I think that the knitting thing might just take off! On 9 September 2009 another website reported some research into knitting. The report suggests that i t is difficult to worry about food and do a visual spatial task at the same time. Things like computer games would fall into that category. I think knitting or sewing is a great way to not nibble whilst watching the telly, which is one of the most used opportunities for mindless munching.
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
Sunday, 27 September 2009
Saturday, 26 September 2009
Miss Big Booty on Diet Blog is worried about her all-or-nothing approach to dieting. She eats well, makes a mistake, then blows the whole thing, and binges on what she knows is all the bad foods.
She is eating in a very restrained manner on the good days, with almost fat free dinners, steamed vegetables etc. This kind of abnormal food and restrained eating requires a high degree of motivation and self-control. Most of us would prefer to eat a more varied diet and in the long-term that is essential. I can't imagine life without spaghetti bolognese, roast chicken or puddings. Dieting doesn't work. But being a bit more vigilant about what you eat does.
If you go on a diet, with a tight regime of foods regarded as bad and foods regarded as good, then you are setting yourself up for a guilt trip. When you break one of the diet rules, you feel bad, worthless, miserable etc etc and say to yourself "I'm a failure. I can't do this" etc etc. Why not get off your case and be a bit nicer to yourself, following some simple, sustainable guidelines.
Eating food is one of the pleasures of life. Enjoy it. If you are restricting yourself to salads and lean meat when that is not enjoyable for you, you just won't last the course. Instead, enjoy your 3 meals a day. Each normal meal is probably 600 calories. Maybe a bit more. That is equivalent to 2 chockie bars. Giving up the chockie bars is easier than giving up a meal. The meal will fill you up and satisfy you. The chockie bar wants you to eat his friend too.
She is eating in a very restrained manner on the good days, with almost fat free dinners, steamed vegetables etc. This kind of abnormal food and restrained eating requires a high degree of motivation and self-control. Most of us would prefer to eat a more varied diet and in the long-term that is essential. I can't imagine life without spaghetti bolognese, roast chicken or puddings. Dieting doesn't work. But being a bit more vigilant about what you eat does.
If you go on a diet, with a tight regime of foods regarded as bad and foods regarded as good, then you are setting yourself up for a guilt trip. When you break one of the diet rules, you feel bad, worthless, miserable etc etc and say to yourself "I'm a failure. I can't do this" etc etc. Why not get off your case and be a bit nicer to yourself, following some simple, sustainable guidelines.
Eating food is one of the pleasures of life. Enjoy it. If you are restricting yourself to salads and lean meat when that is not enjoyable for you, you just won't last the course. Instead, enjoy your 3 meals a day. Each normal meal is probably 600 calories. Maybe a bit more. That is equivalent to 2 chockie bars. Giving up the chockie bars is easier than giving up a meal. The meal will fill you up and satisfy you. The chockie bar wants you to eat his friend too.
Friday, 25 September 2009
Portion control - confused?
What is a portion? Well, portions have certainly got bigger over the last decade or so. A Beefeater restaurant steak plate from the 1960s (seen in an antiques shop recently) looked really small to me. We have got used to eating off really huge plates. We eat out much more than a generation ago, and we load our plates at the buffet to get our money's worth. All this makes it harder for us to assess a portion.
And when we buy a pre-pack meal from the supermarket, what looks like a meal for one, on close reading of the package, is a meal for two. On the plate it looks like a portion for one, (or maybe 1 and a tiny visitor). I am starting to think that it is calories for two but quantity for one. Look at an interesting portion control discussion here.
The King Size 84g Mars Bar was phased out following a House of Commons report, which showed that a Snickers bar had more calories than a full steak meal. It was replaced by the Mars Duo - two bars now at 91g (about 400 calories - equivalent to a plate of chicken, potatoes and veg). Research shows that once a pack is opened we eat it, so the unintended consequence of the House of Commons report is that we eat even more! For those with a sweet tooth and a desire to lose weight, buy fun packs. One little bar is a portion.
If you hold onto the idea that one formal meal is round about 500 calories, then when you read the calorie content of a sweetie bar or other snack, you can get an idea of the relative benefit of eating it. I was once given a delicious slice of chocolate cake - and was horrified to see that it contained 1,500 calories. A belt buster to be sure!
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
And when we buy a pre-pack meal from the supermarket, what looks like a meal for one, on close reading of the package, is a meal for two. On the plate it looks like a portion for one, (or maybe 1 and a tiny visitor). I am starting to think that it is calories for two but quantity for one. Look at an interesting portion control discussion here.
The King Size 84g Mars Bar was phased out following a House of Commons report, which showed that a Snickers bar had more calories than a full steak meal. It was replaced by the Mars Duo - two bars now at 91g (about 400 calories - equivalent to a plate of chicken, potatoes and veg). Research shows that once a pack is opened we eat it, so the unintended consequence of the House of Commons report is that we eat even more! For those with a sweet tooth and a desire to lose weight, buy fun packs. One little bar is a portion.
If you hold onto the idea that one formal meal is round about 500 calories, then when you read the calorie content of a sweetie bar or other snack, you can get an idea of the relative benefit of eating it. I was once given a delicious slice of chocolate cake - and was horrified to see that it contained 1,500 calories. A belt buster to be sure!
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
Wednesday, 23 September 2009
What is triggering our eating?
Well, not hunger for the most part. There are lots of cues to encourage us to eat. Brian Wansink of Cornell University has done loads of research on these environmental cues and we can all learn from his work. For example, if sweets are on your desk, you will eat more than if you have to get up and walk 10 yards for them. Obvious? Then put tempting foods out of sight. Tempting food in transparent containers (ice cream for example) is eaten faster than if it is in an opaque box.
Have a listen here to his interview on CBS News about what triggers eating.
Here are a couple of his tips for when you are eating out. Sit next to the person who starts last. Don't sit next to the Speed Eater.
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
Have a listen here to his interview on CBS News about what triggers eating.
Here are a couple of his tips for when you are eating out. Sit next to the person who starts last. Don't sit next to the Speed Eater.
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
Tuesday, 22 September 2009
Eat slowly and lose weight
The European Food Information Council has a great website, crammed with interesting information, of great use to people wishing to adopt a healthier eating pattern. Click here to take a test to check how your vital statistics are affecting your health.
One piece of research they mention relates to eating slowly. The research showed that people who eat slowly tend to eat fewer calories, drink more water with their meal, get more pleasure from eating and feel more satisfied afterwards. It takes stretch receptors in the stomach about 20 minutes to work out that the stomach is full. So eating slowly means that you are more aware of these internal sensations.
On the other hand, a different study shows that eating fast correlates with insulin resistance and thus to some increased risk of diabetes.
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
One piece of research they mention relates to eating slowly. The research showed that people who eat slowly tend to eat fewer calories, drink more water with their meal, get more pleasure from eating and feel more satisfied afterwards. It takes stretch receptors in the stomach about 20 minutes to work out that the stomach is full. So eating slowly means that you are more aware of these internal sensations.
On the other hand, a different study shows that eating fast correlates with insulin resistance and thus to some increased risk of diabetes.
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
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