How To Stay On Your Diet During The Holiday- 5 Useful Tips

Every year we struggle with the seemingly Herculean task of staying on our diet during Thanksgiving and the holidays that follow. The holidays are a great time to be with friends and family- but as many of you can attest, family and friends can often be the motivating factor to you not eating as you should. Some simply will not stand for you not indulging in all the not-so-good-for-you holiday treats and will insist that you partake fully in the eating frenzy! This added to the pressure of having an enormous amount of great tasting food in front of you makes it all too easy to lose your sense of moderation, but if you follow some simple steps you can indeed stay on your diet during the holidays. I have been commended over the years (and yelled at on numerous occasions!) for never wavering on my diet, no matter what the occasion or how tempting the foods may be. As ego gratifying as it  might be to lay claim to a superhuman degree of discipline and self control the reality of how I stay on my diet during the holidays (and all year round) has less to do with self control and discipline and more with  using a set of tried and true practical skills. Skills that I learned after failing miserably at staying on my diet just like everyone else for many years. Eating consistently well isn’t rocket science, but without the proper tools it can indeed seem as insurmountable a task as landing a man on Mars. That being said here are five battle tested strategies that have helped me and the hundreds of people who I have been privileged to work with stay on their diets during the holidays and throughout the year.

How To Stay On Your Diet During The Holidays- Tip 1: Fill Up Before The Festivities

On the day of a holiday meal nothing is more critical to ensuring your moderation than filling yourself up long before the festivities begin. A big breakfast with high fiber foods like oatmeal (the real stuff not the instant kind), fruit and lean protein sources like egg whites are the perfect way to start your day! After a fast of several hours our bodies are designed to absorb and use the most nutrients at this time of the day. Failure to eat well at breakfast time puts you in a bit of a nutrient deficit. One that grows and grows as the day advances culminating in major food cravings later in the day. That being said on a day where you are expect to have a large meal like eating a hearty breakfast will go a long way in reducing the amount of food that you will eat. so be sure to start the day right! (You can download my free ebook on healthy breakfast choices here!)

How To Stay On Your Diet During The Holidays- Tip 2: Drink Lots Of Water

It is such a simple trick that it is often overlooked. A large glass of water right before digging in to a big meal will go a long way to filling you up and reducing the amount of food that will can eat. Equally important is making the choice to have water as your only beverage rather than juice or alcohol. Consider for a minute that alcohol contains seven calories per gram and that it is broken down by your liver in such a way that promotes the storage of fat around your internal organs and you can clearly see that zero calorie water is a better choice. Juices don’t fare any better as they are not only unnatural but loaded with liquid calories that are just too easy to go overboard with. (Read more about juices and the impact it can have on you gaining weight here). Having water with your meals is an invaluable way to keep the extra pounds off, so be sure to fill your glass during the holidays and afterwards!

How To Stay On Your Diet During The Holidays- Tip 3: Follow The Rule Of Thirds

My rule of thirds is an easy way to always keep your eating in check and works especially well to help you stay on your diet not only for the holidays, but all year round. The rule is:

Always eat a serving 1/3 less than what you would normally eat and always keep 1/3 of your stomach empty at all times.

A simple tenet,  but a powerful way to keep yourself in control of your eating habits at all times- and it is easy to remember and put into practice! Eating to the point of feeling like an over inflated car tire isn’t healthy nor should it ever be the goal of a holiday meal regardless of the occasion. Studies have shown time and time again how difficult it is for us to estimate our calorie intake, but by using the rule of thirds you have a practical way to enjoy your foods without overdoing it. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take that many calories over what your body actually needs for you to start gaining weight, so you have to be diligent about your food intake at all times. Besides, is it really comforting to feel yourself bursting at the seams? I think not!

How To Stay On Your Diet During The Holidays Tip 4: Eat Slowly
My mother was right. Eating slowly is an extremely effective way to reduce the likelihood of overeating. Studies show that the faster you eat the more likely you are to eat more than you should. It takes a while for our brain to get the signal to stop eating- our bodies secrete hormones glucagon-like peptide-1 and peptide YY that help us feel filled and satisfied but it takes a while before it takes full effect. So if you eat too fast you’ll get the message to stop eating long after you should have already stopped, so slowing down is an important tool in the fight against overeating. You also enjoy your foods far better if you eat slowly and it is better for your digestion. My trick is to use the great conversation that you can have at a dinner table as a way to extend the time it takes you to eat. That way you are less likely to overeat and you will also have a good time enjoying the company of those around you! Remember- healthy eating is about enjoying your food and your life- it isn’t about being Spartan. For a more detailed explanation on how eating slowly can help you stay on your diet check out my article on eating slowly here.

How To Stay On Your Diet During The Holidays- Tip 5: Team Up

The hardest part of eating well for Thanksgiving, any holiday or family and friend gatherings isn’t always the food; it’s the pressure you feel from others to eat the food! We are hardwired as group animals to follow others and at mealtime it can be a real issue when you are not taking part in what everyone else is eating. For me growing up in the islands staying on my diet around the holidays was always excruciating until I realized I should use the same peer pressure dynamic to my advantage. How do you do that? There are two ways:

Step 1. The Easy Way:

The easiest way is to get someone else who is also trying to eat healthy to accompany you at the Thanksgiving meal or any big get together that involves food. It could be a friend, family member or love one but you both have to agree on supporting each other and have similar goals. It makes a huge difference!  By having someone at your side you won’t feel as isolated when you don’t eat what everyone else is eating and you’ll have someone to back you up if the pressure starts to build. By supporting them you will also reinforce your own position and quite often others in the group may come around and see the value in your choices.

Step 2. The Hard Way:

The other way is to recruit family, friends and people around you to help you stay on the right path during the holidays. People are very interesting beings in that if you say that you’re on a diet for health reasons, hardly anyone is going to take you seriously and they’ll keep on doing everything in their power to entice you to eat the foods that you shouldn’t. However if you said you entered a contest where you’ll win $1,000 if you lose ten pounds in two months and that needed everyone’s help to stay on track- you’d be surprised how eager people can be to lend their support (just don’t promise to share the profits!) I think it makes it easier for people to relate as the healthy lifestyle approach just doesn’t cut it. When I was younger at a big food gathering I would announce that I had a major bodybuilding contest or photo shoot coming up and that my career depended on my doing well (which was always true). The response was usually overwhelming- with some of my friends going so far as to inform everyone that I was really important that I stayed on my diet and to look out for me to make sure that I didn’t slip! The support was invaluable to me over the years and to this day my friends would leap across the room to stop me from eating a piece of cake as they know the way I look and the way I live is an important factor in my credibility as a personal trainer and health and fitness writer. I don’t see myself ever going for that piece of cake, but it is nice to know that if I did my friends and family would be there to stage an intervention! Having a family that takes eating well as seriously as I do makes my life much easier as well! So do your best to get others involved. Not only will it make you feel better but it also gives them a chance to feel good about helping you! Have a Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays!!!!

