Nutrition

You’ve got the power!

/ ktbuchs87

What do you think of when I say willpower? Maybe resisting temptation, overcoming adversity, or maybe a specific person comes to mind.  Whatever the case, some form of strength comes into play, the word power is right there.  A lot of you may believe that you have absolutely no willpower, especially when it comes to food.  When you see that plate of cookies you know you are going to cave and have one, or six.  What gives a person willpower? Why does it seem like some people have greater amounts of it? How do you tap into that?

Willpower is a tricky thing.  You can’t see it, only its effects.  Willpower also means different things to different people so it is hard to give it an exact definition.  But I do believe that we all have willpower, no matter how weak you might think yours is.  I think there are a few important aspects to a strong willpower that makes it seem as if some people have great stores of it while others are just trying to muster up a few drops of it.

The first one is the desire to change.  It might seem obvious, but this is so often overlooked or not given much credit.  People have a strong willpower really and truly WANT to change some aspect of their life.  Let’s take nutrition and eating (this is a nutrition blog after all folks).  If you really want to eat better you have already taken the first step to having more willpower.  But Katie, I do really want to eat better, I just can’t resist those “bad” foods.  Then no, you don’t want to eat better, you want to eat the same garbage you have always eaten.  Sorry to be harsh, but saying you want to change but then turning around and downing a pint of ice cream is a bit contradictory.  You almost need to be at a place where you are disgusted with the way you are eating and the only place you can go is in the total opposite direction.  There is a point where you will WANT change and act on that want, there is the first little hint of your willpower.

The second part of willpower is motivation.  Wanting to change your eating habits is great but you are going to have to have motivation to keep that change going and to strengthen your willpower even more.  Motivation is another tricky idea; here is the technical definition of it.  I’m going to simplify it because I think that it doesn’t need to be super technical. Motivation is personal to you and is what gets you revved up and going.  What motivates me probably will not motivate you in the least.  That’s fine, what isn’t fine is when people use what they are fighting against as motivation.  Let’s use eating again. If you are trying to eat better and maybe lose weight and decide to motivate yourself by promising yourself a piece of chocolate cake if you lose five pounds, how is that helpful? That’s the equivalent to trying to quit smoking and rewarding a smoke free week with a cigarette.  Find other means of motivation for what it is you are trying to change.  By using food to reward yourself, you’re just slowly weakening your willpower as well as your motivation to keep going.

One other thing that is important to willpower is the perception of gaining something from your use of willpower.  In this article, the author talks about how when people see results from the use of their willpower, it actually gets stronger.  That makes a lot of sense; if you see the fruits of your labor, aka willpower, you are going to continue to use it.  And as a result of continuing to use your resolve, you’re strengthening it.  And that right there will motivate you to keep up your change (see how it’s all tying together!?).

I can’t tell you how to get willpower.  It’s not as simple as that.  I can tell you that you already have the willpower you need to change right inside yourself.  You just need to find it.  You have to truly want that change, and you will need to find the proper motivation to keep going.  Take a look at your life and see where your weakest area is.  Ask yourself if you are ready to take on the job of turning that behavior around.  If you are then you have the tools within to make that change. I believe in you, do you?

How far is too far?

/ ktbuchs87

A few weeks ago I wrote about a disorder called orthorexia.  Simply put this disorder is an obsession with avoiding foods that one perceives as unhealthy.  It is not a diagnosed disorder, but it is becoming more prevalent.  I wanted to come back to this topic after having a few interesting discussions about it.

After I wrote the post, I talked with my dad and Adam about the disorder.  In the talk with my dad he asked a legitimate question: how is the way that you eat not considered orthorexia? For those of you just joining, I eat based on the eat-clean principles. I do not eat anything processed (no white flour, rice, sugar or brown sugar), I do not eat anything with preservatives or chemicals or artificial ingredients.  I also limit my dairy intake but that is more because of a developed intolerance.  Basically I eat whole foods like fruits and vegetables, lean meats like chicken and fish, and whole grains such as brown rice or quinoa.  At first when my dad asked that question I was offended. Of course I don’t have an eating disorder. I choose to eat healthy and not put harmful things in my body.  I talked about it later that day with Adam and he told me that sounds exactly like something someone with orthorexia might say. Now, he wasn’t accusing me of having orthorexia, but he did make me see my dad had a point in asking.

Yes, my eating choices are probably considered über healthy and possibly even extreme to some people.  The fact that I don’t eat potato chips or cereal or candy might blow some people’s minds because unfortunately those foods have become part of our everyday diets.  But how do I know that my food choices haven’t crossed over into the unhealthy obsession area of a possible disorder?  How do I defend my lifestyle without sounding like I’m defending a problem?  I’m sure that I am not the only one who has struggled with these issues, especially when it comes to eating healthy in an ever increasing unhealthy world.

