Perhaps you have seen the latest Coca-Cola ad campaign “Open Happiness.” The billboard that caught my eye had a kid drinking a Coca-Cola with a baseball bat over his shoulder. I thought, “That’s cute.” Then, “Really? A Coke is going to make me happy?” I can think of a lot of other things that will make me a lot happier (and not pack on the pounds).

Food and beverage companies make money when we buy and consume their products. The more we buy and consume, the more money they make. And, the larger we get.

It is important to be mindful of the advertising food and beverage companies use to get us to eat more. It is also important to be aware of how restaurants present food to get us to order more.

Brian Wansink writes about how restaurants get us to eat more in his book Mindless Eating. He makes the point that we also taste with our mind. If we think the food is going to taste good, that increases the chance that it will, and that we will eat more. One example he uses is from a restaurant that listed “spring-fresh medallions of well-mannered beef.” What is “well-mannered beef?” Actually, maybe I don’t want to know. . . .

Brian Wansink talks about  four basic themes for menu descriptions that trigger our expectations.

1. Geographic labels that remind us of where a food came from – Tex-Mex, Country Peach Tart, Kansas City Barbeque.
2. Nostalgic Labels that remind us of the past and trigger happy associations such as Grandma’s Cherry Pie, Legendary Chocolate Mousse Pie.
3. Sensory Labels that describe taste, smell, and mouthfeel such as Velvety Chocolate Mousse, Buttery Plum Pasta.
4. Brand labels that associate a brand we like with the restaurant’s food like Butterfinger Bilzzards and Jack Daniels Glazed Ribs.

This weekend and coming week I encourage you to be mindful of the food advertising you see. Really pay attention to it and how it may impact your purchasing and eating decisions. And, when you eat out, watch the descriptions.  How do the descriptions play in to what you order and how much you enjoy the food.

What are your favorite food ads and restaurant food descriptions?

Many of my clients and friends struggle with the “I know what to do, I just don’t do it” syndrome. We know we should eat “better.”  However, when the waiter brings the dessert menu, or we are bored at home and head for the pantry, we just cannot seem to stop ourselves. I’ll admit that I often deal with this issue, too (as do many of my fellow dietitians).

I encourage you to spend some time thinking about why you do not do what you know you should. Is it fear? Fear of failure? Fear of success? Fear of change? Fear of the unknown? Fear relationships will change? Is it a lack of knowledge? Do you not truly believe you deserve to achieve your goals?

Take a few minutes of quiet time and try to pinpoint the underlying reason. Yes, it is easy to order that dessert and the dessert is yummy. But, if eating that dessert undermines your weight loss or weight maintenance goals why are you doing that? If it is a one-time or occasional choice that is one thing. If it is sabotaging your efforts, that is when you need to determine the deeper why to the behavior.

Once you know the reason you do not do what you know you should, you can work on understanding and addressing the issue. If it is a fear of failure why are you afraid to fail? We learn a lot when we fail. And, I do not know one person who has always succeeded in everything they did. Failure IS an option. Failure is inevitable when we challenge ourselves.

If you have failed in the past, why? Take those reasons and learn from them. Was it a lack of planning? Lack of support from family? Really dig into it and determine what happened. Then take those as lessons learned and plan to succeed this time. Each time something goes wrong, or you feel like you failed, look at the situation and determine what you would do differently next time.

It may take some time to dig down and find the reason why you do not do the thinks you know you should. Do not stop with “dessert tastes good.” Ask yourself, “what else?” and “why do I feel the need to do that?”

Once you have the deeper, underlying reason, then you can begin to address it and you WILL reach your goals.

It seems like everyone is looking for a single reason why obesity is so rampant in the world. Sugar is one thing that a lot of people point to for why so many people are overweight and obese. I do agree that sugar is a problem, but the real issue is the sugar added to foods, not the sugar naturally in foods.

Athletes need carbohydrates to fuel their activity. Everyone needs carbohydrates to fuel their activity. Sugar = carbohydrates. There are different ways sugar gets into our food. That is where the problem lies.

Some foods have natural sugar – like fruit. Some people will limit fruit in their diet because it is high in sugar. I disagree with that because fruit, particularly fresh fruit, also has fiber, water, and a lot of antioxidants.

Where the problem lies in with sugar that is added into foods. Manufacturers add sugar into, it seems, everything.  One example is peanut butter. If you have peanut butter in your house, read the label. Is sugar there? I don’t think we need sugar in our peanut butter. I prefer natural peanut butter. The ingredients are nuts, salt (maybe), and oil. Any sugar? Nope! That is one reason people have a hard time switching to natural peanut butter – it is not sweet.