 
Kevin Richardson is an award winning health and fitness writer, one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City and creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training™. Get a copy of his free weight loss ebook here. If you live in the New York metropolitan area and need help losing weight or taking your body to the next level give Kevin and his team a call at 1-800-798-8420 or click here to get started with 50% off your trial personal training session.

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Do You Need Milk For Optimal Health & Strong Bones? Marketing Says Yes But Science Says No.

“Milk helps build strong bones and teeth!”

Like many, I first heard this mantra when I was a child in elementary school and it is a message that is firmly ingrained in the minds of most as one of the few universal truths in nutrition. The need for dairy products as an irreplaceable part of the human diet for building and maintaining strong bones and warding off the ravages of osteoporosis is considered common knowledge, an unshakable truth, and  a message repeated ad nauseum in the media. A message that few would find reason to question. It’s no secret that milk contains calcium- a key mineral for maintaining bone health. Thus there would appear to be little reason to question it’s importance as a protective shield against bone loss.  As popular and seemingly rational an idea as it may be, the scientific evidence doesn’t support it. Very early in my career I myself was quite surprised to learn that my early indoctrination to the health benefits of dairy consumption didn’t come from credible peer reviewed scientific research, but from a rather successful marketing campaign on the part of the dairy industry. A campaign influential enough to have the US government (and many others around the world) classify milk as a food group- a decision made based on profit and not sound nutritional science.

Contrary to popular belief billions of people on the planet do just fine without having milk as a part of their diet. Not hundreds of thousands or millions, but billions. Surprisingly enough, people in countries where milk consumption is minimal have some of the lowest incidences of osteoporosis and hip fractures on earth. A revealing statistic that somehow never seems to find its way to American audiences, nor does the fact that for hundreds of thousands of years milk most humans on the planet didn’t drink milk and that many enjoy rather robust health without it. There is a reason for our rather myopic understanding of milk and what it can and cannot do for us and it’s the dairy industry. The reach of the dairy industry’s influence is impressive to say the least, spreading information designed to help them sell more milk not just nationally but globally.

Using a consumer creating model sanctioned by government entities, teaching material for young children in schools about the role of milk in building strong bones and teeth is graciously supplied by the American Dairy Council. Presented as educational material at an early age, such influence affects our perception of milk as a required part of our diets and it is hard, if not impossible for a child to question such authoritative information. An effective model that ensures that as adults the party line that milk is a requirement for optimal health is firmly rooted in our core set of beliefs. It’s a similar methodology used by fast food chains like McDonald’s to market to children, knowing fully well that it will guarantee another generation of customers.

Not only is milk taught at an early age to be an essential part of our diet, it is provided to us as well. As a food product produced far in excess of what we as a nation can consume thanks to heavy government subsidies secured by the dairy lobbies, it can be literally given away and dairy producers still make profits. With the early consumer marketing model in mind it thus makes sense that milk is distributed to young children in schools through government food programs. Good business as it helps to cement the thought process of milk being a necessity as an unquestioned view.

Milk & Calcium- Understanding The Science

As adults we are bombarded by messages and dairy lobby funded ‘studies’ reminding us about the calcium content of milk and dairy products. Most notably for women and the steadily aging American population, mill’s supposed prophylactic effects against bone loss are emphasized. But can the calcium in milk really make a difference in bone density? Looking internationally at the dairy-equals-calcium-which-equals-strong-bones idea, we see clearly that the countries with the highest rates of osteoporosis are the largest consumers of dairy products.

The dairy consumption of countries like the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, the UK and Northern Europe is enormous when compared to Asian countries such as China where dairy consumption is rare, yet those very countries where less dairy is consumed have they have the lowest rates of hip fracture and osteoporosis in the world.[1,2,3,4]

The Rate Of Osteoporosis & Hip Fracture Is Lower In Populations Who Do Not Consume Milk & Dairy Products.

To give an idea of the prevalence of osteoporosis, estimates are that 40% of American Caucasian women and 13% of Caucasian men aged 50 years will experience at least one bone loss related fracture in their lifetime. At age 50, a Caucasian woman has a 17% chance of sustaining a hip fracture, 15% chance of vertebral fracture and 16% chance for forearm fracture, with comparable figures of 6%, 5% and 2.5%, respectively, for fractures in white males.[2] Interestingly enough among the female African American population the age-adjusted prevalence of hip related osteoporosis is only 6%, compared to 17 % for postmenopausal White women- difference consistent with the much lower fracture rates observed in African Americans.[5] African Americans, by the way consume almost 40% less milk and dairy products as their Caucasian counterparts[6] which if by itself renders the milk/dairy-equals-strong-bones theory to be questionable.

Statistics from the observation of low dairy intake in Asian population contradict the milk/dairy-equals-strong-bones theory completely. Using China as an example, where cheese and other popular dairy products are not a part of their regular diet and where milk consumption is 10% of the American per capita consumption rate[7] age standardized incidences of hip fractures is far lower than their milk drinking American and European counterparts. Based on the 1990 China census figures hip fracture rates were only 87 per 100,000 for women and 97 per 100,000 for men. Contrast these numbers with 510-559 per 100,000 for white American women and 174-207 per 100,000 for American Caucasian men[8]. In fact, hip fractures in Beijing are reportedly among the lowest rates of occurrence in the world- and with a population where milk is by no means a staple.

Debunking The Need for Milk- It’s The Calcium Lost Not Calcium Consumed That Causes Osteoporosis

As much as the good (and well paid) folks at the American Dairy Association would like you to think that increasing your calcium intake by drinking milk would decrease your risk of osteoporosis, the science behind this premise simply doesn’t support it. From what we do know about bone loss, it happens not so much from not having a high enough calcium intake, but rather from having a high level of calcium loss due to dietary and lifestyle choices. [8] According to the findings of the 1994 National Institutes of Health Consensus Conference,  at least one third of calcium balance and bone density is dependent on the ratio of intake to loss and not solely on calcium intake alone as the marketing campaigns would have you believe. To be frank, meta analysis of literature meeting the provisions for unbiased scientific research found there were no significant relationships proved between milk consumption or any other dairy product to measures of bone health nor were there no correlations between calcium intake and bone loss.[9,10,11,12] Similarly, an 18 year analysis of 72 337 postmenopausal women published in the February 2003 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that an adequate vitamin D intake was associated with a lower risk of osteoporotic hip fractures in postmenopausal women. Neither milk nor a high-calcium diet in the study had any correlation with a reduction in risk of osteoporosis.

