Overcoming Overeating - Part II

Experts say there are things you can do to make yourself more likely to stop eating when you are comfortable. They include:

Eat slowly. This isn't a new concept; remember all those familiar dieting tips like "sip water between bites" and "chew thoroughly before swallowing"? These were all aimed at slowing us down when we eat.

Research led by Mark Gold, MD, at the University of Florida at Gainesville has shown it takes 12 or more minutes for food satisfaction signals to reach the brain of a thin person, but 20 or more minutes for an obese person (*). Eating slowly ensures that these important messages have time to reach the brain.

Be aware. "Be more attentive about the whole eating experience; don't eat when you are driving or at the computer or watching TV," advises Bacon.

When we're distracted or hurried the food (and calories) we eat tend not to register well in our brains. Jean Kristeller, PhD, a psychologist and Indiana State University researcher, suggests a brief premeal meditation to get centered before eating so you can more easily derive pleasure from your food, give the meal your full attention, and notice when you've had enough.

Make the first bites count. Bacon believes that maximum food enjoyment comes in the initial bites. "After a few bites, taste buds start to lose their sensitivity to the chemicals in food that make it taste good," she explains. Satisfying your taste buds by really savoring those first few bites may help you stop eating when you're physically comfortable.

Keep up appearances. Using a smaller plate and paying attention to the presentation of a meal can increase your awareness of the food in front of you and help you stop eating when you are comfortable. "The brain looks at the plate and decides if the portion is adequate," says Gold. "It takes some time, but the smaller the plate, the smaller the portion."

Choose satisfying foods. Steer away from foods that give you a lot of calories for very little volume, such as milk shakes, cheese, and chocolate, Gold recommends. The higher the fiber, protein, and/or water content of a food or meal, the more likely it is to be satisfying in your stomach without going overboard on calories.

(Concluded in next Post)
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(*) Jacques' notes:

In my S.L.I.M. For Life Trainings, I suggest that,if you are particularly enjoying a dish (whether because it tastes soooo gooood that your taste buds are reaching climaxes :o)...or you were starving and "can't get enough")...once you have finished that plateful, instead of anxiously rushing to the pot or pan to refill and load up seconds...
...WAIT 20 or more minutes before so doing!

Find something, anything to distract you, something mundane to occupy your attention...and BE SURE NOT to think of, or obsess about that second plateful while you do it....

Then, if after 20-30 minutes, you truly still experience the yearning for that second serving: Go For It!...Enjoy...Savor...and guiltlessly satisfy your desire!

Of course, S.L.I.M. For Life participants benefit from melting away excess calories, weight and fats by practicing daily our amazing Modulations...It's like doing "The Biggest Loser" heavy duty exercises, but without the physical strain: strictly letting your Subconscious brain take care of the dynamics...Super-charging the metabolism while depressing the hunger cravings/pleasure centers...

Best always,

Jacques

How to Stop Overeating

Try these tips for getting more satisfaction from fewer calories.
By Elaine Magee, RD
WebMD Weight Loss Clinic-Feature Reviewed by Louise Chang,MD

Babies are born knowing to eat when they are hungry, and stop when they are comfortable. But as we grow up and are exposed to fad diets, advertising, food used as a reward, etc., many of us unlearn this beautifully balanced way of eating and begin to overeat.

Yet eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are comfortable is one of the keys to healthy eating and living, says Linda Bacon, PhD, nutrition professor at the City College of San Francisco.

Much has been written on the "eating when you're hungry" side of this equation. But how do you learn to stop when you're comfortable if you've lost touch with this over the years?

(To Be Continued)
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Jacques' Notes:

The last paragraph above echoes my own views on the subject, which I also incorporate in my Weight Management Trainings.

To go one step further, the same principle applies to drinking. Especially that old adage of "Eight glasses of water daily", which I have seldom, if ever, adhered to. Instead, I drink when I'm thirsty and stop when thirst is gone.

Recently, it was found that my instincts about food and drink have served me well. And anyone else who has learned to listen to their "Inner Voice" and stick to its dictates, realizing that it guides us with wisdom straight from our Higher Self.

What I am referring to is a scientific "discovery" and reversal of the above mentioned prior "Eight glasses" Rule. For it was overwhelmingly found that water, if drunk in quantities that exceed one's craving for it has been shown to be toxic. Especially in individuals whose kidneys were not naturally equipped to process large amounts of water or other liquids.

The Physician who reported this shocking news on NBC-TV's "Today" Show presented it with humor, when she said: "An amazing discovery has just been made: it is called "THIRST"...and the safest way to handle it is to satisfy it whenever we become aware of it, then, STOP drinking as soon as it STOPS nagging."

