Are You A Fast Food Junkie?

“I don’t care what’s in it. I just like the way it tastes.” 

Have you ever heard those words or said them yourself? I certainly have. There have been numerous occasions I am ashamed to recall, where I knew I should have looked at that label, but I didn't. Why? Well, you know why!! But for those of you who don't know why, the reason is this: I didn't want to learn exactly what I was eating (the fat, calories, sodium, additives and other junk)because I knew that if the ingredients were bad, I wouldn't want to eat that thing anymore! I wanted to stay in the dark about the facts so I could continue with my bad behavior and enjoy that thing!

What I know now is that learning about the substances I put into my body is a positive thing. The knowledge I glean can help me make more nutritionally sound choices, I will be healthier for life and feel better, too. But if I still choose to eat the bad stuff, well, at least I know what I am feeding my body!

If you would like to know more about the impact fast food has on your body for example, you can easily obtain this information. There is much evidence about the negative long-term impact it has on one’s health, and you can find out in different ways (labels in the restaurant, Google, blogs or other dietary websites).

And while we're on the topic of fast food, a very entertaining book about this topic is, Chew On This: Everything You Don’t Want To Know About Fast Food, by Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson. And a DVD you won’t want to miss is “Super-Size Me”.

Food quality and good nutrition are not things fast food restaurants are known for. You may be shocked at how this food is processed along with all the artificial flavors and colors added to it. If you really love your fast food but know it isn't good for you, then try to cut it back by just one time per week. So if you go 4 times, you will only go 3. Then go from 3 to 2, and so on. You will find that over time, you will lose your desire for it and feel so much better.

Alcohol: All Or Nothing vs. Moderation: Part One

I think I've had a lifetime supply of alcohol. I had my drinking days and my party days. I had my share of hangovers. I decided to quit completely because it was easier for me to not drink at all instead of trying to moderate. Well honestly, I couldn't moderate: I tried! And when I tried to moderate, I usually blew it and drank more than ever before.

I don't really understand why, but I have heard that approximately 10% of the population has an allergy toward alcohol. What this means is that when any alcohol is consumed, it creates an irresistible craving for more. I can definitely say that this was true for me.

I went from drinking alcohol to not drinking alcohol at all: cold turkey. No tapering off for me. And it was tough. I went through a sort of psychological withdrawal.  I didn't stop drinking to lose weight. I didn't go "on the wagon", only to return at a later date. I changed my lifestyle for my personal well-being, and for no other reason. But I will say that I am leaner as a result of abstaining from alcohol.

Most people are probably A-OK with drinking every now and then, and some will be okay with drinking many days a week. Only the individual can say whether he or she has a problem with alcohol, and then take the actions necessary to stop.

Why "take the actions necessary to stop?" Why not just stop? This my friends, is the difference between someone who couldn't care less if alcohol existed and someone who really wants  (needs?) it most days. For the latter, in order to stop, it will probably take a little more effort than just "not drinking".

Alcohol can be deceiving. Someone can have a problem with it and not want to admit it. But not admitting one's problem will only make it worse.

Next post, I will discuss the physiological effects of alcohol and how alcohol can thwart your goals in weight loss.

Making Rest A Priority

      It seems the older I get, the more complex life becomes. 
      I think the most simple time in my life was when I was single, working full-time and living alone. I dated, but wasn't tied to anyone or anything. I ran my own schedule, controlled what food entered my abode and did my own thing.
     Then I began dating my husband-to-be. We dated 4 years, and that was exciting. We got married into a life that was different for both of us. Although the complexities of living with another person added to some increased stress in both of our lives, it was well worth the sacrifice - and still is.  
     About 8 years later, we had our first and only child, although we didn't plan it that way. We intended to have more children, but God had a different plan for us.
     With this child, life got really complex in multiple ways - fast! It was well worth the sacrifice - and still is. And I'm certain there will be more complexities to come!
     One constant activity for me throughout all these life changes is exercise: it keeps me sane and happy with my body. But one thing I realize I need more of is rest. I struggle with the idea of getting rest, meditation, relaxation and good sleep. It hasn't been a priority, so I tend to put it last on the list, "Oh, if I get time, I'll sleep in" or "if I get a quick 20 minutes, then I'll do some meditating". It's as if I know it would do me well to indulge in these different forms of rest, but somehow, I never make it a priority.
      With all the complexities of my life, my body now demands different (better) treatment. The exercise has been a constant, but the rest has not. I have taken my health and my body for granted too long, and it's time for a change.
    I recently decided to get on a schedule of meditation. I have tried several ways to do this and come up with this conclusion: every day is different, so the meditation can't be the same every day. I can still get it in, but it may not be at the same time. And this will be my challenge. All I know is that all forms of rest are more of a priority with me today.
    Are you one of those who, if something is on your mind, you cannot sleep? What if you had a disagreement with your spouse and it is yet unresolved? How about a crucial appointment the next day, a test or a presentation? If I can't sleep, then I have found that meditation can be a sufficient substitute.
     There will be an ebb and flow of rest for most of us. Some nights we will sleep well, and other nights we won’t. Even if you can't find time to meditate or even if you don't want to meditate, the main thing to remember here is to not go too long without some kind of quality rest, because a lack of quality rest will break down the immune system and we can get sick or be more susceptible to illness.  Sweet Dreams!