Milk Isn’t The Only Source Of Calcium

So we have established that bone loss has little to do with intake, but for those concerned nevertheless about their calcium intake, it should be noted that a 1990 report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that green leafy vegetables such as broccoli and kale have high levels of calcium and is absorbed at least as well as the calcium in milk. [12,13,14] Proper calcium balance on a non-dairy diet is easily attained because ALL vegetables and legumes contain calcium.[15] Thus within the context of a balanced diet it is more than adequate to prevent frank deficiencies which are rare to nonexistent in developed countries such as the United States.[16]

In terms of the ultimate source of calcium, however no other food source can compete with the bioavailability of calcium from bones. That’s right, bones. You don’t hear much about it since eating bones isn’t that popular here in the United States and given that both dairy producers and supplement manufacturers would be hard pressed to sell their wares if the general population was aware that eating small amounts of bone is how humans got most of their calcium for several hundred thousand years. The small and soft bones of fishes like sardines are a perfect source of calcium in a form our bodies can easily absorb, as is the use of bone meal that can be added to soups and broths. Since these sources are better absorbed (and it makes sense that bones would be the best source of building material for bones) our body retains more of it as opposed to being mostly excreted in urine as is often the case with dairy products and artificial supplements.

Osteoporosis is a very real concern for many women, as they make up 80% of those affected by this condition. Osteoporosis is a major public health threat for an estimated 44 million people here in the United States with almost 10 million individuals estimated to already have the disease and almost 34 million more are estimated to have low bone mass, placing them at increased risk for osteoporosis. It is time we paid more attention to what has been proven to be real risk factors, such as soda consumption, high sodium diets, smoking, excessive caffeine consumption, alcohol and an inactive lifestyle , than simply falling for the marketing hype that somehow drinking  milk or eating yogurt and cheese will magically protect you from low bone density.

Getting the recommended daily allowance of calcium at all ages is important, preferably from dietary sources. But bone nutrient requirements are wide and far more complex than simply drinking milk or taking a calcium supplement. A diverse diet of natural foods that includes meat, fish, fresh vegetables, fruits and nuts will always cover the diverse nutritional needs of our bones as long as we stay away from high fat, high sugar and high sodium processed foods. Limit high fat protein sources, keep your salt intake low, reduce your alcohol consumption and don’t smoke and you’ll be fine. Also important is the amount of time spent outdoors. Get sunlight on your skin at safe times of the day for vitamin D as it plays an integral role in helping our body use calcium efficiently. As much as commercials warn us of the dangers of sunlight, recent studies have suggested that avoidance of sunlight is associated with higher risks of certain cancers- which should not be surprising as we did in fact evolve outdoors and not in the confines of fluorescently lit cubicles.

Dairy Products and Weight Gain

As early as the 1950’s when bodybuilders wanted to decrease body fat and increase their muscular definition the first thing they would cut out of their diet was milk and dairy products. Among natural bodybuilders who don’t resort to the use of powerful and potentially dangerous drugs to get into shape, milk and dairy products are a big no-no when trying to reduce body fat- whey protein shakes as well (see my article on protein shakes here). A mixture of water, sugars, fats and salt, milk is in essence nature’s ultimate weight gain formula, helping infant mammals increase their body mass significantly in relatively short periods of time. Milk helps baby elephants and cows pack on hundreds of pounds and interestingly enough, no adult mammal living in a natural environment drinks milk past infancy. Only humans and the animals we train drink milk as adults and it bears mentioning that the very countries with the highest dairy consumption are also the ones with the highest rates of obesity.

Finally, it is important to stress the role of exercise and not diary intake as a way of increasing bone density. Weight training in particular plays a poignant role in maintaining and building healthy bone mass levels (Read my article here on weight training and osteoporosis). It’s a simple and scientifically proven way for prevention of low bone mass and in helping those with low bone mass levels build up their bones. So put down that glass of milk and start pumping some iron!

References:

1. Xu L, Lu A, Zhao X, Chen X, Cummings SR.Very low rates of hip fracture in Beijing, People’s Republic of China the Beijing Osteoporosis Project. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China. Am J Epidemiol. 1996

2. Cummings SR and Melton LJ (2002) Epidemiology and outcomes of osteoporotic fractures. Lancet 359:1761.

3. Kanis JA, Johnell O, De Laet C, et al. (2004) A meta-analysis of previous fracture and subsequent fracture risk. Bone 35:375.

4. Kanis JA and Johnell O (2005) Requirements for DXA for the management of osteoporosis in Europe. Osteoporos Int 16:229.

5. Melton LJ, Cooper C 2001 Magnitude and impact of osteoporosis and fractures. In: Marcus R, Feldman D, Kelsey J (eds.) Osteoporosis

6. Gender and ethnic differences in intakes of dairy foods and related nutrients, obesity, and metabolic outcomes: NHANES, 1999–2004

7. Per Capita Consumption of Milk and Milk Products in Various Countries, International Dairy Federation, Bulletin 423/2007.

8. Heaney, R.P., Evaluation of publicly available scientific evidence regarding certain nutrient-disease relationships

9. Wachman, A., et al. Diet and osteoporosis. Lancet May 4, 1968, p. 958.

10, Recker, R., The effect of milk supplements on calcium metabolism, bone metabolism, and calcium balance. American J Clin Nutr 1985; 41:254.

11. Nilas, L. Calcium supplementation and post menopausal bone loss. British Medical Journal 1984; 289: 1103.

12. Kolata, G. How important is dietary calcium in preventing osteoporosis? Science 1986; 233: 519-20.

13 Institute of Medicine. Dietary reference intakes for calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin D, and fluoride. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1997.

14. Alaimo K, McDowell MA, Briefel RR, et al. US Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary intake of vitamins, minerals, and fiber of persons ages 2 months and over in the United States: third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Phase 1, 1988–91. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, 1994. (Advance data from vital and health statistics no. 258.)

15. Weaver CM, Plawecki KL. Dietary calcium: adequacy of a vegetarian diet. Am J Clin Nutr 1994;59(suppl):1238S–41S

16. Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet. US Office of Dietary Supplements

Kevin Richardson is an award winning health and fitness writer, one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City and creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training™. Get a copy of his free weight loss ebook here. If you live in the New York metropolitan area and need help losing weight or taking your body to the next level give Kevin and his team a call at 1-800-798-8420 or click here to get started with 50% off your trial personal training session.

