May
30
Rule #5 of Healthy Eating, The Am I Hungry Rule
Filed Under Eating Healthy, Healthy Habits, Motivation | Leave a Comment
Last Monday, I started talking about the five rules I use for eating healthy food. I use these relatively simple rules because It’s just too difficult to keep up with all the guidelines, recommendations and plans for eating the perfectly balanced diet. You can drive yourself crazy and still not be 100% perfect. Today we look at rule #5, which I like to call the “Am I hungry rule?”. This particular rule is all mine although it’s based on a whole wide range of information that I picked up while I was researching good health and eating habits.
By the way, you may have noted that I’m not exactly following a sequential order in discussing these rules; I started with rule #2, followed by #4, then 3 and now I’m jumping to rule #5. That’s for two reasons, one because I want to emphasize that none of these rules is more important than the other. Also, I picked each rule because it was appropriate to the day I was writing it. Today is Friday, the perfect day to talk about eating when you’re not hungry.
What Is The Am I Hungry Rule?
One of my biggest problems in controlling my eating was eating for reasons other than hunger. I would eat when I was stressed as a way of calming down. If I had a bad day at work I would think of that whole tub of ice cream as a justified way of rewarding myself and cheering myself up. Of course, the realization of how much I ate would just make me more depressed but that’s a whole other story. I would also eat as an excuse to avoid doing other things. For example, if there was something I really needed to do but didn’t want to start, I would go to the kitchen and look for things to eat. The act of eating took time as did the eating itself and by the time I was done it was too late to start the thing I needed doing. So yay for me, I avoided something unpleasant. Finally, I would find myself eating for social reasons. For example, friends wanted to go out and eat so I would go with them and order food even if I wasn’t hungry.
These days, I have the “am I hungry” rule. Basically, if I’m thinking about eating or if I find myself about to grab something to eat I pause and ask myself if I’m really hungry. I take a minute or two to think about what I’m doing and why. Quite frequently I find that I’m not really hungry and that I’m about to eat for the wrong reasons. In that case I put the food down and go on with my daily business. If I really am hungry then I eat and I don’t feel guilty about it.
One other aspect of the “am I hungry” rule is stopping eating when you’re no longer hungry. Again, I used to eat way past the point at which I was full. I would feel stuffed and bloated but I still kept eating. These days I eat slower and I stop eating when I’m no longer hungry.
Advanced Applications
Are you at a restaurant? Is it the kind of place that serves huge portions? Why not ask for a to go box before you even start eating. Put half the food away and then start eating. It will stop you from cleaning your plate and eating too much.
Is your restaurant the kind with a bottomless dish of chips? Just say no and have them take it away. No one can refuse chips or those bowls of bread for long. No matter how strong your will power is you’ll eventually find yourself munching away without really thinking about it.
Make food a little less convenient. We all have those open bags of chips or bowls of cookies sitting around the house. Why not prevent the temptation to mindlessly eat and put them out of sight. Trust me, you’ll find them when you’re hungry.
Why not write down what you feel when you eat? Keeping a food journal doesn’t have to be just about calories, it can also be about feelings and mindsets. That will help you identify the reasons why you eat when you’re not hungry and possibly avoid them in the future.
Clarifications to the Am I Hungry Rule
There are really no clarifications to this one. It’s pretty simple to understand.
Why Use the Am I Hungry Rule?
Because mindless eating adds a lot of pointless calories to our diets. The typical mindless snack like chips, cookies and bread is full of calories and very unhealthy. I suppose if your mindless snacks is carrot sticks it wouldn’t be so bad.
But I Like Eating!
Well, so do I. In fact, I love eating, but I love other things more. I love my wife and I want to spend many happy and healthy years with her. I love hiking and I want to climb to the top of Half Dome next year. I love scuba diving and I want to see the great barrier reef in Australia. There are many things I love and I’m willing to sacrifice a little mindless eating if it means I get to do those things.
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It wasn’t my meals that killed my diet, it was the silly stuff I ate when I wasn’t hungry. It was the chocolate bar I had when I wanted to avoid work. Learn from my mistake and stop mindless eating. Eat when you’re hungry and stop eating when you’re full.
