All or Nothing: Not for Me!

I have a book called Jane Brody's Personal Health issued by the New York Times. A friend gave me this book in 1988!!! (I know this because he graciously signed the book to me with the date). I tell you this because a friend asked me recently when I got "into all this" meaning health and fitness. It surprised me to see the date on this book because I only date my involvement in fitness back to my step-aerobic days in NYC in the 90's. The funny thing about this book is that is has a lot of relevant information even today. There is SO much good information in this book, but to stick to today's topic, all or nothing, I will only quote a few passages. She states: "40% (back in 1982 when the last update to the book was written)of the population are overweight by 20 lbs or more. Instead of adopting a long lasting, nutritionally sound solution to their weight problem, most grasp at health-damaging straws including fad diets and reducing drugs that nearly always fail in the long run..." "Most of us have moved away from the simple menus of yore based on ...grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy, and animal and vegetable protein. More than half the food we eat today is PROCESSED...We have also moved far away from the menu HOMO SAPIENS evolved on: a diet rich in complex carbohydrates and fiber (from starchy vegetable, fruits and foods) and low in animal protein. The high meat, high sweet, low fiber diet we currently eat is overtaxing our metabolic abilities and undermining our health." In the intro to the book, she mentions how she lives, which pretty much mirrors my own philosophy: "My guiding principle is moderation. ...I eat three reasonable meals a day with snacks and a preselected "no no food" like 2 small cookies or a 1/2 cup of ice cream...And lo and behold, I lost weight...no more binges, whole bags of potato chips, whole pints of ice cream...I never skip a meal. I consume most of my calories at breakfast and lunch."

She goes on with her wisdom, but for now I will discuss what she has said thus far. What amazes me is that this came out in the early 80's . There are plenty of authors today that reintroduce this information and most of us think it is something new or that they discovered. For example, there is a book that has been on my must read list for a couple of weeks now. It is called The Primal Blueprint, and basically discusses the HOMO SAPIEN diet as Ms. Brody mentions. It does go a step farther than she does, saying we should not eat grains at all and only get our complex carbs from potatoes and vegetables. THAT KIND OF ALL OR NOTHING MENTALITY IS WHAT GETS MOST OF US INTO TROUBLE IN THE FIRST PLACE. Some other books that I really like are Skinny Bitch and Total Health Makeover, by Marilu Henner. I do like to read these books for general information, and I will even go a step further to say most likely their philosophies work for weight loss and health. However, they definitely promote the all or nothing theory, and I just can't do it. Skinny Bitch wants us all to be vegans. The authors also don't like anything processed and ALOT of other things. I would not be long for this world mentally if I followed their advice to the letter. Marilu has some great tips, but she believes in NO DAIRY and food combining, meaning at each meal you only eat 1 type of food at a time (only protein or starches). CAN WE PLEASE LIVE IN THE REAL WORLD. I DO!!! So do most of us as far as I know.

SO much information to DIGEST (sorry for the pun, could not resist). So, I leave you with 3 tips for your week: SPREAD OUT YOUR MEALS. I have mentioned this before, but it's worth repeating. When you make your meal plate up, place half of it on another plate, and wrap it up and put it in the fridge, knowing you can have it anytime you want. Finish slowly what you have portioned. If you still are hungry, eat the portion you wrapped. Most likely, if you are like me, you will realize that your half portion was enough for now. Maybe you will want the rest of the portion in an hour or two as your snack. Same amount of calories doing double duty-serving as a meal and a snack. Can't beat that. Tip number two: Have one (maybe two) meals a week where you have what you want (like pepperoni pizza or something you know perhaps isn't the best choice). Just do it in a portion controlled way so you don't do too much. Have it, enjoy it, and move on. Lastly, be mindful of your posture this week. When you find yourself slouching, sit up straight, and tighten up your stomach. You will be amazed how this feels. And it works your muscles to sit like this, so this is a good habit to adopt.