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Understanding Calories & How They Relate to Weight Loss

The word ‘calorie’ is a ubiquitous part of our dietary vocabulary. You can’t see calories, touch them or sense them but you can see all too well the effects of eating too many of them when your waistline begins to expand. If you don’t get enough of them you can see the effects as well as your bodyweight begins to decrease. As omnipresent as calories are in the lives of those determined to lose weight, they are yet the least understood aspect of nutrition for most dieters, which is ironic given the fact that an understanding of calories and their role is crucial to anyone serious about losing weight. The confusion over calories comes mostly thanks to the bombardment of contradictory information from food manufacturers, the weight loss industry and  the media- which uses dietary information as a form of entertainment and not as a tool for educating the public. Both food manufacturers and the weight loss industry have a vested interest in telling us a lot about nothing- which leaves most people bewildered by what to do next in terms of their weight loss and open to believe just about anything and most importantly- buy more of their products. In today’s world an educated consumer wouldn’t be much of a consumer since an understanding of the science behind calories would make them unlikely candidates for popular diet/exercise trends, nor would they fall for the many calorie related strategies used by food manufacturers to get you to buy more of their products for the wrong reasons. (Read my article on the economics of obesity for more information on how marketing confuses consumers.) Calories aren’t rocket science, but they are a bit complicated. Nevertheless, if you take the time to understand this fundamental element of nutrition, it will help you go a long way in achieving your weight loss goals.

A Calorie Isn’t A Calorie- Understanding The Nomenclature

One of the most bewildering problems is the word itself as the word calorie as it appears on food labels isn’t exactly the correct term, even though it’s widely used. There is a saying that you can’t understand the nature of anything unless you call it by its proper name and I think this precept is applicable in this case as well. A calorie isn’t the correct label for the energy in our foods. A calorie (written with a lower case ‘c’) is a measurement of heat energy used in thermodynamics and is never used in regards to food energy measurement. The energy in our foods is measured in kilocalories,(k/cal), which means 1,000 calories with the word ‘Calorie’ (with a capital ‘C’) used by those in the dietary fields to refer to kilocalories. Are you confused yet? A medium sized apple therefore isn’t really 80 calories in the strictest sense, it’s 80 kilocalories or 80,000 calories! It makes sense to keep the numbers manageable by expressing all values in units of a thousand and I am more than certain that food manufacturers would be horrified to see their products labeled with three extra zeros added to the calorie count. Other countries avoid the whole conundrum by using the metric measurement of kilojoules, which is 4.18 kilocalories. From here on in for the sake of simplicity I will use the correct nomenclature- Calorie or kilocalorie when referring to units of food energy measurement so we are all on the same boat.

What Is A Calorie/Kilocalorie?

A kilocalorie is the amount of energy required to increase the temperature of one liter of water by one degree Centigrade from 14.5 degrees to 15.5 degrees Centigrade. A wonderful definition, but one that means little to anyone without a background in chemistry or an understanding of the metric system. To translate for those who didn’t grow up with meters and grams, a Calorie/kilocalorie is the amount of heat needed to raise a quart of water (which is just about a liter) by 33.8 degrees Fahrenheit – which is 1 degree Centigrade.  Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100 degrees Centigrade) so that medium sized apple we were talking about earlier has just enough energy to boil a quart of water. Let’s put this into perspective-Given that the average American adult male consumes a total of 2437 calories daily[1], that would be enough energy to boil a little over 6 gallons of water! The amount of energy is astounding, but it you must note that energy from foods is released very slowly through the processes of digestion and metabolism. If not we would have some serious problems to contend with and spontaneous combustion would be a fairly regular event! Where does all this energy go? Mostly towards the biological work required for our bodily functions- everything from breathing to using our muscles and repairing our cells. In essence this energy is used to maintain balance (homeostasis- a bigger word with the same meaning) with the heat energy released from these functions serving to maintain our body temperature. (See my article on metabolism here).

Measuring Calories/Kilocalories

So how do we measure Calories/Kilocalories? The process actually isn’t that complicated as the food is burned to ash and the heat released is measured in a device called a bomb calorimeter. Since the Third Law Of Thermodynamics states that energy can be neither created or destroyed, we know that the amount of energy released from a food inside our body through digestion and oxidation would be about the same as the amount of energy released if it was completely burned in a closed system. A bomb calorimeter does just that and researchers make allowances for the components of food that would not be completely digested in your body. Some plant based fibers, for example cannot be completely digested and thus can’t be converted into energy. A a result any calories from indigestible food components are subtracted from the total amount of heat energy measured. Also subtracted are the nitrogen components of protein based foods which are also excreted by our bodies without being used. By taking these factors in to consideration researchers are able to arrive at a final figure that best represents what our body would actually gain from a food. Without these corrections you would find many low calorie foods like vegetables being listed as high calorie foods with a much higher Calorie/kilocalorie count than they really do. Thanks to the requirements of the provisions of the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act enacted in 1990, all foods in the U.S. have to have their nutritional information listed prominently on the container in which they are sold. These labels are often misleading in terms of their caloric counts as while the kilocalorie values are accurate, the serving sizes are kept ridiculously low so that the calorie count won’t appear to be too high. Take the label on a small bag of a brand of  ‘natural’ potato chips for example with it’s serving size of 1 ounce which has a value of 150 kcal. Now 150 kilocalories may not sound like much, but that’s only one seventh of the total bag, and I can’t tell you the last time I saw anyone eat one seventh of a small bag of potato chips and walk away as most people would eat the whole bag. Thus the real energy yield is more like 1050 kcal which is almost half the average number of kilocalories needed by a woman to maintain her bodyweight and is a glaring example of a seriously high kilocalorie food masquerading as a harmless low calorie treat thanks to serving size manipulation.

The Caloric Components Of Carbohydrates, Proteins and Fats

Now the energy content of the food we eat come from three macronutrients- carbohydrates, protein and fats. Protein and carbohydrates for the most part have a total of 4 kilocalories per gram, (a gram is about one third of an ounce by the way), whereas fats have 9 kilocalories per gram. Consequently, foods that are high in fat are usually high in kilocalories. Olive oil is has many heart healthy benefits, but it is still very much a high calorie food. As little as two tablespoons have 28 grams of fat, which adds up to 248 kcal. Putting that into perspective- two tablespoons of olive oil are calorically equal to three medium sized apples, which is one reason why it’s so important to be aware of the fat content of your foods as the numbers add up pretty easily quickly. The mathematically savvy amongst you may have discerned that while olive oil has a total of 28 grams of fat- it has 248 kilocalories and not 252 kilocalories. If 1 gram of fat yields 9 kilocalories then it should have 252 kilocalories- (9X28=252) but it doesn’t. The reason for the discrepancy is that oils (and most foods) contain some amount of water which is calorically inert.