Lastly and Most Importantly, I ask you to join me in Honoring, Supporting and Thanking All our men and women in uniform, past and present, on this, THEIR Day!

Hope you're enjoying a fine weekend! SHALOM!

Your Friend,

Jacques

Destiny, Fate, Faith and Choice

Ever since the earliest times of recorded human history , the transitions from darkness into the dawn of civilization created a godless type of religious fervor, later called superstition.

Spread by word-of-mouth by the naïve and the ignorant, then by star worshipers, astrology and pre-destiny were born.

Countless generations have come and gone. Fanatical fears, doubts, worries, uncertainties validated “fate”…especially after man created God in his own image, to whom to speak, to question, to blame, to ask for favors and miracles.

This event made it simple to shrug personal responsibilities and shift blame…Something “bad” happens: “it was fated!…God’s will!... destiny!”…not to be questioned, resisted or countered with one’s own dynamic actions…

Then, with the advent of psychology, parapsychology, self-hypnosis, New Age thinking…:”choice” was born.

Wise sayings like “God helps those who help themselves”, Positive Thinking, the right and duty to make one’s own choices for one’s own life... and more controversial concepts steadily exposed traditional beliefs to more revolutionary ones.

Gradually superimposing seemingly daring behavioral trends emerged. Such as the individuals’ ability to decide for themselves the direction of the desired or preferred pathways to independently follow if they are to improve their own future and the quality of their life… Choice.

This attitude involves and requires the need to make changes. As I touched on in a recent post, “Change” can be a scary, difficult process which renders the doer uncomfortable and stressed. This is essentially psychological..emotional.

For, especially to the ultra-religious, the fanatical, superstitious, fearful of repercussions and all sorts of punishments from Above, this sort of gutsy behavior resembles sacrilegious offenses . Their minds become somewhat confused, angry, resentful towards those they accuse of being disrespectful sinners...unfaithful and disloyal to God.

During my Seminars Trainings, I always mention that , as a scientist, the more I study the physiology of the human brain, the more I believe that God, by whatever denomination, placed a seed of Him/Her/ItSelf into each and every human Subconscious brain, to do with exactly what the possessor desires, decides and chooses. Positive or egative...to build up or destruct...to attract healing or death...

Rather than this being an affront to God (Who/What ever He/She/It Is or may be, if any), I view my Self-Hypnosis system ("Modulations"), which involves chosing, deciding and dynamically causing desired actions to materialize, as being the strongest possible acknowledgement of Faith and Respect for the Superior Power.

What better way to confirm and prove His/Her/Its existence than make that seed manifest its powers through our enthusiastic use of it?

Far more sincere and effective than passively sitting in a Church, Temple or Synagogue, merely mouthing written, repetitious orations, more often than not mis/ununderstood by the orationers.

For, to dare utilizing my unorthodox method of acknowledging and revering a Higher Power is often rebuked by narrow-minded, bigoted classes of fundamentalists. So what?, I say.

All that matters is that this Inner “God-Power” Works…every time it is called upon with intense determination. The results of which benefits or hurts us, depending on what it is we choose to think, say or do. This does not imply that we ARE Gods... rather that we ARE equipped with many powers and divine abilities with which "to help ourSelves", as in "God Helps those who...".


The latter was recently demonstrated in my own case, I humbly brag. I am referring to the "miracle' assisted by my way to "pray" dynamically by addressing my "Inner God", which I do by practicing my "Modulations". The details of which were shared in previous posts relating to my colon cancer operation and its aftermath, just a couple of months ago.

This reduces the ancient (and ongoing traditional beliefs in) Fate and (pre)Destiny to CHOICE…

So sayeth Your Friend, who asks you to choose having a Great weekend!

Jacques

Conclusion: Fight Fattening Foods

Follow these tips to help you enjoy fall’s harvest without the extra calories:

Rule No. 1 is to try enjoying the autumn harvest simply prepared, without lots of extra fat and sugar. A roasted sweet potato is so delicious it really needs nothing, so skip the butter, brown sugar, nuts, and marshmallows.

Get moving. Do some push-ups, sit-ups, or jumping jacks during halftime or commercials. Better yet, watch the game while you pedal on your stationary bike. "Stay active and be consistent with your routine, or try to get 10,000 steps each day," suggests Farrell. "Use your lunch time to add steps."

Don’t keep tempting food out. Put those candy bowls out of sight, and serve the tailgate buffet at halftime, with nutritious nibbles like veggies and low-fat dip to hold you over until then.

Decide how many alcoholic drinks you are going to have before the fall outing, then alternate them with nonalcoholic beverages. One 12-ounce regular beer has 150 calories; make it a light one and you'll trim 40 calories.