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May
28
Rule #3 of Healthy Eating, The 1/2, 1/4, 1/4 Rule
Filed Under Eating Healthy, Healthy Habits, Nutrition | Leave a Comment
Last Monday, I started talking about the five rules I use for eating healthy food. I use these relatively simple rules because It’s just too difficult to keep up with all the guidelines, recommendations and plans for eating the perfectly balanced diet. You can drive yourself crazy and still not be 100% perfect.
Today we look at rule #3, which I like to call, the 1/2, 1/4, 1/4 rule. This particular rule was inspired by a podcast I downloaded off of iTunes a while back. I believe it was Fitnessrocks but I might be mistaken. Either way, my thanks to the authors for a brilliant idea.
By the way, you may have noted that I’m not exactly following a sequential order in discussing these rules; I started with rule #2, followed by #4 and now I’m jumping to rule #3. That’s for two reasons, one because I want to emphasize that none of these rules is more important than the other. Also, I picked each rule because it was appropriate to the day I was writing it. Today is Wednesday and I am working from home while trying to get over a cold. So when I prepare my meal today, this rule will come in handy.
What Is The 1/2, 1/4, 1/4 Rule?
One of the first things I did when I started eating healthy was attempt to eat a balanced diet. You know the one I’m referring to. It’s where you eat 5 servings of vegetables and fruits, 3 servings of grain, 2 of dairy and 1 of meat. Wait, is that right? I think it might actually be 4 servings of vegetables and 4 servings of grain. No wait, that sounds wrong too.
As you can see, my memory isn’t the best and I was never able to remember just how much of anything I should be eating. Even worse, I could never figure out what a “serving” was. Was a serving one vegetable like a tomato? What about spinach? How much spinach is a serving? And what is a serving of dairy products? Is it one slice of cheese or one cup of milk or…
Yah, it didn’t go well. So that’s when I heard of the 1/2, 1/4, 1/4 rule. It’s pretty simple. When you put food on your plate, it should go in the following proportions:
- 1/2 should be fiber rich, water rich vegetables. These are things like leafy greens such as spinach or green onions but they can also be things like tomatoes, carrot, cucumbers and other water rich plants. These are NOT fried vegetables like tempura or very starchy vegetables like potatoes.
- 1/4 is starchy, more energy rich plants like potatoes, squashes, grains or legumes.
- 1/4 is protein like lean meat, tofu or dairy products.
That’s it. Make your food in those proportions and you’ll usually have a relatively balanced meal.
Advanced Applications
This rule also applies to meals that aren’t served on a plate. For example, when you’re making a sandwich, if the bread is half your meal, you aren’t following the 1/2, 1/4, 1/4 rule.
Sauces, especially creamy ones, will break the rule. You can fill half your plate with fiber and water rich vegetables but if you cover them in creamy ranch you may as well not eat them. The whole point of the rule is to make sure a good portion of your food is energy poor material like vegetables.
Clarifications to the 1/2, 1/4, 1/4 Rule
Can you balance your food intake this way over a whole day? Sure. For example, for lunch your food is all water rich, fiber rich vegetables while for dinner you eat more protein. It’s not as healthy, mainly because it’s harder to keep track of, but it’s certainly possible.
Why Use the 1/2, 1/4, 1/4 Rule Rule?
Because it’s a quick and easy way to get a balanced meal.
But I Don’t Like Vegetables!
That’s probably because you were raised on the classic American diet where vegetables mean some steamed broccoli that you were forced to eat as a child or a green salad made up of nothing but lettuce. Vegetables can actually be extremely tasty. Try a steamed zucchini as an add on to your dinner, or how about a finely chopped salad of onions, bell peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers? There are a ton of healthy and tasty vegetable recipes out there. Why not give them a try?
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I have no desire to spend my meal times figuring out how much I need to eat of every specific food group. It’s frustrating, overly complex and almost impossible to follow. I would much rather follow something simple like this 1/2, 1/4, 1/4 rule. It’s easy, quick and over time, leads to a very balanced diet.
