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| Monday, May 11, 2009 |
| The “Man” Diet |
Last week I talked about Why “Diets” Don’t Work, and I mentioned people trying to loose weight by not eating. I want to expand on that idea because it’s a common misconception.
First I want to illustrate the “Man Diet”, typical of working men who: don’t eat all day, don’t think they need to drink water because they drink coffee and don’t have time to eat because they’re just too busy…“I’m a man, I’ll eat later when I get home. I can function like this” they seem to say. You can be sure that as soon as they get home, they’ll start eating like a lion and continue eating all evening, because they “didn’t eat all day”. So all day, this poor body was deprived of food and water, the basic essentials for function, and then suddenly evening comes and it’s time to eat and digest all this food. The body has been functioning on reserves all day; it’s in a semi-dormant state and then all at once there’s this avalanche of food to digest, metabolize, absorb and eliminate. That’s a lot of work to do before going to bed!
Let’s take a typical 9 to 5 (or later in most cases) business man for example. This person comes to work, has his cup of coffee, chats with the cute secretaries and stops at his buddy’s cubicle to talk about last night’s game and how he would have done it differently. Leisurely he carries on with the next person about the new sports car that just came out and how he would love to bring it from 0 to 100 in 6 seconds. Next he goes into his office, checks his emails and makes a few phone calls. He is happy because it’s a calm day at the office. Then at 2:30 his boss calls him and asks if he is done with the “ABC Budget Project”. Come to find out, he didn’t get that email and now he has to prepare this budget in less than three hours, when it would usually take him a whole day to complete such a project. So frantically he prepares the documents, stressing out and worrying that it may not be complete and up to his usual level of professionalism. None the less he gets the job done. Not perfect, but done. Now he is totally exhausted and stressed out. As he’s driving home his stomach start to growl as he realizes he hasn’t eaten anything all day! Once he gets home he snacks on cheese and crackers until dinner is ready, eats a HUGE portion at dinner, and finishes off half a container of ice cream before bed.
Do you get the picture? This is exactly what happens to the body when people deprive themselves all day and stuff themselves at night before going to bed. On top of that, because the body has all this food to digest, it cannot rest. The night is made for the body to rest and repair. It can’t rest properly if it has to digest and metabolize all that food. So therefore, the body works hard all night, gets up tired, and is asked to be alert without providing what it needs to function properly.
This is extremely important. I have been in the business long enough to know that it makes a tremendous difference when people spread out their food intake throughout the day. It makes a difference in their weight, their stamina and their sleeping habits. I don’t really accept that other health professionals say that calorie distribution doesn’t have an impact on weight gain or loss. We are all allowed our own professional opinion depending on our experience and training and it also doesn’t make any sense that eating all at once is good for the body. Furthermore, imagine how difficult it is to keep blood sugar regulated throughout the day without eating every 4 to 5 hours? It’s just too stressful for the body. Just like with any other piece of machinery; no machine can be pushed at maximum performance without an appropriate energy source and maintenance.
If you’re tired, have aches and pains, have excess weight or cannot climb a set of stairs without being out of breath, that’s not “wellness”. We need to listen to our bodies. When it comes to eating, spread your intake out throughout the day and give your body the time it needs to send you the message that you are full. Eat slowly, chew your food properly and wait at least 20 minutes to have a second helping. After 20 minutes, you may realize that your mind wanted more turkey, but physically your stomach was full. Plus, you’re just watching television afterwards, so no big energy needs there.
So, do your body good. Provide what it needs to function properly, according to its demands. Eat breakfast and have healthy snacks between meals to stay focused and keep your energy up. Use common sense. If you’re going to play football or work in the yard, eat before. But if you’re going to watch the game on the couch, you don’t actually need a lot of food. Also, allow your body to rest better at night by making an effort to eat lighter and avoid fatty foods before bedtime as they take longer to digest. Pay attention to how you feel. I promise you will feel better in the morning after a lighter dinner and limited evening snacking. Try it!
Stay tuned.
- Josee
Labels: Diet, healthy eating, Josee, Weight Loss
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posted by My Sensei @ Monday, May 11, 2009   |
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