Temptations and the unreliability of willpower

Recent research has found that avoiding temptation works better than relying only on willpower when faced with temptation. (You can see the original article here: Restricting Temptations: Neural Mechanisms of Precommitment)

The idea of avoiding "tempting" foods in order to eat less of them seems rather obvious. However, does it work well for everyone? This particular study didn't look at food temptations, so can we expect the same results? I think this is a more complicated answer than initially thought and it will depend on how you avoid temptations.

Let's imagine that the food temptations we are talking about are foods rich in calories, sugar or fat. If there are none of these foods lying around the house or the office and we have to trek to the store to buy them, then it is obvious that we will eat less of them since the temptation is not close by. If we take that thought one step further and say that if we buy these tempting foods in small quantities instead of larger ones, then it will be easier to resist temptations since we won't have any leftovers.

BUT, if we never allow ourselves fun food (at least) once in awhile, then this plan may backfire. If these tempting foods are banned completely from our lives for any reason (to be uber healthy, to lose weight, to get "back on track", etc) we will end up wanting them more- even when none of these foods are in sight. It's the concept of "we want what we can't have". This concept drives most people crazy and increases their cravings for these "banned" food.

The idea of eating only very "healthy" foods is quite popular right now. But is it "normal" to never eat a food rich in fat or sugar or calories? NO. This slippery slope of thinking often leads to a pattern of under eating, feeling deprived then overeating (and possibly even binge eating).

This particular study looked at what happens when people commit to a bigger reward if they resist smaller temptations. This reminds me of what so many people call a "cheat day". Eating only really healthy foods for most days of the week then allowing themselves to "cheat" (I prefer the word treat) for one day or a meal. The popularity of this concept does not make it a healthy way of thinking. Allowing yourself a treat a few times a week and planning ahead is a great idea, and this study suggests it will help you resist the urge to cave to smaller, less rewarding temptations.

HOWEVER, under eating all week long just to give yourself permission to eat "bad" foods is a slippery slope. It is hard to eat these so called "bad" foods in normal portions once you are done denying yourself. You train your body to eat as much as you can on the odd occasion you allow yourself the food. Calling it a cheat or a bad food actually pushes people to eat it in large quantities.

For people who find they "just have no willpower" and feel they cave to all cravings, this study suggests you plan out how you will enjoy more important (or bigger) temptations ahead of time. This kills two birds with one stone- it forces you to plan out your week to see what special event is happening (ex. 5 a 7 at work, birthday party or BBQ) in order to enjoy and fit the "fun" foods (higher calorie temptations we mentioned earlier) into your plan as well as understand that including them on a regular basis is a healthy, normal part of life.

How to make eating healthier easy!

Healthy eating is a challenge for many reasons. For a start, we make over 200 food choices a day which gives us many opportunities to make unwise or unintended decisions. Having a treat once in a while is fine (and recommended!) but when we start feeling guilty about the less healthy choices we've made, the thought that “I’ve blown it, I might as well go nuts” can arise. Rather than making healthier choices at the next meal or snack, people who think this way may feel that getting “back on track” that day is pointless. 

Another reason that it can be challenging is lack of time set aside to plan out meals and snacks. This includes having a rough idea of the meals you want to cook over the week, making a grocery list and preparing some of the ingredients beforehand. All of these things take time- which most of us are short on. However, practicing one or all of these things can make them easier to accomplish every week and help you feel in charge of what you eat. You could recruit some family members to help you draft out the meals they want to eat or even have a set of recipes you make every week (like chicken Mondays and beef Tuesdays). 
Gathering your favorite recipes together in the same spot (like in a box or a list that’s kept on the fridge) and choosing from them can help make meal planning easy. 
Also, starting new habits like washing and chopping celery or marinating meat before putting it away can help save time in the long run. 

Keep changes small and easy enough to carry out. Also, when deciding what changes you want to make, tackle temptations at the time of the day when energy is high (rather than low, like at the end of the day). Remembering that healthy eating is not an all or nothing goal is important too! It’s important to find what works for you and your family. So if you dislike kale or can’t eat supper before 7pm, don’t worry! There are plenty of other things you can do to eat healthy.