What's Your Daily Water Quota?

     How much water do you drink a day? Do you follow the 8/8 rule: 8 glasses of 8 ounces each day, or do you follow another system? Do you just drink water when you think about it, or are you aware of how much you have already consumed and how much more you might want to consume on any given day? Or do you not pay attention to water at all, but know you should do something to drink more each day?

      I have seen people carry around a gallon jug with them all day long, and they drink from this until it is gone. Personally, I would feel a little silly carrying around a gallon jug of water, so that wouldn't work for me.

     And I don't believe in a universal formula for water consumption either, because the quantity needed for an individual depends upon his environment, age, weight, lifestyle and time of year.
     But I do believe that everyone should establish their own water "quota" to drink each day. A water quota is a "minimum amount of water you require yourself to drink every day, with few exceptions." Many folks I work with set their water quota at about 100 ounces a day. This is approximately 3 liters, and it's easy to measure with bottles of purified water. Others follow the 8/8 rule. Still others consult with their doctors to get their quota.
     A tip that may make drinking water easier for you is to carry a bottle of water with you at all times. Bring it with you when you get in the car or run an errand. Choose water when you dine at a restaurant. You will be surprised at how easy it is to reach your quota when you include water with the activities you already do.

     There is such a thing as drinking too much water: it’s called hyponatremia, and it is extremely rare. I wouldn't concern myself with drinking too much water. Not drinking enough is far more likely to happen!
     If you want to increase your water intake, don’t go from one extreme to another. Increase it gradually, and listen to your body, for your body will be your ultimate guide.

How Can I Lose Weight By Eating More?

Seems impossible, but it's true. When I say eat "more", I mean "more frequently", not "more quantity" in a single meal. But by the end of the day, the total quantity of food eaten might actually increase compared to the total quantity eaten with someone eating fewer meals per day.

Here's how it works. I'll show you with an analogy and a multiple choice question:

Consider a steam locomotive that is powered by burning coal. How often and how much should you put coal in the furnace to insure the longest, smoothest ride, in addition to the longevity of the engine?
a. The total daily amount of coal is placed in the furnace at the beginning, middle OR end of the trip
b. The total daily amount of coal is placed in the furnace at the beginning AND the end of the trip
c. The total daily amount of coal is spaced out, starting from the beginning of the trip and placed in the furnace at regular intervals throughout the trip

This was a gimme. I know you guessed "c", because it makes sense, doesn't it? If you didn't guess "c", post a comment, and I'll explain it.

Our bodies work the same way as this locomotive, and they function best with small amounts of food eaten at frequent and regular intervals.

So how do you get there from where you are? How many meals do you eat per day, on average, right now? 3? 2? It doesn't matter. Just begin by increasing that number by 1. Work with that number of meals for a few weeks (~21 days to establish a habit) and see how you feel. I'd bet that you begin to look forward to the meal, and your body might even be hungry for that meal!

But how do you lose weight this way? The magic is in the metabolism. When you eat smaller, frequent meals - every 2 1/2 to 3 hours - your metabolism changes. It speeds up, because the body is like that locomotive. And when your metabolism speeds up, guess what? You burn more fat at REST! You lose weight almost effortlessly. The effort you put in is in the planning and preparation of your meals.

If you are skeptical, try this for 21 days and let me know how it works for you.

Luncheon Meats Versus Natural Meats

I've never known someone who successfully lost weight eating luncheon meats. Anyone I know of who has had success in weight loss has done so eating natural, unprocessed meats. Why is this?

Sure, those luncheon meats are convenient. They taste good, too, and you don't have to prepare them. But what we get in convenience and taste, we compromise in nutrition and health:

1. Sodium: processed meats are high in sodium to prolong shelf life. High sodium can wreak havoc on someone trying to lose weight or lower their blood pressure.