The amount of sugar we consume has been steadily rising since the 1950′s along with the rise in consumption of prepared and processed foods. Food manufacturers make more money when we eat more. Therefore, they have a financial incentive to get us to eat more. One way they do that is by adding sugar to foods because sugar is one of those things that drives us to eat more.

For the next few days, pay attention to how much sugar and sweet foods you consume. Are they from unprocessed foods like fruits, or from processed foods? Read the food labels and ingredient lists to see if there is hidden sugar. A lot of times we do not register the taste, but it is there. And, the ingredient list may not say sugar, but may say one of the following:  high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, fructose, glucose, dextrose, galactose, lactose, maltose, corn syrup.

How much sugar are you consuming?

One of the only TV shows I keep up with is “The Biggest Loser.” I do not agree with everything, but am also inspired by how the contestants transform not only physically, but mentally. In an episode a couple of weeks ago, the contestants went home for two weeks. When they returned to the ranch, one of the contestants said that she learned that saying “no”  to food and other things that would not move her towards her goal was really saying “yes” to herself and her success.

That statement struck me as profound. What a mind shift! That attitude can enable all of us to stay on track towards our goals. When you come across something or someone who will not move you forward, you can say “no.” And, that “no” will help you move forward and reach your goal. That “no” is really a “yes” to yourself and your goals.

Are there things that you can say “no” to that really are a “yes?” I encourage you to look for those things that do not move your forward – food, eating opportunities, and people. Practice saying “yes” to yourself and “no” to those things that do not help you. 

What kinds of things can you say “no” to that really are saying “yes” to yourself?

Michelle May who wrote Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat has a great weekly newsletter. She starts last week’s newsletter with the question “How many rice cakes does it take to satisfy a craving for chocolate?” The answer. . . .”Five rice cakes. 7 baby carrots. 4 celery sticks. One orange. A container of light yogurt. And a Snickers(R) bar.” This really made me laugh! How many times do we crave a “bad” food but cannot satisfy that craving until we have it? Chocolate is one of the worst for this. Nothing seems to satisfy a chocolate craving other than . . . chocolate.

Since today is Valentine’s day, I thought was perfect to talk about chocolate. Many people label chocolate as a “bad” food. Why is chocolate bad? Has it committed a crime? I can just hear the headlines. . . .”Today at 6PM. A chocolate bar went on a rampage and forced 20 people to take a bite of itself! At this point, the police are labeling these as assults, but we are still waiting to hear on final charges from the District Attorney. The bar was not easily subdued. One officer called it ‘a really bad bar.’”

Chocolate, and other foods, are not inherently “bad.” They are only bad if we over eat it. Using this definition, any food could be “bad.” Rather than labeling foods as good/bad, why not make a conscious choice to eat and enjoy foods. It is Valentine’s day – a day for love and chocolate. Why not choose a piece of chocolate that you really want and choose to eat it. But, don’t just eat it, enjoy it. Focus on how it looks, smells, feels in your mouth, and tastes – eat it mindfully. If you eat it mindfully, it will be much more satisfying than if you eat it mindlessly – like when you are reading, watching TV or working on your computer. If you’ve chosen to eat something, why not take the time to really enjoy it.

I hope you have a great day and choose to enjoy some special food today, this week, this month.

I have seen a bunch of people lately who are trying to lose weight or change their body composition. They have a number for how many calories they think they need to eat each day. They could have used an online calculator to get this number. They could have asked someone else how much they eat. Or, they could have just pulled it out of the air.

Each of our bodies has a certain number of calories that they need in order to function. Your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) is the amount of calories your body needs to perform all of its functions when you are at rest. This is the minimum number of calories your body needs each day. On top of RMR you add calories for other activities you do during the day including sitting at your desk working, walking around, and working out.

If you want to lose weight, you should consume fewer calories than you expend. . . within reason.  If you want to lose a pound a week, you should eat 500 calories less per day than you take in.

Remember, food is energy. There is a limit to the amount of calories that you reduce. If you reduce the calories too severely, your body will start conserving the food – and energy – that you give it through eating.  One of the ways this happens is when people consistently start eating less than their RMR. When this happens, your body goes into conservation mode. An example will help explain this concept. Sam has  an RMR or 1900 calories and a total of 2800 calories expended throughout the day.  He consumes 1500 calories per day. This means that on a daily basis, Sam has a deficit of 1300 calories.  Since there are about 3500 calories in a pound, Sam should lose 2.6 pounds per week (1300*7/3500=2.6). Sam lost weight at first. But, recently Sam hasn’t lost any weight in weeks. He is frustrated. Very frustrated. What is going wrong?