The conclusion I have come to for now is this: I might be slightly orthorexic.  Now you’re thinking, great! The person who is giving me health and diet advice has just admitted to maybe having some eating disorder that SHE herself warned me about!  Calm yourself for a minute and listen up.  Yes, I avoid foods that I perceive are bad for me but I am not obsessed with it.  I don’t sit at home and avoid social situations just because I might come into contact with unhealthy food.  I do not constantly worry about eating food that I have not made myself because it could be unhealthy.  And I have not limited my food intake that I am to the point of malnutrition.  I have made a choice to eat the best things for my body, and I am fully aware that if not monitored, it could become a problem like I just described.  I can’t tell you when the way you eat has gone from a healthy choice to an unhealthy problem.  You will have to set that line for yourself, or enlist a trusted friend or family member to keep you in check.  I believe that is one of the keys to knowing how far is too far: knowledge of a potential problem and having the accountability to deal with the problem should it arise.  Health, like many things in life is a delicate balance between just right and too much.  Your job is to arm yourself with knowledge and keep your balance on that fine line.  It’s tough but oh so worth it!

It’s ok, I workout

/ ktbuchs87

That phrase is one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to diet and health.  Sadly, this attitude is becoming more and more prominent and it is a very slippery slope towards poor health.  Just within this past week I have heard those words in passing at least twice and I know numerous others who have adopted this mindset.  I will admit that I have fallen victim to this way of thinking a few times. It’s so easy to justify certain things when you work hard, but in the long run it will just pull you right back down the way you came.

There is no sugar coating the truth so I will just come right out and say it, you will never out exercise a bad diet.  It’s just not going to happen.  I know it might seem totally fine at the moment.  You’re telling yourself, I am in great shape and I eat what I want!  I put in the time at the gym so I don’t have to worry about that piece of pie after dinner.  I’ll just burn it off later.  The thing is that while you might be in great shape and a healthy weight right now, that poor diet will catch up with you.  You might start to see the pounds creep back up, or worse you might find out you have a serious medical issue, like diabetes.  There has been a shocking increase in the cases of diabetes not just in the overweight but in the seemingly healthy.  This article talks about young 20-somethings who seemed to be in perfectly good health and exercised regularly but found out they had diabetes.  One thing that struck me was that they all said they might not always eat the best but they exercised regularly.  The food you put into your body is SO important.  It is the fuel that will drive you, and if it is junk fuel, you are not going to go very far and you will break down at some point.

The other fact is that most of us don’t exercise enough or at such an intense level to justify eating more food.  Most exercise sessions burn a smaller amount of calories than you think.  Eating a doughnut after a run pretty much undoes the work you just put in (this website is neat and helps you to roughly estimate the amount of calories you burn doing a certain activity).  If you have a problem with snacking, this is also really dangerous territory.  Sure, at first it might just be a bite of something.  But that can quickly turn into a small piece or am extra helping and then you’re justifying eating whole meals just because you went to Zumba two days ago.  Trust me I know how easy it is to fall into that bad habit but think of it this way: You are not a dog.  Do not reward yourself with food.

The thing is, if you are trying to be healthier and are putting in the work by logging gym time and exercising, why wouldn’t you do the same with your food?  Being healthy isn’t just taking one area and improving it, it’s an all-encompassing process.  Exercise is really important, but so is eating well and taking care of yourself.  You want to feel your best in body, mind and spirit and to do so you have to take ALL the steps to get there and not use the guise of exercise to keep a poor diet.  In the end, you’re only hurting yourself.

Late Night Munch

/ ktbuchs87 / 2 Comments

Admit it. You have stood in front of your fridge sometime after 9 pm looking for some snack to munch on. And more often than not you choose that hunk of chocolate cake or bag of chips over vegetables or a piece of fruit.  Snacking at night is not a new phenomenon.  It has been happening since late night TV became intriguing.  What is relatively new and starting to cause some major health problems is night eating.  While this is not a classified eating disorder yet, it is well on its way.

So what exactly is night eating? Don’t we all technically eat at night and call it dinner?  Yes, but night eating is different in the fact that those who have night eating syndrome (NES), will consume more than half their daily calorie intake after 8 pm.  Generally people who suffer from NES will eat very little in the morning and throughout the day, but once evening comes they will consume large portions of food.  Now this disorder is different from overeating because night eaters are not necessarily eating a mass amount of food all at once.  Instead, it is generally portioned out into snack-like meals throughout the night.  NES is also different from sleep eating because the person is fully awake and aware of the food they are eating.

Night eating can cause health problems in a few different areas.  First, when you eat a lot right before bed your body has a hard time focusing on getting to sleep because all of its attention is on trying to digest the food you just ate.  This can cause insomnia or at the very least unrestful sleep.  Sleep is very important to your body’s health because it is when it repairs itself and resets for the next day.  Lack of sleep also messes with your metabolism, slowing it down and causing it to not run as efficiently and therefore causing weight gain.  Unfortunately, if someone with NES has trouble sleeping they will tend to eat even more, exacerbating all issues. NES also causes problem with weight because when you consume a large amount of calories before bed or at night in general, your body doesn’t have any way to burn those calories off and a lot of them get stored as fat.  Evenings tend to be the time when most of us are at our least active.  When was the last time you decided to run 10 miles or go to a crossfit class after 9 pm? Also like a lot of other eating disorders, NES is connected with depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders. Overall, not a fun experience.