2. Nitrates: saltpeter and a hormone disruptor. This additive has been blamed for early menstruation in young women.

3. Nitrites: cancer-causing. With all the talk about how to eat to prevent cancer, how many of us are still eating these cancer-causing foods because they taste good?

4. Fat: believe it or not, some processed turkey can have more fat (as a percentage of calories) than some red meats! Unless it says "turkey breast", it probably isn't 100% turkey breast. And if it isn't, it is probably a pressed turkey made from lower quality turkey parts and skin.

Check labels. Read ingredients. Know what you are putting into your body. And if you are in a deli and don't have access to the label, it might be a good idea to do a u-turn!

I ate soy "meats" for years when I was a vegetarian. I never could understand why I had a harder time dropping body fat while eating these processed meats. Now I know, so I hope you learn from my mistakes!!

Fast Food Addiction?

I admit, I have never been one to frequent any fast food chain for a meal. In fact, the last fast food meal I can remember eating was when I was in High School. I ate a hamburger, fries and shake while sitting in the establishment. I remember not eating for the rest of the day, I was so full!

I didn't acquire the habit of eschewing fast food restaurants because I had a pristine diet; it was a matter of money for me. However, I am glad that it happened the way it did, because I don't have the addiction to fast food today. And yes, I call it an addiction. Let me explain why I think it is so.

Have you seen the movie, "Super Size Me"? Or have you read the book, Chew On This? These are two sources that peaked my interest earlier in my life, and they led me to look for answers in other places as well.

I have learned that there are so many additives in the ingredients of fast food. What is an additive, anyway? An additive is any salt,  preservative (BHA, BHT), nitrate, nitrite, artificial color, artificial scent, artificial flavor, filler and emulsifier – the list could go on. And they seem to be getting longer and longer, too! Most of us probably know nothing about any of them, so we tend not to think about them. But that doesn’t change the impact those additives have on our bodies. If I were to guess, I would say that they are either unhealthy or nutritionally unnecessary - at best - and, at worst, harmful to our body and our health.

That's the physical part. But the physiological part is that some of these man made ingredients can cause an addictive reaction in the consumer's body, causing them to crave more.

Let me ask you a question. Do you think these fast food companies intentionally put these things in the food so that you will buy more and more of their food? Don't put this past them! They are out to sell and make a profit, and your health has nothing to do with it.


You don’t have to be a chemist to know that these things can have a negative impact on your body. And if you decide that you don't want to contribute to the profits of these establishments and contribute to your ill-health, it may be hard to completely eliminate the habit at first. Suffice it to say, the less you eat processed foods, the healthier you will be.

Here's something to try for a month. Let's say you eat fast food 5 times a week, Monday - Friday. What if you were to cut it back to M/W/F? On T/Th, you could brown bag it and stay in the office,  or you could get a smoothie. If you did this, you would cut back this unhealthy habit by 40%!  Now that's a change that would get results! Then, after that, if you liked how your body responded to this new habit, you could just make Fridays the fast food day. Wow! I would love to hear feedback on this experiment, so let me know your thoughts. Good luck!

Circumstantial Triggers

   How do you react to sudden, unexpected "events" in your life?

For some, these "events" - whether good or bad - can trigger an impulse in us to eat. 

   For example, if our boss gave us an unexpected bad review, we could take that home with us and eat over it. Or maybe we got stuck in a traffic jam and were late for an important meeting. The frustration with this has the potential to stay with us all day. What if we had a fight with our spouse that morning, or experienced any other unexpected unpleasant situation out of our control? Is the food a stress-reliever for you in these situations?

   When we are caught off-guard with life's "bumps in the road", and if we already have a tendency to abuse the food, then any food can become a trigger, and this is a circumstantial trigger. 

   Circumstantial triggers can cause overeating of any type of food, leading to a portion control problem. And this problem can be more of a behavioral issue rather than a substance one – or, it can be both, depending on what food is consumed. In either case, if we are prone to reacting to these events by overeating, then what we really need to do here is recognize our emotion preceding the first bite and then deal with the situation differently.

   Here is an exercise: take a moment to list at least two circumstantial triggers you have had recently, that you ate over.  Simply becoming aware of the things that bother you will be your first step in overcoming the tendency to eat over them. Listing these triggers will become red flags for you to recognize, so that in the future, you can avoid getting into trouble with the food. 