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May
26
Rule #4 of Healthy Eating, the 20 Minute Rule
Filed Under Eating Healthy, Healthy Habits, Nutrition | 1 Comment
Last Monday, I started talking about the five rules I use for eating healthy food. I use these relatively simple rules because It’s just too difficult to keep up with all the guidelines, recommendations and plans for eating the perfectly balanced diet. You can drive yourself crazy and still not be 100% perfect.
Today we look at rule #4, which I like to call, the 20 minute rule which is based in large part on my own experience.
By the way, you may have noted that I’m not exactly following a sequential order in discussing these rules; I started with rule #2 and now I’m jumping to rule #4. That’s for two reasons, one because I want to emphasize that none of these rules is more important than the other. Also, I picked each rule because it was appropriate to the day I was writing it. Today is memorial day in the US, a day when many of us BBQ and eat enormous quantities of food. So I thought that taking a moment to appreciate that food would be good.
What Is The 20 Minute Rule?
When I was growing up, I always ate my food as fast as I could. I did because I always had other things I wanted to do and so eating fast saved time. I also did it because I liked eating and eating fast allowed me to eat more. Finally, I did it because my dad did it and I looked up to him and wanted to be like him. That habit stayed with me into adulthood. I would eat fast enough to finish my food before everyone at the table had even been served. In fact, my friends still repeat a rather amusing story where the waitress for our table almost brought me out an unintended second helping because I had finished my food and had the dishes removed before she had brought everyone’s food out.
Then came my little health meltdown. A lot of research later, I found out that eating fast is one of the worst mistakes you can make. It’s right up there with not getting enough sleep or not eating a healthy breakfast. So now I follow a different rule. I try to eat a bit of food and make it last at least 20 minutes. If it didn’t last 20 minutes then I make myself wait until the whole 20 minutes are up before I even think about taking seconds. I also eat slower, trying to savor the sensation and the flavors a bit more.
Advanced Applications
Do you typically wolf down your sandwich in less than 4 bites? Do you ever find yourself eating without chewing? Yep, that was me a few years ago, and while I still occasionally backslide, I am actively trying to avoid those habits. Take small bites of your food and chew them thoroughly. Savor the sensation of eating by eating 1 sandwich over 20 minutes instead of 2 sandwiches over 10 minutes.
How many of you use chopsticks? If you’re a fast eater like I used to be, you probably don’t. Chopsticks are not the most efficient way of eating, especially if you’re not used to them. Which is a perfect reason to use them. Next time you’re at an Asian restaurant, use the chop sticks. They’ll slow you down and make you focus on your food. I know that this has been an effective way for me to eat less.
Do you go to a buffet and fill up a huge plate? Yep, that’s exactly what I used to do because I wanted to get back to table and eat up all that food without any interruptions. Well, start thinking smaller. Take a small plate, fill it up just a little and then go back to your table. Eat that food, take a small break and then see if you’re still hungry enough to go back. That break between small plates is a great way to slow down. By the way, that’s a great tip for those of you BBQing today. Don’t fill up your plate with those three hamburgers, two hot dogs and a pile of chips. Take ONE of those things, have a seat, eat it slowly and then see if you’re still hungry enough to another run at the BBQ.
Bring a friend and talk during the meal. Talking forces us to stop eating (unless you like to talk with your mouth full which is just wrong!) So bring someone with you to meals and carry on a conversation while you eat. You’ll find yourself taking a much longer time to eat and eating far less.
Clarifications to the 20 Minute Rule
Is it always 20 minutes? What if I’m eating a steak vs. a small amount of peanuts? Should both last 20 minutes? No, of course not. The amount you eat will determine the time it takes. However, 20 minutes is a good basic guideline because that’s how long it takes for your brain to notice that you’re eating and full. So waiting 20 minutes between portions is a good way for you to ask your brain “hey, have you caught up yet? Are we still hungry and should get a bit more or are we full and done?” If you want to make it 60 minutes, go for it.
Why Use the 20 Minute Rule?
Because eating too fast leads to eating too much. The two are very closely linked.
But I Don’t Have Time To Eat Slow!
Yes you do. You’ll be spending the same amount of time you are now, you just won’t eat as much. Trust me, I looked at my eating habits and I still spend the same amount of time that I did when I ate faster, I just eat less. And hey, if you’re a real efficiency devotee, maybe you can do some work between those small portions. It’s a better use of your time than scarfing down more food as fast as you can manage it.