Why do carbohydrates and proteins have only 4 kilocalories per gram, whereas fats have 9 kilocalories per gram? The answer isn’t that hard to fathom if you  keep in mind the basic elements and molecular make up of these nutrients. Protein is made of amino acids while carbohydrates is made up primarily of glucose. Fats are composed of fatty acids which are the most complex in terms of their biochemical structure and have the greatest number of chemical bonds holding it together. If you conceptualize the idea of energy being released when a food is broken down, it makes sense that fatty acids- which have far more bonds holding it together than glucose or amino acids would thus store more potential energy and be as a result much higher in kilocalories.

Calories/Kilocalories And Body Fat

One of the most important themes from the laws of thermodynamics is the idea that if we consume more Calories than we need our bodies will have no choice but to store them as body fat. This will happen regardless of how healthy the food source may have been. You can get fat from eating high protein foods, fats or carbohydrates- even if it is labeled fat free, organic or heart healthy. It makes no difference whatsoever the type of food you eat, if you ingest more than you should, you’ll gain weight. But as we said before, it is easier to go overboard calorie-wise  from eating foods that are high in fat since they are so much more calorically dense. I should mention as well that at 7  kcal per gram, alcohol has more calories than protein and carbohydrates and the added curse of being processed in such a way that if you consume too much of it can significantly increase fat stores around your liver and other organs. (See my article on alcohol and weight loss as well as my post on visceral abdominal fat).

Weight Loss And Calories/Kilocalories- Why You Can’t Lose 10 lbs of Fat In A Week

One of the best aspects of understanding what calories are is that it gives you an informed perspective as to how ludicrous rapid weight loss plans can be. The Holy Grail of losing 10 pounds of fat in a week is highly improbable, given the concrete mathematics involved and even doing so in two weeks isn’t within the realm of rational expectations. Consider that a pound of fat contains a total of 3,500 kilocalories- and that the average male needs anywhere in the ballpark of  2000 to 3000 calories to maintain his bodyweight, (this figure is slightly lower for females).  Thus to lose ten pounds of fat in a seven days you would need to eat 35,000 kilocalories less or burn off that many kilocalories through exercise. Even if you did both such a result is unlikely. With the figures in front of you it is clear to see that no diet can bring about a ten pound fat loss in a week.  You would have to eat nothing at all and  still increase your activity level to make it possible, and between us I don’t know anyone who can exercise effectively while starving. Weight loss is thus a gradual occurrence and a matter keeping your caloric intake within an acceptable level while increasing your body’s need for more energy. You can do this by exercising and increasing your muscle mass- since muscle requires additional calories to be maintained. None of this happens overnight so always be wary of anyone or anything saying otherwise, especially if it comes with a lightening of your wallet.

Calories Matter But What You Eat Matters As Well

You might think that since weight gain depends on calories from any source that you can eat pretty much anything as long as your intake remains within the boundaries of what you need to maintain an energy balance. This is the premise behind many diet fads and food manufacturers love it as it advocates that you can eat what you want- junk food included. As attractive as this may sound to the consumer  however the logic behind it is severely flawed. Firstly, the energy balance principles derived from the laws of thermodynamics don’t account for the fact that we are human beings and that many other factors come into play where weight gain is concerned. If you follow the idea of weight gain being a matter solely based on energy balance then their should come a time when weight gain stops as the increased mass and consequent increase in metabolism compensates for the extra calories being consumed.[2] The larger you get the more calories you burn and yet in the real world this almost never happens as people continue to gain weight throughout the course of their lives.[3] Our behavior and eating patterns play a major part in weight gain and food manufacturers are quite aware of this. If you only ate junk food in amounts meeting your body’s energy requirements it might work, but those foods are engineered by folks who spend a lot of time, money and effort studying and mastering the creation of foods that are designed to make you eat more. Studies have found that ingredients in many processed foods such as high fructose corn syrup make us eat and drink far more than we should and thus contributing to the continued weight gain.[3]  Combine that with the liquid calories in sodas and juices and you have a situation where it is very difficult for moderation to occur. Furthermore, by continued consumption of junk foods you simply can’t learn the healthy eating habits. Nor can you learn how to select natural foods which are much easier to eat in moderation than than their distant processed cousins. Long term weight loss comes from a change in lifestyle and thus anything that keeps you away from doing so makes it far less likely that you’ll be successful in your long term weight loss endeavors. (See my article on Controlling Your Eating Habits.)

So what about the stories of those who lost significant amounts of weight in a short time from low carbohydrate diets?  Again an understanding of the science behind how our body works gives us some insight. Carbohydrates are stored in our body as glycogen, which is a combination of glucose and water. When you reduce your carbohydrate intake your glycogen levels will drop and you will lose some of that water in the process. That’s the weight you’ll see lost on the scale but it is all water weight, and does nothing to reduce your fat stores. An effect that is at best temporary and a distraction from the practice of watching your portions and eating in a consistently better fashion with a diet that includes all food groups in sensible quantities. There aren’t any shortcuts and faced with the abundance of so many energy dense foods and our inability to accurately estimate how many calories we consume[4] it is a difficult task indeed. A slight excess in caloric intake can go a long way as eating only 40 calories more than our energy requirements can add an extra 40lbs of fat over the course of ten years. Taking that into consideration and the fact that our ancestors never had anywhere near the food supply we have today, it becomes a bit easier to understand our current obesity crisis. It might be an uphill battle, but it’s one that can be won with a consistent approach that emphasizes lifestyle change and not immediate weight loss results.

References

1. National Health & Nutrition Examination Survey- Intake of Calories and Selected Nutrients for the United States Population, 1999-2000

2. Kushner, Robert (2007). Treatment of the Obese Patient (Contemporary Endocrinology). Totowa, NJ: Humana Press. pp. 158. ISBN 1-59745-400-1. Retrieved April 5, 2009.

3. Wells JC, Siervo M. Obesity and energy balance: is the tail wagging the dog? Eur J Clin Nutr. 2011

4. Peter G. Kopelman, Ian D. Caterson, Michael J. Stock, William H. Dietz (2005). Clinical obesity in adults and children: In Adults and Children. Blackwell Publishing

Kevin Richardson is an award winning fitness writer, one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City and the creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training^TM. Get a copy of his free weight loss ebook here. If you live in the New York metropolitan area and need help losing weight or taking your body to the next level give Kevin and his team a call at 1-800-798-8420 or click here to get started with 50% off your trial personal training session.