Be aware of the amount of food you're eating. Check your portion sizes and compare to the nutrition information on the recipe or package. It is easy to eat two to three times as much as the normal portion size.

Eat mindfully by paying attention to the food on your plate, eliminating distractions like the television and chewing slowing to enjoy each mouthful and allowing your brain time to get the signal that you are full.

Use low-fat cooking techniques and substitutions to help trim calories without compromising flavors. "You can enjoy comfort foods, but you have to do so in moderation and try to lighten recipes so they are not overloaded with fat and calories," says Farrell.
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Voila! Another WebMD contribution shared with you as a 3-part reminder of balanced alimentary and physical activities for the upcoming Holidays, parties where food abounds, "All-You-Can-Eat" Buffet Restaurants, and like human troughs...to help keep
you from future guilt trips and stressful efforts to take it all off (again) afterwards...:o)

Of course, there is that simple remedy to all these sorts of neurotic yo-yo-isms.
If you truly want to learn what it is and how it works...contact me! :o)

All the Best!

Jacques

9 Frighteningly Fattening Fall Foods (Cont'd.)

The Most Fattening Foods of Fall

So what exactly are the diet-spoilers to watch out for this season? Here are nine fall foods that can really pack a caloric punch:

Halloween candy.

Long before Halloween arrives, bowls of fun-size candy bars are all over the office. And then there are those tempting bags stashed in the back of the pantry. "When 3 p.m. rolls around, it is easy to get enticed by those bite-size candies. But one usually turns into more, and before you know it, you have eaten the equivalent of a full-size candy bar," says Gidus.

Her advice: Stash sweets out of sight, and be prepared to satisfy your midday hunger pangs with something more nutritious. If you must have something sweet, chew a piece of sugarless gum.

Cream soups and hearty stews.

Cream of baked potato and broccoli cheese soups and beef stroganoff may seem like perfect fall foods, but beware. "Warm soups and stews feel so nutritious, but if they are loaded with cream, cheese, or meat, they are also loaded with calories," says Farrell. "Serving them in a bread bowl, atop rice, or noodles, or dunking big portions of bread into them can put even healthy soups or stews over the top, in terms of calories," she says.

So avoid these options, and be sure to choose broth and vegetable based soups and stews to fill you up for fewer calories.

Root vegetables.

While many are super-nutritious, root vegetables can quadruple in calories when you cream them, fry them, or mix them with cheese, cream, butter, canned soups, or crispy bacon. A sweet potato casserole can easily have 500 calories per serving -- 400 more than a simple roasted sweet potato. Shave calories by eating root veggies oven-roasted or grilled. If you just can’t pass on the mashed potatoes, skip the gravy and keep the portion to 1/2 cup.

Seasonal beverages.

Hot toddies may keep you warm at night, but these hot drinks, along with hot chocolate, pumpkin-spice lattes, eggnog, and apple cider are a quick and easy way to take in lots of extra calories. A 16-oz. Starbuck’s pumpkin spice latte with 2% milk and whipped cream packs 380 calories, while the same size caramel apple cider has 410 calories. "Be careful with hot, cold, or alcoholic beverages because they are additional calories and don’t affect how much you eat," says Farrell.

One regular 12-ounce beer has 150 calories, and you can multiply that by however many you drink. So try a hot cup of green or flavored tea, rich with antioxidants and calorie-free. When you choose to drink alcohol, opt for light beer or wine spritzers, and limit yourself to one or two.

Apples dipped in caramel.

An afternoon snack of apples with a thick layer of caramel and coated with nuts can total more than 500 calories, says Gidus. Enjoy crisp apple slices with a small container of low-fat caramel dip (McDonald’s version has 70 calories) for the same great taste with a fraction of the fat and calories.

Apple, pecan, and sweet potato pies.

These fall favorites start with healthy ingredients such as heart-healthy nuts or antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables -- but they also include high-calorie ingredients. "Rich, buttery pie crusts, sweet fillings, and the customary whipped cream or ice cream topping make these pies decadent and full of calories," says Farrell. Skip the crust, add a dollop of light whipped topping, and serve yourself only a sliver to enjoy these yummy desserts without lots of extra calories.

Stuffing.

There are so many versions of stuffing, most containing high-fat ingredients such as sausage and butter. And the calories keep coming when the stuffing is served with a ladle or two of gravy. "You can make a low-fat stuffing using fruits, vegetables, and stock, but you still need to keep the portion small and try to avoid smothering it in gravy," says Gidus.

Macaroni and cheese.