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I love food and yet I would eat it so fat that I never really savored or enjoyed it. Stop rushing yourself and enjoy your mealtimes. You’ll end up spending just as much time but you’ll eat less and yet enjoy the food more.
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May
21
Rule #2 of Healthy Eating, The 100 Year Test
Filed Under Editorial, Healthy Habits, Nutrition | 1 Comment
On Monday, I started talking about the five rules I use for eating healthy food. I use these relatively simple rules because It’s just too difficult to keep up with all the guidelines, recommendations and plans for eating the perfectly balanced diet. You can drive yourself crazy and still not be 100% perfect.
Today we look at rule #2, which I like to call, the 100 year rule. This is based in large part on one of Michael Pollan’s recommendation which I’ve taken and modified slightly.
What Is the 100 Year Rule?
If you were to take the food you’re about to eat and show it to someone who lived in the 19th century, would they recognize it? Would they believe you when you said it was food or would they look at you like a crazy person? If what you’re about to eat makes a 19th century person quiver in fear, run away screaming or shake his or her head in disbelief, you probably shouldn’t be eating it.
Advanced Applications
Does the food seem like something that would have been eaten in the 19th century but was prepared in some really odd way? For example, Twinkies seem like sponge cake which would probably seem normal to someone from a 100 years ago. However, if you ever watched how twinkies are made, I think you would agree with me that they simply aren’t food.
Does the food contain ingredients you don’t recognize? Take a look at that ingredient list. Are there more than five chemicals in there that have long scientific names? Is there at least one ingredient in the top five that’s nothing more than a long chemical formula? Perhaps you should put that food down then.
Was it raised in a completely unnatural way? No cow was born to live in a 6′ by 3′ pen, pumped with antibiotics every day and fed corn, grain and pieces of other cows. Sorry, that’s just not natural. You may want to remember that the next time you think about ordering a steak. Feel free to eat meat but try to make sure it was raised the way meat should be raised and not the way some factory finds it most efficient to raise.
Clarifications to the 100 Year Rule
Is it a 100 years from when I was born? I suppose. Mainly you’re trying to answer the question of “would someone who lived in a time before massive food processing and chemical engineering have recognized this food?” To me, that’s the 19th century and about 100 years ago. Your time line may vary.
Do I need to base it on the country I was born in? Not really. For example, if I showed sushi to someone who was born in my homeland 100 years ago, they would think I was crazy for eating raw fish. However, people in Japan would think I was fine. As long as someone from a preindustrial society somewhere would agree with you that this is food, you’re probably fine.
Why Use the 100 Year Rule?
Because processed food sucks. We put too many chemicals into our food, too much crap that really belongs nowhere near our bodies.
Are You Saying This Because You’re Some Kind of Anti Technology, Anti Progress Fanatic?
Not at all. At no point in my life did I wish I could live back in the days before modern medicine, modern standards of living, modern rule of law and modern technology. Heck, this blog should be sufficient evidence that I like modern technology. However, I do think we’ve gone overboard in the things we do to our food. I love that I can fly around the world. I love that I can instantly communicate with people thousands of miles away. I love that we no longer lose 1 out of every three children to disease or starvation. I don’t love the fact that my food contains more chemicals than a toxic waste dump, more antibiotics than a hospital ward and was prepared using the same process that’s reserved for refining gasoline.
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There are some things that technology does well and some things it does not. Technology can give us better food, I firmly believe that. I also believe that mass production, industrial processing and chemical cocktails are meant to give the food companies a better profit margin and have nothing to do with quality of food.
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May
14
Ready For Your Workout?
Filed Under Exercise, Healthy Habits, Work Out | Leave a Comment
Maybe you read 60 in 3 in the morning, right before you head to work. Maybe you read it in the evening before you go to sleep. You might even read 60 in 3 during the day, while you’re at work. Whenever you read this article, it’s still a good time for your ten minute workout. Yes, that’s right, you’re going to get up and workout regardless of time of day and where you are.