Embrace your inner foodie

So many of my clients consider themselves to be foodies and often this love for food is conflicted because it is both enjoyed and hated. Enjoyed because food tastes good and brings them pleasure but hated because they feel it gets in the way of their goals (whether they it weight management, lowering cholesterol or managing blood sugars). I, on the other hand, feel that this title should be embraced to enhance ones health. Foodies love to experience new foods, explore flavor combinations, and don't want to waste a bite on foods that don’t meet their high expectations. Quality, not quantity, is the attitude for foodies.

Studies have proven that our satisfaction levels during and after a meal rely more on the flavor intensity and time we took to enjoy the food rather than the quantity eaten. If we merely took more than the average 18 minutes to enjoy a family meal, we could naturally cut down on how much we eat. Setting a time in which everyone must stay seated at the table, serving food over multiple courses (ex. salad first, then main meal) or even eating with chop sticks can help you and your family enjoy more time together and more time savoring the food.

Also, respecting taste thresholds can help us to naturally eat less. There are only so many bites we can take of a food before it starts to lose its appeal. This does take some effort to open the lines of communication between the body and the brain in order to “hear” our body’s signals. In order to get around this problem of taste bud fatigue, we tend to alternate between salty and sweet food. A good example of this is having dessert at the end of a big meal- we aren’t hungry but somehow the sweet ending still tastes good. So, if we avoid cycling between the two at meals or snacks, we may ultimately help ourselves eat less.

Practicing leaving a little food on the plate can also help to avoid overeating when we eat just because the food is sitting there. Stop feeling guilty about not finishing the plate and turn up the volume on what your stomach determines as “enough”. Rating your hunger on a scale of 1-10 halfway between the meal can slow down the meal and help you determine how much more food you need.

So, next time you are served a less than desirable piece of complementary cake with your lunch combo or notice last week's stale croissant sitting on the counter- listen to your inner food critic to determine if it’s really worth your time (and taste).

Calories = Satiation + Energy

Imagine your body as a car…
What allows the car to run? Gas.
What allows our body to run? Calories.
Calories essentially are energy for our body. We find calories in carbohydrates, protein and fat. Vitamins, minerals, water and fiber have NO calories and therefore are used NOT to provide us with energy but for other functions.

Carbohydrates and protein contain the same number of calories per gram. You may have heard that carbohydrate rich foods are fattening but in fact they are not any more fattening than protein rich foods! 4 calories per gram means that if you eat 30g of carbohydrate (ex. 2 slices of bread) or 30g of protein (ex. 4oz fillet of sole) you will consume 120 calories.

Fat are higher in calories per gram- 9cal per 1 gram. Therefore, 5g or 1 tsp of margarine will contain 45 calories.

True hunger is our body is telling us that it has burnt all the calories consumed last meal or snack and that is requires more nourishing. We should not be afraid of experiencing hunger-rather embrace it as a signal that it is time to eat again.

The hardest part of listening to your hunger is being able to determine if it is “true” or “fake” hunger. Sometimes we can mistake other feelings for hunger so it is important to reflect before eating if you are unsure if you are hungry with your eyes versus hungry with your stomach. How long ago was the last time you ate? When is the next meal scheduled? These answers will determine how big of a snack will be appropriate.

The fact that we are hungry when all the calories we last ate have been “burnt” for energy, means that the more calories we eat, the longer we can wait between meals/snacks. So, if we are looking for a snack at 10am to hold us over until 1pm lunch, a mere 35cal yogurt may not be enough. This snack will be “burnt” and possibly leave us hungry by 10:35.

Knowing how many calories your body needs in one day is important in helping you lose weight. It can help keep snack and meal sizes adequate- not too big and not too small. It is important to spread the calories throughout the day to avoid being hungry and boost metabolism.

Keeping a food journal that tracts calories can help you be honest about how much you are eating. It can help to point out where the excess calories are coming from as well as any large gaps between meals.

Eating too many calories one day does not necessarily mean weight gain. Gaining weight requires more than one day of excess. Don’t despair if you get off track one day or one meal- make fresh start the next opportunity you get!

Losing weight without "losing weight"

As strange as it sounds, its true- you can actually lose weight without seeing a change on the scale. It is possibly one of the most frustrating things to experience both as a client and as a dietitian.

For one, it is hard to convince people that an inanimate object, such as a scale, should not be the only source for motivation when trying to lose weight. It is hard to convince die-hard scale fans to cut down on their weigh-ins and just focus on attaining (and setting) their non-weight based goals.