What is wrong is that his body is saying “Sam is only going to give me 1500 calories but ask me to do 2800 calories of work. I’m going to start slowing all my metabolic processes down so I can conserve the calories he does give me.”

When I have clients like this, I explain this to them and explain that they have to eat more. Yes, eat more. In these instances you have to eat more to lose weight. It may take some time for your body to realize that you are going to fuel it properly. It may decide to put on some weight at first. Once your body trusts that you are going to fuel it properly, you will start losing weight again.

I know it seems counterintuitive to eat more to lose weight, but if you have drastically reduced your calorie intake and are not losing weight, ask yourself if perhaps you have cut your intake too much.

If you want to know how many calories your body needs, you can get an estimate using some calculations (I have a blog on how to do that here). You can get your RMR  measured using special equipment called a metabolic cart. There are also the MedGem and the BodyGem.

If you have been trying to lose weight and are stalled, I would encourage you to look at how many calories you need, how many you are taking in, and decide if you have reduced you calories too far.

If you have had success losing by eating more, let me know.

Every body continues in its state of rest, or of uniform motion in a straight line, unless it is compelled to change that state by forces impressed upon it. - Newton’s First Law of Motion, translated from the Principia’s Latin

Believe it or not, Newton’s First Law of Motion can apply to our eating habits. We tend to continue in the same eating habits until something happens that changes them. For example, January 1 is a day that a lot of people start eating healthier – the new year caused them to change their eating habits for the better. For someone who is eating healthy, a loved one gets sick and has a stay in the hospital. They start trying to balance work, visiting the hospital, worry, family, sleep, etc. and healthy eating changes to driving through the fast food window for meals because that is all their is time for and they can’t think of anything else. The force of illness knocked them off their path.

These are two extreme examples. Even a little force impressed upon us can change our eating habits. You have healthy lunches planned for the week. Then, your boss calls and says that you are taking a prospective client out for lunch at the steakhouse – your favorite steakhouse. There is one of those forces to knock you off your path. Stepping on the scale and seeing a larger number than you’d thought can be a force impressed upon you to re-think how you have been eating.

My point is that we all get into habits of eating and we can get knocked off course fairly easily. This happens with all our self-care habits – working out, sleeping, eating well, meditating, taking personal time, etc. However, we can also use the First Law of Motion to our advantage. If you make one better choice like choosing a piece of fruit rather than the huge bagel and cream cheese, you are starting in motion to improve your eating. The next time you eat, that last choice sets you up to make the next one. The force that can change that path may be a sandwich or dessert you really want. But, you can choose to avoid that force and choose to stay on your path. And, if you make a less healthy choice, or one you regret, you get to get yourself back on the path you want at your next eating opportunity.

I’m a visual person. I see this as being on a path and all these balls hurling at me to knock me off of it. I can duck, jump and dodge the balls to stay on my path to a healthy life. As long as I stay on the path, things are good. If one of those balls knocks me off, I know I can get back on and keep going.

If you aren’t on the path you want to be on, what can you do to get on it? If you are but have gotten knocked off by some force, how can you get back on? If you are staying on your path, what tips, tricks, and hits can you share with others?

Hoping you have a great weekend and either get on, get back on, or stay on your path!

Note: The quote at the top came from about.com.

Food companies are always trying to get us to think their food is good for us, which can encourage us to eat more. A friend sent me a link a couple of weeks ago to a story that Frito-Lay is going to start making half of their foods using natural ingredients.  Over the holidays, John and I wanted cinnamon rolls for breakfast. We were in Whole Foods and picked up some packaged cinnamon rolls that are touted as “All Natural.” Using terms such as “natural” and “organic” are an attempt to give a food a halo – getting you to think it is better for you than it may be.

I’m probably the only person who compares nutrition facts panel for cinnamon rolls. The cinnamon rolls labeled as “all natural” have 5 rolls per can with each roll having 280 calories, 14 grams of fat, 51 grams of carbohydrates, and 4 grams of protein. A similar cinnamon roll – Pillsbury Grands Cinnamon Sweet Rolls with Icing have 310 calories per roll, 9 grams of fat, 54 grams of carbohydrate, and 5 grams of protein. Not really a lot of difference between the two. Even when I look at the ingredient lists there is not a lot of difference between the two. Choosing the “all natural” cinnamon roll isn’t really a “healthier” choice.

Next time you are in the store and you see labels that make you think the food is “healthy” take a look at the nutrition facts panel and the ingredient list and determine for yourself if it really is a better choice for you.