Lunges - Start with the lunge, one of the best exercises ever invented. If you don’t know what a lunge is, click on the link and you’ll get instructions complete with a video courtesy of Cooper’s guns. One note, we’re not going to be going as fast as the guy in the video. We’re going for a 5 by 5 rep. That means it takes you 5 seconds to go down and another 5 seconds to come back up. So while the guy in the video takes about 2 seconds to complete a lunge, you’re going to take 10 seconds.
Deadlifts - We’re going to follow the lunge with the deadlift. Again, click on the link if you don’t know what that is. Unlike the video, we’re going to do this with no weights. We’re also going to use the 5 by 5 rule again. So stand up and then slowly bend at the waist for 5 seconds until your fingers dangle down and hopefully touch the ground. If you can’t touch the ground, that’s fine, just try. Then take 5 seconds to straighten back up.
Leaning Press - Keep going with the press. Now the video shows a man lying on the ground doing these. We’re not going to do that. This is supposed to be a workout you can do anywhere and lying down at work is probably not acceptable. So instead of a lying press we’re going to do a leaning press. All you need to do is lean forward against a wall and then press yourself back into an upright position. Again, take 5 seconds to go forward and 5 seconds to push yourself back up.
Trunk Twist - Now lets work out that core for a minute with the trunk twist. It’s a very simple exercise as you can see from the video, and when you slow it down with the 5 by 5 rule, it becomes even more effective. Make sure you have some room around you since you don’t want to hit anything as you swing those arms; trust me, I’m talking from experience 
Squats - And we’re going to finish it up with the squats. From a standing position start bending your knees until you reach a squatting position. Now stand up. Rinse and repeat using the 5 by 5 rule to make sure you slow it down.
A Note On Weights
This is supposed to be a quick workout that you can do anywhere. It’s halfway between a workout and a warmup routine and isn’t supposed to be very challenging. It’s just supposed to get you up off your butt and doing something physical. However, if you want to increase the difficulty a bit, feel free to hold something in your hands while doing this. I just did this routine while holding my laptop in my hands.\
Medical Disclaimer
Again, I’m not a doctor, nor do I know your specific medical issues. If you have some kind of problem, don’t be silly and attempt this workout. For example, if you have a serious back issue, don’t do the deadlift just because “that guy on 60 in 3 told me to do it!” Know your body’s limitations and check with a doctor before you do something dumb.
Time
5 exercise, 10 reps each at 10 seconds per rep. That’s less than 10 minutes. If you’re at work then think of it as a break that will make you more productive. If you’re at home, think of it as something a bit more productive than catching up on that last episode of American Idol or checking out new pictures on cuteoverload.com.
Not A Workout Substitute
Again, this is supposed to be a simple workout / warmup. It’s not a substitute for a real workout. This is something you do in addition to a regular workout.
Repeat
Don’t just do this once. You need to keep active all through the day and if you have a desk job like me then you should do something like this at least once every two to three hours. So bookmark this page and then come back to it every two to three hours. Make this a habit.
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Our bodies were designed with regular physical activity in mind. They are not meant for sitting behind a desk for 8 hours. Make sure you break up that monotony with a quick workout.
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Mar
19
Healthy Dinner Choices, Burgers and a Salad
Filed Under Eating Healthy, Healthy Habits, Healthy Meal Ideas | 4 Comments
A few days ago I went out to dinner with some friends. We went to a local pub where the fare consisted of burgers, sandwiches and fries. One of my friends ordered a burger and, to make things a bit healthier, he ordered the side salad instead of fries. Unfortunately, this didn’t make his meal very healthy. The burger consisted of a patty, a large sesame seed bun and lots of dressing. The salad was mostly lettuce with a few croutons and cherry tomatoes and a whole lot more dressing. End result, over a thousand calories, lots of bad fat and carbs and very few good nutrients.
So yesterday, while cooking dinner for my wife and myself, I decided to see if I could take that theme of burger and salad and make it a bit healthier.
Note - I went non vegeterian for this meal. Yes, I do on rare occasions eat meat.
The Ingredients
- 2 buffalo burger patties. These are available at most supermarkets. We bought ours from Trader Joe’s.
- 1 large orange bell pepper (can also use the green variety but I like the taste of the yellow and orange types).
- 2 large tomatoes.
- 1 medium sized avocado.
- 1/2 large cucumber.