The reason behind this mysterious loss of fat but apparent non-loss of total body weight is easily explained. When you decide to change your eating and activity habits to help yourself lose weight, you are essentially trying to change what your body is composed of- you are burning fat and gaining lean muscle mass (or non-fat weight).
Eating a little bit less calories than you need and exercising more, on a daily basis, encourages your body to burn its excess stores of fat. At the same time, by exercising more you start to tone and strengthen your muscles- and thus encouraging them to grow. You are replacing the weight lost by fat with muscle weight- and the scale may not move much.

So how do we judge if our efforts are being rewarded? Well, one easy way is to take a look at your waist. Use a run-of-the-mill measuring tape used in sewing and measure your circumference at the height of your bellybutton: Is it getting smaller? Are your pants fitting you better? Losing inches off your waist not only can give you a better idea of just how much fat you have lost, but its a better indicator of how much you have decreased your risk for developing diabetes and heart disease than a scale.

Another way to judge if we are successful is to set goals that are not based on numbers on a scale. Setting short term goals that are realistic and focus on specific tasks can be a more positive way to look at changing your lifestyle. If you attained your goal, you will have been successful, regardless of what the scale tells you.

This advice is ESPECIALLY true when it comes to children and teens losing weight. Since they are still growing, the scale is very unreliable in showing if they have burnt fat. Not only are they replacing fat with muscle, but their bone mass is also growing. Other ways to tell if they are changing their body composition is to take a look at how fast they move in their favourite sport or hobby, as well as if they attained the goals they set personally and as a family. If the goal has been reached, they are deemed successful and should continue to set new goals every month or so. Having a healthy perspective on weight loss is more important than obsessing about their weight.

Yogurt- to eat or not to eat it plain and 0%?

It is perhaps one of the most universally accepted food misconceptions: plain, non-fat yogurt is the healthiest of the yogurts. Why is this myth believed? For the simple reasons that it is low in fat, and has less sugar than other yogurts (and perhaps because it tastes like it should be healthy for you!?).
Unfortunately, it is one of those myths that everyone just believes without second guessing it. If there is one thing you have to remember when it comes to healthy eating and nutrition, it is to NOT BELIEVE everything you hear; Keep an open mind and use your common sense.

For example, yogurt is a healthy food item. It is made from milk, is chalk full of calcium, is easy to eat, comes in a million flavors, makes for a great snack anytime, and the list goes on. So why be soooooo picky about the kind you buy?

If you break down the difference between a 0%, artificially flavored/sweetened yogurt and, lets be crazy, a 3% yogurt with added fruit and sugar, the breakdown would go something like this:

1/2 cup of 0%, no sugar added

Total fat : 0 to 0.5g (OR 1/10 a tsp. of fat)

Total Carbs : 7g (OR 1 1/2 tsp sugar)

1/2 cup of 3%, regular
Total fat : 3g (OR 1/2 a tsp. of fat)
Total carbs : 15g (OR 3 tsp. of sugar)

THE DIFFERENCE: There is 1/2 tsp. less of fat in the 0% and 1 1/2 tsp. less of sugar. When the average adults needs 13tsp. of fat in a day a mere 1/2 tsp. really will not affect anything. As for the sugar, studies have proved that even with people with diabetes, an added tsp. of sugar will not affect their health.

Why did I compare the total amount of carbs instead of sugar? For the simple reason that the "grams of sugar" on the Nutrition Facts table includes the sugar we find naturally in the milk used to make the yogurt, any sugar from the fruit and any added sugar. Just because one has more sugar, does not necessarily means it has more added sugar. Sugar is a type of carbohydrate, so is starch- that is why they are located under carbs on the table. So, if you are looking to see the impact of a yogurt on your blood sugars you have to analyze the total amount of carbs since both sugar and starch (i.e. carbs in general) break down into blood sugar.

It is interesting to note that yogurts ranging from 0% to 3.3% are all lumped into the same category: regular, everyday yogurts. There is no sub-category "really, really healthy yogurts" and just "plain 'ole healthy yogurts".
Just because a food is labeled as low fat does not make it healthy- think beer and gummy bears. Same goes for "low in sugar", it all depends on the product and the difference between its sugar content and its competitors.

There are many factors that should play a role in your choice of yogurts. "Diet" yogurts tend to melt in your mouth and leave much to be desired in terms of feeling satisfied after eating them. The point of eating is to feel satisfied both mentally and physically. The difference in sugar and fat content is negligible so use your senses to pick out a yogurt next time.