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The Slow Metabolism Myth- Understanding The Role Of Metabolism in Weight Gain

It is a disarmingly simple concept- some people are cursed with a naturally slow metabolism and gain weight in spite of how carefully they watch what they eat. On the other side of the spectrum, a fortunate few are blessed with fast metabolisms which allow them to eat any and everything without gaining weight. As a central aspect of the idea of genetic predispositions towards weight gain and obesity, the slow metabolism hypothesis has long been hailed as a common explanation as to why some individuals appear to gain weight no matter what they do. As popular an argument as this may be there is ample evidence to the contrary  (read my article on genetics and weight gain) and the rationale of genetically predetermined disorders can’t account for the prevalence of obesity throughout Westernized populations. Such notions nevertheless do increase the sales of many fitness related products while adding to the cacophony of misinformation regarding the role of our metabolism in losing and gaining weight. Unfortunately, an individual lacking in-depth knowledge of nutrition and physiology can’t necessarily see any distinctions between rational deductions from observable evidence and baseless speculation. Most of what passes for fitness related information today is either a form of entertainment or ideologically driven pseudoscience, propagated by those who stand to profit the most. The complex nature of how our body works is often dumbed down to simple concepts that people feel they can relate to easily. The idea of slow metabolisms being a widespread problem for millions of people and the cause of your own seemingly inexplicable weight gain is one that is delightful empowering as it lays the ‘blame’ for your extra pounds on your somewhat underperforming metabolism. This argument makes you feel better about yourself and more inclined to purchase products that purport to help you lose weight by speeding up your metabolism in one way or the other but this is hardly the case. The reality is that weight gain isn’t mysterious and slow metabolisms are hardly to blame.

What Does Metabolism Really Mean?

Metabolism is defined as the total sum of all the chemical reactions taking place in your body. Our metabolic processes fall into two categories, they are either anabolic- which refers to the action of building up, or catabolic- which refers to the mechanism of breaking down. A classic example of an anabolic process in our metabolism is muscle building, where as a response to the stress of exercise our body increases the amount of skeletal proteins. An increase that we externally observe as our muscles getting bigger and stronger (see my article on how muscles get bigger and stronger for a more detailed description). Catabolic metabolic processes are the exact opposite and a common example would be the breaking down of our foods to provide energy for the cells in our body and thus keep us alive. When we are healthy these processes occur in a state of equilibrium, a balance that is referred to as homeostasis.

There is one other important but somewhat complex concept to contend with in understanding metabolism and that is the first law of thermodynamics. The first law of thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed and so conceptually in a fixed physiological system such as a living organism, total energy coming in must be the same as the total energy out, unless some of it is lost or stored. Energy coming into our body refers to the calories we obtain from food and drink. Energy going out refers not only to energy used in physical activity but also for the work performed by the cells in our body. Work in this context also applies to the biological work of repairing cells, and our body’s struggle to maintain homeostasis such as the constant regulation of body temperature. Even reading this article requires some element of biological work as your muscles contract to keep your eyes focused on the screen.

How We Measure Metabolism

The primary way that our body produces energy is through the combustion of carbohydrates and fats in the presence of oxygen. This function is called aerobic metabolism, and it leaves behind measurable byproducts in the form of carbon dioxide and water. That being the case we can roughly  estimate an individuals’ metabolism by measuring the amount of oxygen consumed and the volume of carbon dioxide produced. The process to measure metabolism is called indirect calorimetry. Calorimetry means the measuring of heat energy given out or taken in and the term ‘indirect’ is used since we can’t exactly measure the amount of carbon dioxide coming out of each cell in your body at any given time. We can however get an overall view of what’s going on by observing the exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen from your lungs.

A device called a metabolic cart is used to measure these gases and it requires you to wear a mask very similar to what a scuba diver would wear, except it doesn’t provide air but rather records air coming from your lungs. From indirect calorimetry we can calculate your basal metabolic rate- which is the minimum metabolic rate your body requires to maintain your body weight and functions.[1] Many factors can affect your basal metabolic rate such as genetics, age, gender, hormones and most importantly for our purposes- diet and activity level. When the amount of food energy (calories) ingested is more than what your body uses then  there is a concurrent gain in body mass.[2] This gain in body mass is our body’s way of storing energy for a time when it isn’t readily available and the way it does so is in the form of fat tissue. Our ability to store considerable reserves of energy in the form of fat is one of the hold offs from our past, serving to help our ancestors of survive countless famines and the scarcity of food that has defined human life for the past several thousand years.

The Slow Metabolism Myth

Getting back to the idea of a slow metabolism, average metabolic rates for men are estimated to be about 1.0 kilocalories per hour per kilogram of bodyweight. Women usually have slightly slower metabolisms than men (and we will explain why) and their metabolic rates are usually about 0.9 kilocalories per hour per kilogram of bodyweight. It seems natural to think that someone who is overweight and has difficulty losing weight might have a slower pthan normal metabolism but contrary to popular opinion, someone who is obese would have a GREATER energy expenditure than someone who is thin.(3) The mechanics of it makes total sense as it takes more energy to maintain a larger body mass.[3] The bigger the organism the more energy is needed for homeostasis as someone weighing over 400lbs has far more biological and mechanical work to do than someone weighing 150lbs. So why do some people struggle with weight gain while others don’t? It must be emphasized that the causes of obesity are complex however differences in rates of metabolism are not valid explanations as to why it happens.

One key issue is our inherent difficulty in estimating exactly how much food we consume  during the course of a day- a challenge that studies have shown can be even harder for those who are overweight.[4] As much as we may think we know how much we eat on a regular basis, indirect calorimeter testing has shown time and time again that even the most conscientious among us tend consistently under-report our food intake. Compounding this issue is the unfortunate reality that it doesn’t take much for our body to gain weight. Our bodies have no way of knowing that food is available to many of us in developed countries to the point where we throw away billions of pounds of it every year. All our bodies know is that storing excess energy is critical for our survival as it is nevertheless designed to endure continued periods of low food supply. That being said we are all very much efficient at gaining weight and keeping it on and we do so with an ease that is hard for most to fathom. To put the average human’s weight gaining ability in perspective, a weight gain of 44 pounds over the course of ten years would only require you to eat 30-40 kilocalories more than your body needed everyday.[5] That’s all it would take. Not a ton of junk food nor hefty servings of high calorie food and drink. Just half of an apple, a plum, a cup of asparagus, 1/7 of a cup of rice, 1/3 of an ounce of cheese, or 2 fluid ounces of soda over your daily energy expenditure requirements would add over forty pounds in a decade if there was no change in energy requirements. A sobering thought, but one of the many reasons so many people gain weight. It really doesn’t take much at all for it to happen.