- Garlic pepper. You can find this in most supermarkets in the spice area.
Preparation
Salad - Take the tomato, cucumber, avocado and pepper and chop them up into small pieces. By small I mean no larger than a 1/4 inch. Add a bit of garlic pepper and mix throughly.
Burgers - Lay them out on the BBQ, sprinkle with a bit of garlic pepper and let them sit for about 5 minutes on a high flame. After 5 minutes turn over, sprinkle a bit more garlic pepper and let them sit for another 5 minutes. We like our burger medium done. If you them more or less well done feel free to adjust the time on the grill. I use a small, gas powered grill on our balcony. If you don’t have access to that, broiling in an oven is just as good.
That’s it. Take your burgers and your salad and enjoy.
Total Preparation Time
From beginning to end, this took about 20 minutes. Most of that time was spent watching the burgers on the BBQ.
Total Cost
This dinner cost less than 10 dollars. the buffalo burger patties come in packages of 4 for around $8 dollars and we only used up 2. The vegetables were picked up at the local farmer’s market for about $5 total.
Calories
If you’re counting your calories, this meal had about 400 to 500 per person. The buffalo burger patties are relatively low in fat and only had 210 calories each. The vegetables, with the exception of the avocado, are also low in calories but we did eat a lot of it.
What Didn’t We Do?
Notice a few things that were different between that restaurant meal and our dinner.
- No bun - You don’t need a bun to have a good burger. In fact, I find that it detracts from the flavor. Buns are nothing more than refined carbs. Get rid of them.
- No dressing - Neither the burger nor the salad has a lot of creamy dressing. Even those light ranch and other fat free dressings are still packed full of junk you don’t need.
- Healthier meat - Choose meat options that are healthy. Processed beef is the opposite of healthy. The buffalo patties were relatively lean and unprocessed making them a good option.
- Healthy salad - I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, a few leaves of lettuce do not make a good salad. A salad should have good flavor and texture all on its own, without needing croûtons and dressing.
- No sodas - Neither of us decided to add hundreds of empty calories to our meal by tossing in a soda.
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It’s not that hard, expensive or time consuming to make a healthy dinner at home. If even I, the man who can burn water, can do it, so can you.
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Mar
12
Freeze Those Calories Off
Filed Under Healthy Habits, Money | 1 Comment
In the last post, I talked about sauna’s and how they make a poor weightloss solution. Overheating yourself doesn’t do much for your metabolism. All it creates is temporary weight loss through sweat. However, what about the opposite effect? Can we cool ourselves down and burn a few calories? Sounds a bit counter intuitive, how can we burn calories if we’re cold, but it actually works. Not only that, it’s one of those health tips that’s also good for your wallet, not to mention the environment. So let’s take a closer look.
How Do We Keep Warm?
Our bodies need to maintain a relatively stable temperature. We don’t like being too hot or too cold. In the case of overheating, we usually try to cool down by resting and / or sweating. However, what do our bodies do when our environment is cold? Simple, our burn calories in order to keep warm. It’s just like you throwing another log on the fire to keep warm during a cool winter night. Our bodies version of firewood is calories, and we use them up to keep those inner fires burning.
So How Do We Use This?
Simple. Whatever temperature you keep your house at, turn it down by two or three degrees. Don’t go overboard, I don’t want you getting frostbite in your own home. I also don’t want you uncomfortable and miserable. However, a small two or three degree change is almost unnoticeable by most people. Your body however will notice it and will burn more calories to keep warm. Your wallet will also notice it since heating costs tend to add up rather quickly.
Should We Keep Gyms Cold?
On a related note, someone recently asked me if working out in a cold gym was also better for burning calories. Well, not really. When you exercise, your body creates a lot of heat. So you’re going to burn a lot of calories regardless of the temperature of the gym. However, a gym which is slightly colder will help you get better performance since you lower the risk of overheating. Your body will have an easier time dumping excess heat in a cooler environment which means you’ll be able to exercise longer and harder. This is also why you shouldn’t overexercise on warm days.
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Lowering the thermostat won’t make you thin overnight. However, it can help burn an additional 20 to 30 calories a day. That’s an extra 2 to 3lbs over the span of a year. That’s not bad for an effortless and money saving change.
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