unprocessed) and a small amount of healthy fat. Nothing new here. What I like about this book is the emphasis that Dr. Kessler places on finding foods that you enjoy, that you don't overeat, and that satisfy you.

"Within these parameters it's important to identify those foods that will satisfy you -- and this is very personal ... The only eating plan that will work for you is one built around the personal likes and dislikes you have accumulated over a lifetime." (page 214)

I've always wanted to enjoy oatmeal. It's good for you, and I tend to like hot cereal, but I just couldn't get into it. I discovered that what my oatmeal needed was raspberries and it suddenly became my favorite morning staple! (~1 cup water, ~1/2 cup oats, dash cinnamon, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, and 1/2 cup berries. yum!)

What foods do you love? What minor changes can you make to these foods to make them more satisfying and better for you? Have you tried whole-grain pasta? How about plain yogurt instead of sour cream?

Food Rehab Principles

"I've learned to find reward in smaller amounts of food that I enjoy." (page 206)

• "Conditioned hypereating is a biological challenge, not a character flaw. Recovery is impossible until we stop viewing overeating as an absence of willpower." (page 206)
• "Treating conditioned hypereating means recognizing it as a chronic problem that needs to be managed, not one that can be completely cured." (page 206)
• "The loss of control that characterizes conditioned hypereating is magnified by diets that leave us feeling deprived." (page 206)
• "New learning can stick only when it generates a feeling of satisfaction. We can't sustain a change in behavior if it leaves us hungry, unhappy, angry, or resentful." (page 206)

I resisted reading this book for a long time, because I was sure I'd feel angry and deprived about "giving up" my favorite foods. But that's assuming that I'm abstaining by sheer willpower. Food Rehab is all about changing habits and perceptions of food.

• "Eventually we can begin to think differently about food, recognizing its value to sustain us and protect us from hunger, and denying it the authority to govern our lives." (page 207)

Rationalize Much?

"Sometimes we formulate rationalizations that allow us to act on our desire for reward. Thoughts like 'I deserve this' or 'I'll only have a small piece' are strategies for easing our discomfort about behavior we know is not in line with our goals." (page 201)

I've been doing this type of rationalizing for the past year or so. I lose a few pounds and then feel like I "deserve" to relax in my healthy eating for a few days/weeks and gain part of it back. So then, because I'm fancy like that, I get to lose those very same pounds again, until I lose enough to "deserve" another break from healthy eating.

Another thing I do, is I convince myself that eating such-and-such won't cause me to gain any weight, since I'll only have a "small piece." But calories are calories. And when you eat an excess of 200 here and 500 there, eventually those calories add up to 3,500, or one pound.

Food Rehab

Here are just a few suggestions that seem like things that could help me. In the book you will find many more helpful ideas.

***

Set Rules. Be specific, such as:
I don't eat candy bars.
I don't drink soda.
I don't buy store-bought cookies.
I don't eat fast food.

"The shift from wanting to behave differently to actually doing so requires setting rules and practicing them until they become programmed behavior." (page 192)

Practice, practice! Habits are difficult to break and start, but become easier the more you practice them.

***

Learn to view the pursuit of sugar, fat, and salt in a negative light.

"The cognitive strategy is to recognize when you're having euphoric recall and selectively remembering only the good parts. Then, in your mind, you play the scenario out to the end and you say, 'This is what's going to happen. I'll feel good for two minutes, and then I'll feel horrible.'" (page 198)

Not by choice or by any heroic effort on my part, I've done this with ice cream. I've known that I was slightly lactose intolerant for 15+ years, but it's only been in the past couple of years that I've finally recognized that every time I eat ice cream, I get a slight headache and a nauseated sensation in my stomach. I think I ignored the connection between ice cream and that sick feeling for a long time. However, once I put them together, ice cream no longer tempts me.

I'm hoping to use this with other treats. After the holidays, I posted about the effects that all the sugary, fatty treats had on my body. I'm trying to practice "playing the scenario out to the end" so I get to the part where too many sweet treats make my bowels feel miserable. Not to mention that the "high" only lasts a few minutes, before I want more.

I re-lapsed conducted an official scientific experiment recently. I'd bought several Cadbury Creme Eggs for John's birthday, but I should have waited until the day OF his birthday to buy them. When I succumbed (several times), I melted into a pile of euphoric goo when the chocolate and sugary center reached my mouth. It made me feel good. happy. relaxed. And then, within a few minutes of eating it, my mouth had a yucky, sort-of metallic aftertaste. I wanted more. And mostly just to get rid of the yucky aftertaste!