Slow Metabolism Versus Fast Metabolism Explored

A study presented at the 2008 annual Endocrine Society Conference in San Francisco further highlights the problems with the slow metabolism concept as it was demonstrated that obese people process food at exactly the same rates way thin people do when they are in a rigidly controlled environment. In a study conducted at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, 26 naturally thin individuals with Body Mass Index (BMI) counts between 19 and 23 who considered themselves to have a fast metabolism were compared in a carefully monitored environment to 23 individuals with BMI’s of 23-27 who identified themselves and family members as ‘obesity prone’ to see if they could overeat and not gain weight since they appeared to have a naturally higher metabolic rate than those who had problems with weight gain.

In both groups metabolic rates were tested after the subjects ate a normal diet and again after three days of eating 40% more food than their individual energy requirements. All subjects underwent two one-week dietary study periods, with four days of a control diet followed by three days of either eating exactly the amount of calories for their calculated energy expenditure or overeating. Metabolic rates were tested using the indirect calorimetry method and all foods were carefully prepared and monitored following a standard of 20% protein, 30% fat and 50% carbohydrates. At the end of the study researchers found that both groups had higher metabolic rates at rest after overeating for three days compared to when they ate a normal diet but the increase was the same for both groups. Researchers had theorized that energy expenditure and fat oxidation would increase following overfeeding in the ‘fast metabolism’ group, which would explain the process protecting them from gaining weight, but this turned out not to be the case at all.

Difficulties in Estimating Food Intake As A Weight Gain Factor

These findings were consistent with what many other studies have found  time and time again, which is that some people have a hard time balancing their daily caloric intake with how it relates to their actual energy needs. Thin people don’t have faster metabolisms that somehow save and protect them from weight gain, and those with problems losing weight don’t have slow metabolisms. Over the past twenty years of my career as a personal trainer I have had very similar experiences. I started out being convinced that there were people who suffered from slower metabolisms and that they would gain weight easily while others (myself included) found it ridiculously hard to gain weight. As time went on my observations and personal experiences proved both concepts to be flawed as everyone who trained consistently and ate in accordance to their individually designed dietary plans were able to get into fantastic shape as long as they stuck to the program. It didn’t matter if they were overweight all their lives or if they were previously unable to lose weight, the only differences were that those who had more weight to lose took longer to get to a point where they had a high degree of definition as compared to those who started at a lower body fat percentage to begin with. On the other hand- everyone who had trouble gaining weight because they thought they had a ‘fast metabolism’ was able to gain significant amounts of muscle mass as long as they adhered to the diet prescribed for them and a training program designed to stimulate muscle growth.

I always believed that I had a fast metabolism as I was painfully thin for the earlier part of my life. I started weight training at 125 lbs at six feet even, but my metabolism had nothing to do with my ability to gain weight. As long as I ate in accordance with  the dietary plan designed to help me get bigger I gained weight. It took a lot longer for me to do so to the point where it would show but I was able to put on over a hundred pounds of lean muscle mass over the course of 17 years or so without the use of any drugs whatsoever. As for the protective aspect of a ‘fast metabolism’, in the days when I ate junk- I got fat like everyone else. Today I stay steady at 225lbs at about 6% body fat not because of a fast metabolism but because I am always on point with what I eat and my program of high intensity training. When I didn’t eat as well as I do now I tipped the scale at an ungodly 252 lbs looking nothing like how I do today. If I ‘relax’ my eating there isn’t a magic parachute waiting to protect me from getting fatter if I overeat and indulge in the wrong foods and the same applies to everyone else.

Beyond The Energy Balance Theories- How What You Eat Plays A Part In What You Weigh

As straightforward as this may sound it isn’t the end of the story, as weight gain is even more complex than simply saying that eating too many calories will make you gain weight. The laws of thermodynamics and the theory of energy expenditure versus energy requirements don’t completely explain why people keep gaining weight as the years go by. Given the energy balance principles there should be a finite point where weight gain reaches a plateau as energy demand rises with increases in body mass but this doesn’t happen at all as many continue to gain weight throughout the course of their lives.[7] Alternate and perhaps more accurate models take a look at the role of modern food ingredients as a reason some people keep accumulating those extra pounds. Fructose derived sweeteners (sucrose and high fructose corn syrup) can trigger increased fat tissue accumulation in addition to increasing appetite- a vicious cycle which usually leads to a decrease in activity.[7] This model for why we gain weight places emphasis more on what you eat in addition to how much you eat as the two seem to be very closely related.

In the end it is hard not to make simple cause and effect judgments. The slow/fast metabolism neatly explains everything and in many cases places an uncontrollable factor into the equation. One that can be easily blamed for the extra pounds around your waist, but this simply isn’t the case for the vast majority of individuals. Hormonal disorders and some medications seem to have a part in weight gain as well but in most instances it really comes down to an awareness of what you eat, how much of it you eat and how active you are to deal with the calories you are taking in.

Related Articles:

Why We Regain Weight- The Leptin Connection

Food And Self Control- How Do You Stop Cravings?

Obesity And Chronic Disease- Is It Genes Or Lifestyle?

References:

1. Kaiyala KJ, Ramsay DS: Direct animal calorimetry, the underused gold standard for quantifying the fire of life. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol. 25 April 2010

2. Canadian clinical practice guidelines on the management and prevention of obesity in adults and children

3. Kushner, Robert (2007). Treatment of the Obese Patient (Contemporary Endocrinology). Totowa, NJ: Humana Press. pp. 158. ISBN 1-59745-400-1. Retrieved April 5, 2009.

4. Peter G. Kopelman, Ian D. Caterson, Michael J. Stock, William H. Dietz (2005). Clinical obesity in adults and children: In Adults and Children. Blackwell Publishing

5. Björntorp P. Obesity. Lancet 1997; 350: 423–6

6. Carlsson B, Lindell K, Gabrielsson B, et al. Obese (ob) gene defects are rare in human obesity. Obes Res 1997; 5: 30–5

7. Wells JC, Siervo M. Obesity and energy balance: is the tail wagging the dog? Eur J Clin Nutr. 2011

Kevin Richardson is an award winning health and fitness writer, one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City and creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training™. Get a copy of his free weight loss ebook here. If you live in the New York metropolitan area and need help losing weight or taking your body to the next level give Kevin and his team a call at 1-800-798-8420 or click here to get started with 50% off your trial personal training session.