This is a re-print from November, 2009. I know the holidays are stressful for so many of us – particularly because of all the food. It is OK to indulge, but be sure you enjoy the foods you choose to eat – pay attention to how they taste, smell, look, and feel in your mouth. If you only get them once a year, take time to really enjoy them.

Thanksgiving is a time of giving thanks. Thanks for all that we have – friends, family, health. Even thanks for the challenges we have faced since those challenges often make us appreciate what we have even more. We also give thanks for the food that we prepare, serve, and eat on Thanksgiving day.

However, it is easy to get lost in the food on Thanksgiving and forget about giving thanks – real thanks – for it. Most of us will have more food on the table than can be eaten on Thanksgiving day and in the days after. Most of us focus on how much we can fit on our plates and in our stomachs rather than on the blessing of having the food available to us.

For those of us working on losing or maintaining our weight over the holidays, Thanksgiving can present a HUGE challenge. So much of the Thanksgiving holiday is wrapped up around food. So, what are you do to?

Give yourself permission to indulge. Thanksgiving comes once a year. What you eat on one day should not sabotage your efforts for the weeks and days before and after Thanksgiving. I would rather have a client give themselves permission to indulge and enjoy the food, the company, and the day rather than constantly worrying about how many calories is in the pumpkin and marshmallow casserole. My only rule for giving yourself permission to indulge is that you indulge fully – by engaging all of your senses. Choose only foods you really, really want to eat. If you are not sure, take a bite or two and return for more if you like it and are still hungry later. Pay attention to how the food looks and smells. What sounds are going on around you? And, how does the food feel and taste in your mouth? Eat slowly and enjoy each bite; there is plenty of food. You do not have to rush to get more. Give thanks for each bite by enjoying it fully. Pay attention to how full you are as you eat. Every few bites stop and ask yourself “am I still hungry or am I satisfied?” If you are satisfied, stop. There will be plenty of leftovers to snack on later. Thank each person who prepared any part of the meal. And, do not feel guilty about what you chose to eat.

The day after Thanksgiving, start following your eating plan again. If there are leftovers, fit them into your daily eating plan – if you want to eat them. The key is to get back on track as soon as possible to reach your goal.

I’m sending this tip out a bit before Thanksgiving to give you some time to think about it and prepare yourself mentally for the day. You can start rehearsing in your mind – visualizing – how you will fill your plate, how you will sit and enjoy each bite now. That way, it will be easier – almost automatic – to do when the day arrives.

And remember, give thanks not just on Thanksgiving, but every day of the year.

Notes:

I didn’t mean to scare anyone last week. I was diagnosed with hypothyroid which can be managed with medications. Just remember, if you think something is wrong, get checked out.

Last week I talked about taking care of your GI system. Taking care of your GI system helps your body function optimally. We also need to take care of ourselves – mentally, physically, and spiritually. We are getting into the time of year when we get so busy it is easy to forget to take time for ourselves. The saying “you have to take care of yourself to take care of others is true.” That includes this time of year when we are so incredibly busy. It also should be true all year long. Schedule some time in your calendar to workout, read, have coffee with a friend, or whatever “self-care” activity you find good for you. Engaging in self-care activities have been associated with increases in self-esteem and reductions in depression.

Self-care includes being in tune with and taking care of your body – which includes checking things out when you don’t feel right. I had a check-up earlier in the year including blood tests. The test results came back, and the nurse called to go over them with me. I asked about a particular test level which looked a little off and she said, “The doctor says it is OK.” I’ve learned to be skeptical and not take something a doctor tells me at face value if: 1) it doesn’t make sense, or 2) my body is telling me otherwise. (Those “normal” ranges on your lab reports are “best guesses” and actually vary from lab to lab. I get suspicious when values are on the low are high ends of “normal.”) I made an appointment with a specialist to get checked further because it didn’t t feel right to me. I saw him yesterday and he said, “Based on those lab results, yes, there is something wrong.” As we started discussing what was going on, a lot of what my body had been telling me started making sense. YEA! I’m now on the path to getting my body taken care of and fixed.

The moral of the story (and yes, I know you’ve heard it before): If you think something is off, get it checked out. Find a good doctor or doctors and advocate for yourself and your body. We each need to take care of our bodies – we only get one.

My hope for you this week: if you’ve been putting off going to the doctor, make that appointment. If you haven’t done something for yourself recently, make it happen in the next week.

Have a fabulous week!

1) Do you want to nail your race day nutrition? I’m now offering race day nutrition planning. Email me at penny@eatingforperformance.com to find out more.

2) Based on the responses to the Ironman nutrition distance coaching survey, I’m working on a monthly nutrition coaching package for those competing in Ironman Texas in May, 011.  I’ll keep everyone posted about when it will be available and what it includes.