It's an all-time favorite comfort food for both kids and adults, but it can wreak havoc with your diet. At Boston Market, a 7.8 ounce serving of mac and cheese has 320 calories. To make it worse, many recipes call for extra ingredients such as high-fat meats or sausage. "Modify the recipe by using a low-fat cheese, low-fat milk and add in some veggies instead of meat to improve the nutritional profile and still taste great," says Liz Weiss, author of The Mom’s Guide to Meal Makeovers.

Pumpkin desserts.

Pumpkin layer cake, cheesecake, bread pudding -- there are so many ways to take the vitamin A-rich pumpkin and turn it into a decadently rich dessert. "Be careful, because if you add tons of cream and sugar, you negate the health benefits of pumpkin," says Gidus. "Instead, she says, "lighten the other ingredients, try a crustless, low-fat pumpkin custard or low-fat pumpkin muffins, so you can enjoy the pumpkin without sabotaging your waistline."

Jacques' remark: All this talk about dos and don'ts made me hungry...so, I'll just stop now and go eat something yummy! :o)

(Concluded in next Post) Ciao!

Frighteningly Fattening Fall Foods

Avoiding these rich fall favorites can help you make it to Thanksgiving without gaining a pound.
By Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD
WebMD FeatureReviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Summer is the season for fresh fruits and vegetables, but when the temperature starts to dip, many of us turn to rich fall foods perfect for football games, hayrides, cozy fireside meals, and, if we aren’t careful, weight gain.

All it takes is an extra 100 calories per day to pack on 10 pounds a year. Year after year, the weight adds up and gets harder to lose. While it's true that cooler weather lets us hide under layers of clothing, the best strategy for your health is to avoid this weight creep altogether, experts say.

"There is no time like the present to tighten the belt and get ready for the holidays, when there are food, temptations and parties galore," says Suzanne Farrell, RD, owner of Cherry Creek Nutrition. "It is only going to get worse as we get closer to the end of the year."

This doesn't mean you have to deprive yourself of all your fall favorites, but you do need to make a few simple changes, experts say. Here's a look at some of fall's most fattening foods, along with tips on how to avoid or improve them so you can make it to Thanksgiving without gaining a pound.

Fattening Fall Foods: From Healthy to Horrendous

Fall offers all kinds of delicious and nutritious foods, from apples to root vegetables, but we have a knack for taking healthy foods (think sweet potatoes) and making them decadently rich. When simmered in cream, baked in pie crust, sautéed in butter, or topped with cheese, these foods go from good to bad.

"Foods like apples, squash, nuts, and pumpkin are super nutritious, but the nutritional goodness is masked when you add lots of extra calories," says Tara Gidus, MS, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

And don’t forget those game-day favorites, served on a tailgate or in front of the television. If you're a typical sports fan, you could find yourself seated on the couch for hours at a time on college football Saturday, professional football Sunday, and again on Monday night. Not only is that a big chunk of time to be sitting, but you could easily devour a mountain of chips, nachos, hot dogs, pizza, wings, ribs, sausages, and let’s not forget the beer.

"Eating and drinking for hours at a time coupled with little physical activity is a perfect formula for weight gain," says Gidus.

Oktoberfest adds another opportunity to celebrate, with calorie-laden beer, sausages, and potato salads.

(To Be Continued in next Post)

Jacques
Source: WebMD,November 1, 2007.

Smoking and eating junk food could cost you your job

In an effort to reduce health care costs, employers are beginning to scrutinize the lifestyle habits of their employees -- even those that happen outside of business hours.

It’s commonplace for insurance companies to question clients about their smoking habits, weight, or other health issues. However, a new trend has employers screening employees and new job applicants for these same factors. The following factors could now put your job on the line:

1. Smoking
2. Blood pressure
3. Blood glucose levels
4. Body mass
5. Bad cholesterol levels

Currently only a small portion of U.S. employers have taken action against what they deem unhealthy behaviors, but the list is growing. For instance, in September 2007 The Cleveland Clinic began screening potential employees for nicotine. If any is found in their systems, they’re denied employment.

In 2009, another company, Clarian Health, plans to start charging employees $5 per paycheck if they are found using tobacco or to have abnormal levels of cholesterol or high blood pressure.

Meanwhile, employees at Weyco Incorporated can be charged $50 fees per paycheck not only if they smoke, but if their spouse smokes as well.

Privacy advocates are concerned that these monitoring trends will get out of hand, with employers charging fines for eating fast food or visiting a tavern. Most experts believe, however, that as health care costs continue to rise, employers will continue to enact penalties for unhealthy behaviors.

Sources:
The Business Shrink September 27, 2007
Reprinted, courtesy of Dr.Mercola: mercola.com