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A Comprehensive Guide To Eating Out & Staying In Shape- Restaurant Rules

Part 1 of 2

It used to be really simple. If you don’t want to gain weight and always eat healthy just cook all of your meals at home and don’t eat out at restaurants. It’s how I grew up back in the islands and it works- but as effective as it may be in terms of having complete control over what goes into your body, eating only home cooked meals simply isn’t always possible for everyone in today’s fast paced world. More and more people have little choice but to eat out on a regular basis as home cooked meals aren’t always practical if you are always on the run. Ask your grandparents and they’ll tell you that jobs today aren’t anything like what they were several decades ago. Our information intensive environments coupled with an ultra-competitive job market have made 40 hour weeks all but obsolete and it isn’t uncommon for many to have to endure 50-70 hour work weeks to get by. Such arduous hours make it impractical if not impossible for many to find the time or the energy to cook everything they need for the coming week. For others, eating out is an integral part of their job description if not a regular event that is part of their office culture, needless to say, while eating only home cooked meals may be the easiest way to stay in shape- it is very much possible to eat out and keep the pounds off as well. It takes some doing but it isn’t impossible.

I, for one, eat out on a pretty regular basis, so much so that I’ve been a Zagat reviewer for the past ten years or so, here in New York City and not in any way does it force me to make compromises in terms of consistently eating well. That being said, you do have to be knowledgeable of what you can and cannot eat on the restaurant menu and you can’t expect to find something wholesome at a fast food chain. Too often, health fanatics isolate themselves from their friends and family by not going out to eat and in so doing they miss the opportunity to partake in one of the most ancient of human social activities- which is in sharing a meal. It doesn’t have to be that way and it shouldn’t be. Being healthy isn’t about living a Spartan and hermetic existence- it’s about balance, and when done judiciously, eating out can easily find a place in a healthy lifestyle. In part one of the Eating Out Guide, I will do my best to outline some of the basics  to keep in mind when eating out in general and in part two I will cover in detail the food selections available to you and what you should avoid in over a dozen different popular cuisines. Thanks for reading and I hope this guide not only encourages you to eat out at good restaurants but also helps you keep your waistline trim at the same time.

The Psychology of Eating Out & Staying In Shape

The Rules

1. Don’t be negative-  If you think that there’s nothing healthy to eat- you won’t find anything healthy to eat.
2. Your parents aren’t watching- Just because it’s on your plate doesn’t mean that you have to eat it
3. You are the boss so don’t be afraid to ask for what you want the way you want it.

Rule 1. There is always something you can eat if you are at a good restaurant

One of the biggest mistakes when you are eating out is to think that you don’t have any healthy choices. Such a predisposition only makes it more likely that you will indeed eat eat junk food and is one of the reasons people blow their diet when eating out or ordering in. In Ninjutsu, the martial tradition that I have taught and studied for the past few decades,  there is a sub-discipline called tonpo- the art of escape. You may wonder what the art of escape has to do with eating out, but the fundamental precept of tonpo is that if you believe there is no way out then it is unlikely that you will ever find one. However if you see things for what they are without a prejudiced point of view and remain alert, you will find that there is almost always a way out. With regards to eating out, if you go to a restaurant and resign yourself to eating poorly then that’s exactly what you’ll do. You’ll only see the poor choices on the menu and won’t have the perspective of trying to make the best of the choices before you. If you are always  positive that there must must be something healthy on the menu then you’ll most likely find it and make wiser choices. Keep in mind that these precepts won’t always work in a dive or fast food restaurant and it’s another reason why you should always eat or order in from quality establishments. It costs a bit more but you are more than worth it.

Rule 2. Just because it’s on your plate doesn’t mean you have to eat it.

When we were children most of us were taught to always finish what was on your plate. Growing up it was often painful to be confronted with something I didn’t like as I knew that if it was on my plate I had to eat it. While this is great principle to teach kids the value of food and not to be wasteful, it can cause more problems than it solves when we are adults as it can encourage us to overeat. Especially given the over-sized portions served at many restaurants here in the United States. Compounding the ingrained traits of always eating what’s on your plate is the conviction that you’re not getting the most for your money if you don’t eat your money’s worth of food. It might be good economics- but good economics is actually one of the reasons our nation faces obesity problems in the first place (read my article on the Economics of Obesity here). These ways of thinking do little to promote healthy eating habits and hinders you from making sensible judgements about what goes into your body and encourages a very negative way of looking at food. Such points of view create great consumers but fall far short of creating healthy individuals.

It can be hard to not eat everything and not feel wasteful, but a different point of view can make all the difference. If I’m at a restaurant and an order of mashed potatoes automatically comes with my main course, I look at it from the point of view that I only paid for the main course and not the  included mashed potatoes. From my perspective the extras are thrown in for free and I am always very firm about asking that any extras that I will not eat stay in the kitchen and not on my plate. By focusing only on what I ordered and not having the included side dishes on my plate makes much easier to not give in and something out a misplaced sense of obligation. Sometimes the side dish is already on your plate, in which case you just have to keep your goals in perspective. You can get some practical tips on avoiding the temptation of food right in front of you in my article on avoiding temptation here.

Rule 3. Remember that at a restaurant that you are the boss.

When was the last time you were at work and your boss asked you to do a project a particular way but you chose to do it your way instead and he or she was perfectly fine with it? Doesn’t happen too often in the real world, does it? And the same applies to the restaurant staff when you are eating out. When you order at restaurant of any kind- you are the boss. Not the waiter and not the chef, just you. That being said you shouldn’t be afraid of hurting anyone’s feelings since it’s their job to see to it that you get what you want. That’s the contract between a customer and any reputable restaurant, when you want something cooked a certain way you should be able to get it prepared just the way you want it. This is another reasons I advocate restaurants over fast food chains. In a real restaurant your preferences are far more likely to be accommodated. You can’t ask for your hamburger without salt or additives at McDonald’s nor should you expect such levels of service at as such establishments. It’s very much take it or leave it and my advice would be to always leave it and eat somewhere else. You aren’t the boss and so it is always worth the extra money it costs to eat at a better place.

Click here for part two of our Eating Out Guide as we cover over a dozen different cuisines and what you need to know to make the best food choices when ordering them:

Eating Out & Staying Healthy- A Restaurant Guide by Cuisine

Kevin Richardson is one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City and the creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training™. Get a copy of his free weight loss ebook here. If you live in the New York metropolitan area and need help losing weight or taking your body to the next level give Kevin and his team a call at 1-800-798-8420 or click here to get started with 50% off your trial personal training session.

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