Dr. Kessler talks of a man who, trying to break a cigarette addiction, inhaled deeply into a jar packed with cigarette butts every time he was tempted to smoke. That negative association has helped him stop smoking.

"Unless a person makes the cognitive shift, where it's more reinforcing to have a life without the substances than it is to have a life with them, recovery is not obtainable." (page 198)

"Not smoking becomes the thing the individual feels good about." (page 198)

"It may not seem that food can become as readily aversive as cigarettes, but for my part, very large portions now strike me as generally disgusting." (page 198)

"Once I thought a big plate of food was what I wanted and needed to feel better. Now I see that plate for what it is -- layers of fat on fat on sugar on fat that will never provide lasting satisfaction and only keep me coming back for more." (page 200)

"If we think rewarding food is a friend, we're likely to pursue it. If we think it's an enemy, we'll turn from it with distaste." (page 201)
-- I hesitated to include this quote. I was talking with a friend about this book and mentioned the concept of seeing food as an enemy. She was concerned about that wording, because sometimes people with eating disorders see food as the enemy, so they abstain completely, or purge it after eating. So use this one with caution. Not all food is an enemy, but if we find ourselves addicted to certain foods, and they are detrimental to our health and fitness goals, then they are better off viewed in an un-friendly light. Just please don't go to the other extreme! Good food in moderation is our friend. Cadbury Creme Eggs? Not so friendly.

Addicted

I first heard about "The End of Overeating" when my friend blogged about it 8 months ago. I was hesitant to read it. Why? Because I didn't want to give up sweets! They make me happy, so without them, I'd be miserable, right? John is off sweets right now for "made-up Lent." Did I go off them with him? Not a chance. Sweets make me happy. Masochism is against my religion.

Just reading about how food is a drug and totally identifying with that was a huge perception shift. What? I'm not a druggie! I don't take anything harmful or addictive into my body. But food? I'm totally addicted and I anticipate the reward I'm going to get from it. Like when I have a nice-sized dinner and then help myself to a little more? I'm not hungry in that moment. I don't need those nutrients to sustain life. I'm a food druggie getting a hit off of second helpings.

Stay tuned for "Food Rehab"...

Nightmare on Mile Hill and Bay Street

I'm reading "The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite" by David A. Kessler, MD right now.

To sum-up: Eating patterns have changed in the past 30, 50, 100 years. We eat more fat, salt and sugar, and more processed foods that are designed to "entertain" and stimulate our palates. This kind of food is like a drug to many people, causing us to crave these foods, especially when angry or stressed. The food triggers pleasure and calming centers of the brain, truly making us feel better... temporarily. We habitually turn to this food to make us feel good, much like a drug. Also, nowadays food is highly accessible and relatively inexpensive. Drive-through restaurants, convenience stores, and vending machines all stock food loaded with sugar, fat and salt.

In addition, everywhere we go, whether it be to a meeting, class, reception, church social function, there is usually some type of food provided: cookies, bagels, sandwiches, etc. Food is everywhere and our trend of expanding waistlines prove it.

Although my weight is perfectly appropriate for my height, this book is about me. "Hi, my name is Laura and food is a drug to me." I crave sugar, fat and salt (mainly sweets). I reach for chocolate when I'm anxious, stressed, or angry. It makes me feel better and I know it will before I eat it. Every time I pass a certain billboard, I think about how good a McD's sausage egg McMuffin would taste (thank goodness they aren't sold after 10:30 am). Every time I drive past Burger King, I consider stopping in for a Whopper Jr. (thank goodness most fast food makes my stomach queasy.)

(Which brings me to the title of my post -- last night, after reading in this book before bed, I dreamed that I ate a Big Mac, followed by a 15-piece bucket of KFC wings -- which is funny, since I've only ever eaten one Big Mac, and I didn't really like it, and I abhor chicken with bones and skin. It was a nightmare nonetheless and I was grateful when I woke up. Back to my post...)

I'm at risk for obesity because of my food addiction. Yes, I keep my weight under control by limiting certain foods and practicing self-control. But how will I be in 10, 20, 30 years?

The book talked of studies they've done with children, and how children eat more calories today than they used to. Children as young as preschool-age eat beyond the point where they say they are full if they are given unlimited access to high sugar, fat and salt foods.

I'm about 2/3 of the way through the book and I'm just getting to the part about treatment. I'll let you know what I learn.