On a kinda-related-but-separate note, I’ve found that as I’ve learned more about the things that go into “food products” (think the melamine/milk issue that seems to be rapidly expanding beyond simply baby formula to all kinds of processed foods) the less inclined I am to crave them. I used to suffer the constant siren song of Doritos… until I started to think about how there probably was nothing–not one eensy flavor!–in a bite of nacho Doritos that actually resembled a “real” food I would recognize at a farmer’s market. Walking past the chips display has gotten a lot easier.

I’m a trainer/wellness coach, so I get to see lots of different “types” when it comes to food. I’m also someone who Paul Chek would certainly put in the “Lives To Eat” category. I’m hardly done one meal before I start thinking about the next. I know others who hardly give food a second thought, eating only when the “conventional” hour of dining comes around.

I think it is safe to say that we are all wired differently when it comes to food and some people have much more of a struggle with it than others. Is this nature or nurture? Most likely a bit of both. Whatever it is, every individual has to find a path that serves his or her own and goals.

I think one of the important concepts to keep in mind when choosing a nutritional strategy is that of the “settling point.” Whatever our regular patterns of energy consumption and expenditure are will cause us to settle in a given range of health and body composition. This is the simple equation of adaptation to imposed demand.

So, for example, going “paleo” (if a caveman couldn’t get it, don’t eat it) from a Standard American Diet will obviously cause the body to settle into a new zone of health, wellness and body composition (both for hormonal and energy balance reasons). But if you eat enough “paleo” food you can still be over your desired bodyfat level.

And that is when you might have to also think about what you “don’t” eat as well as what you “do” eat. But I have found that you can make this very cyclical and it does not have to feel like a diet, but rather phases of a long-term strategy.

For example, if you find that your weight starts to creep above your perceived comfort level, you can cut cheese or nuts out of your diet for a few weeks until your weight settles back into the zone you want. Or if you have a particular goal in mind (such as the typical cliché – a wedding) you may go to a very strict paleo diet (meats, fish, poultry, veggies only) for a while.

Taking a cyclical approach to an overall nutritional plan also allows for some flexibility. If you are following a diet full of whole foods at a level that generally keeps you in your bodyweight zone, then you aren’t going to be plagued by guilt if friends drop by and you break out the wine, melted brie and french baguette.

I realize this comment is starting to ramble, so I’ll stop it here. My point, as explored in this post, is that the “what I eat” has to be the home base of any nutritional strategy. But once you have pegged down and become accustomed to the “what I eat” part of the strategy, there are times when you also need to be cognizant of the “what I don’t eat” part of the equation.

Hope that makes sense. I’m not trying to disagree with this post, just add a subsequent dimension.

Cheers,

Adam

My point to modifying behavior revolves more around your relationship with food. Do you eat because it provides comfort (i.e. your best friend) or because you simply enjoy the taste.

If you enjoy the taste – that’s a good thing because you will find ways to make even healthy, lo-cal, rabbit food taste good. If you are eating for comfort – you’ll eat Sno-Balls and there’s nothing that will make a Sno-Ball taste good. Sorry JD – those things are gross!

“Diet” has two distinct meanings.. one being “the food we eat”, the other being “the food we don’t eat”.. (alright, i’m oversimplifying.. but i’m sure you get the point..)

When I lost my 25 excess kilos a few years ago, the first thing i did was rid the word from my vocabulary, primarily because everybody else uses it in the negative context and it is almost impossible to have a healthy conversation about it!!

My standard response was… NO, I am not on a diet, because a “diet” is something that you stop.. if I am to be healthy, this is permanent! (and i can say it has been for over 2 yrs now

That being said, my Diet has never been better.. eating GOOD food (not always “healthy”, but nutritious and very tasty in moderation and enjoying what I eat)….

Don’t give up!!!!!!