Behavioral Triggers

Behavioral triggers are behaviors that cause and encourage unconscious eating. Unconscious eating is eating without realizing how much is being consumed. Behavioral triggers involve the act of eating with a specific kind of activity simultaneously. This person can eat and eat, but doesn't realize how much s/he is eating. They might not care, either, about how much they are eating. Their minds are elsewhere when they are eating. Hence, the amount they consume winds up being more than what they needed. 

Now sometimes, a person might want to engage in unconscious eating. This might be an escape or a stress reliever. But the problems begin when the weight piles on, and some decision must be made to deal with it.

Trigger behaviors can include eating a bag of chips in front of the TV or eating at the computer while you do work. These types of triggers are often done in isolation. One may even plan to have time alone in order to do this.

If you engage in behavioral triggers, you have two choices:

1.Continue on the way you have been going, continue to gain weight and stay in denial that there is a problem. Note here, that this is a decision: it is a decision to ignore the problem.

2.Change the behavior in some way. You can cut back, you can change the food or the activity, or you can stop doing them together. However, if one attempts to stop the food, but continue the activity, there will be a void. There will still be that urge to eat while engaging in the activity. Something will have to replace the food.

If you have opted for #2, in the case of television, simply turning off the TV might do the trick. But in the case of computer work (that is probably a necessary thing), something will have to be substituted. 

Try keeping a large glass of water right next to your computer. You might also try brewing a cup of hot tea to sip on while you work. Regardless what you change, you will notice that something is different at first, and there will be some discomfort. Move through the discomfort and know that it will dissipate with time. Good luck!

Situational Triggers

Some foods may not be triggers, but the impulse to overeat or binge may be a result of a situation in one’s life that occurs periodically. For example, a situational trigger can be work-related, where one has a regular meeting that causes stress. It could be hiring or firing of an employee, or even a particular event where loads of food are brought in from an outside source.

     Another trigger situation could be going to a party and “socializing” right by the food table, making it an easy temptation to indulge in too much food.

     The person who is prone to these situational triggers is automatically going to fall into the pattern of overeating in these cases, unless they are aware of what is happening. But as you can see, situational triggers don’t have to be negative to have a negative impact on one’s weight loss goals. In fact, the positive events on one's life can be the worst culprits!

     Take a quick inventory of a situation in your life, where you are tempted to eat for no other reason than the fact that you find yourself in that particular situation. Once you are aware of your tendencies, you can make decisions to change your behavior.

Substance Triggers

Have you ever eaten something that caused you to crave more of the same at a later time? Do you have a certain food item (some people call it their "poison") that you go to when you choose to indulge? Is there a specific food item in your life that you have a love-hate relationship with, meaning that you love to eat it, but you always feel badly after having eaten it? These could be your substance triggers.

And the most important questions are, if you know what your substance triggers are, do you want to rid yourself of them and no longer be a slave to them? Do you want to recapture control over your life and not let any kind of food item control you?

If you answered yes to the previous two questions, then you are ready to be catapulted into the next dimension of life! But it won't do you any good to rely on circumstance or luck to make it happen. You are going to be the source of your own success in this matter. You are going to have to choose each day and each meal exactly how and what you will and will not eat.

Becoming aware of your substance triggers is the first step. Most people who struggle with their weight don't ever get to this step. They go through life confused as to why they can't seem to get control over the food - and their weight. If you have become aware of what your substance triggers are, you can begin now to protect yourself from being sabotaged, and you then have hope of reaching your weight loss goals. But this will take time and planning. Here is something you can do today to begin:

Take an inventory of your kitchen, pantry, refrigerator and office setting. What do you have control over? Are you able to remove temptations? What unnecessary and tempting foods lurk in the shadows of your pantry or refrigerator? How about the jar of candy on your desk? Who is that for? Is it more of a temptation to you than your co-workers?

Take control over those things you are able to take control over. Make the decision now, and stick with it. Next time, we will talk about situational triggers.

What Are Your "Triggers"?

First, let me define "trigger", for those of you who may not know…

A trigger is any person, place, thing, situation - or food, that has a tendency to cause one to overeat.

Common trigger substances are sugar and white flour. These substances wind their way in to a multitude of foods, such as breads, bagels, pastas, cookies, candy or pastries. Some people may call these foods, "comfort foods", meaning when they need comfort - something emotional is going on - they want to receive comfort in the food. But by eating these junky foods, we set up a craving that makes it irresistible to NOT eat that food the next day - and so on.

I want to talk about this "comfort" for a moment. First of all, food is not capable of rendering comfort. In fact, if I am to indulge in comfort food for the sake of receiving comfort, I will be less than comforted after consuming vast quantities of nutritionally empty food. Why? Because I started off feeling emotionally vulnerable and needing comfort. I needed to connect, to be loved by someone, or I needed a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on. Or perhaps, I just needed to go to bed after a rough day.

But what I did instead of meeting my needs head-on, was to eat food: lots of junky food, with the presumption that this food was going to meet my emotional needs and make me feel better.

Not only did the food not meet my needs, but also I felt worse after indulging. I felt fat. I deviated from my goals to take better care of my body. And finally, I continued a pattern that will be harder to break now, since I have had one more time to strengthen it.

How do we break this cycle? How do we stop indulging in this type of food and behavior that works against us and makes us feel badly about ourselves?

For me, it took time to see the signs - the triggers - that something was up. Something was stirring in my emotions that I wasn't even aware of at first, and I was doomed to fall into another binge. When I became willing to look at myself objectively, I began to see those signs that something was wrong and that I had some emotional needs.  I began to recognize my triggers. I became aware that the food was not going to meet my emotional needs, and I had to become willing to reach out elsewhere to get my needs met - and this time, they really would get met, because I would be addressing the issue the right way - instead of isolating with food.

When I isolate and overeat, it makes me feel badly about myself and I isolate more, because I don't feel worthy of other people's company. My self-esteem suffers.

What are your triggers? Are you able to see the signs that might warn you of a binge coming up? And how can you intercept that behavior with a more healthy one?

If You Are Tempted To Overeat

If you are tempted to overeat, LEAVE THE KITCHEN! Simply get out of the kitchen or leave the  house if the temptation is too great. And whatever you do, don't go back in the kitchen for at least 30 minutes!

You can also do physical exercise, or do something constructive. Not only do you shift away from what you don't want, but also you do something so positive and get the body so involved that you can't help but feel better - and lose the desire to overeat! So when you are tempted to overeat, go for a walk, work out at home or the gym, garden, ride a bike, mall-walk or tackle that overstuffed closet upstairs!

Be More Socially Interactive! Part 3 and Final

Yesterday, my daughter had a school holiday, and here's where my head was in the morning:  I had all sorts of plans for what I wanted to do, which did not involve her.

Well, that didn't last a New York minute! Do you know one thing I love about having a young person in my life? It's that she has this uncanny ability to pull me away from whatever it is I am doing, regardless of how important it may seem to me to be at the moment!!

We played "hide the Lego Friend" outside; we raced everywhere to the tune of, "Last one there's a rotten egg!"; I recorded several movies of her doing her activity of choice, her being the star of her show; we played I don't know how many games of hide and seek; swung on the swing set - I could go on and on!

So a funny thing happened through all of this...at the end of the day, I found that I had been more productive and that I got more work done than expected! How could this be, you ask? Well, I was more focused when I did have a minute to do something on my computer. For example, I would negotiate, "Okay, let's play a game of hide-and-seek, I'll hide, then you'll hide. Then I'll write one email!" Of course, my little one agreed to this compromise. I became more efficient! I didn't waste any time being diverted from my task at hand.

I would guess that balancing out my life with more social, face-to-face interaction would have this impact on other areas of my life, too: it would stimulate me and give me more energy and focus. This is the stuff of life and where the rich rewards lie!

Volunteering Creates a Positive Mental Attitude!

Most of the time, I am pretty outgoing and willing to go the extra mile, volunteer and take on new tasks. Life is good and I'm on track.

But there have been times I have gotten so self-absorbed that I haven't felt like reaching out or doing anything for anyone. That sounds pretty selfish, doesn't it? But here's what I have done to fix that: I've set a regular schedule with certain volunteer activities. I am accountable to others to do this work and I will get sent my "assignment", so this one thing holds me to doing the volunteering, whether I feel like it or not. Or, I have a specific time each week that I go somewhere to volunteer, and people are expecting me.

A funny thing happens when I do the thing I know I should do, which is often the thing I do not want to do: I feel better! Holding myself accountable to this volunteering takes me out of myself and keeps me on the track I want to be on, because I am a better person for doing it. And this feels good.

What kinds of volunteering get you out of yourself the most? The least?

The community newspaper and public library are great ways to learn about volunteer activities in one's area, but these possibilities are endless! If you haven't done so yet, get out there and commit to doing one small thing every week, where you are accountable to an organization for your volunteer work. That way, you won't have to learn the hard way, like I did!