So why does night eating occur? There is no concrete answer to that question yet because there hasn’t been much research on NES.  The doctor in this article believes that people who suffer from this disorder are stressed or anxious and are eating at night as a way to self-medicate and feel better.  This doesn’t work, obviously, because it leads to health issues, and that causes more stress and anxiety.  Others believe that night eating is caused by a neurotransmitter imbalance, and while there has been some success treating NES with medication, it isn’t conclusive enough to say that is the problem.  The good news is that with a little bit of time and motivation there are steps you can take to help with night eating.  One of the first things is to make sure you are getting enough food throughout your day.  I know some people complain they just can’t eat a big meal in the morning or they don’t have time for a lunch.  That’s fine.  I’m not trying to tell you when exactly you need to eat.  Just make sure you ARE eating during the day.  Make sure you are also choosing foods that will keep you going and won’t just give you a quick burst of energy followed by a crash.  Think fiber filled foods like fruits and veggies and whole grains.  Have a plan for your dinner time and set a time for dinner and stick to it.  Again, I’m not telling you an exact optimal time to eat your dinner.  Just pick a time, like 7, and make sure you eat at that time.  After your dinner, have a night time ritual.  Create some type of routine that signals to your body you are done eating and it is time to start winding down.  Do some yoga, read a chapter in a book, watch a TV show, or have some hot tea (my favorite). Once you create a routine an stick to it, your body will learn that it is time to start getting ready for bed, not time to keep eating.

As always, if it seems like you might have NES, talk with your doctor.  They can help point you in the right direction and give you more ways to help.  I don’t want people reading this to freak out about eating at night, that’s not the point.  It is ok to snack (on healthy foods of course) at night time.  Just make sure you aren’t eating an entire three course meal before you hit the sack!

What do you crave?

/ ktbuchs87

Cravings. We all get them at one point or another.  Some of us are better at controlling them, and then some of us give in and indulge in whatever it is we want.  When trying to eat a healthy diet it seems that cravings are what crush our resolve and pull us back to our old habits.  Why do we crave certain things? What is going on in our brain/body that we just HAVE to have that piece of chocolate or those BBQ potato chips?  Is there any way to break free from cravings?

There are a few reasons that we experience cravings.  First, it is important to distinguish cravings from overeating.  When you have a craving, you have a taste for a specific type of food.  You want something salty like pretzels or something sweet like a candy bar.  Overeating is eating mass amounts of food no matter what type.  So why do we get cravings?  One of the biggest reasons is emotion.  When you eat something that you love, like your favorite home-cooked meal, the pleasure centers in your brain light up.  Your brain makes that connection that this food not only tastes good it gives you a good feeling.  When you are stressed, or sad, or anxious, your brain likes to remind you that there is a quick way to feel better.  It wants you to eat that slice of apple pie because that will release those good feeling hormones that will lift your mood.  Unfortunately, eating that apple pie will not help your healthy eating habits and then you feel guilty for indulging.  If only you could explain this paradox to your brain….

Another reason that we get cravings is a restrictive diet.  People who follow certain diets such as low carb or low fat tend to have very intense cravings.  That is because your body is missing something that it needs, and when your body needs something it WILL let you know.  In the case of food, that means a big ol’ craving.  With this type of craving your body is trying to let you know it really needs some certain mineral or vitamin and you need to find some source of it pronto.  This often means grabbing some junk food, mostly because it is quick.  In reality there are other easy ways to get what your body craves if you know how to interpret your craving.  This is a really nice chart that shows what craving “bad” food really means.

How are we suppose to deal with these cravings?  As anyone who has experienced a craving knows, it is hard to fight it when you are caught up in it.  Well this is the first way that you can fight a craving, don’t let yourself get to the point of craving food.  Thanks Captain Obvious, I’ll make sure I try that next time.  But seriously, take steps to make sure you aren’t getting to that desperate moment of craving when your willpower is at its weakest.  Make sure you’re eating a balanced diet.  Include a variety of foods so that you know you are getting all the vitamins and minerals your body needs.  Eating the exact same thing everyday might be easy and convenient, but this can sometimes become problematic because you limit the amount of nutrients your body is receiving.  Mix it up, try a few new recipes and add variety to your eating.  Learn to listen to your body.  If you feel a craving coming on, stop and first make sure that you aren’t just thirsty (dehydration feels a lot like hunger) and then determine what it is you are craving.  Use that chart and see what the healthy version of your craving is and have that instead of the huge slice of cake.  Have a list of other activities that will distract you and your brain from your craving.  Go for a walk or maybe call a friend and chat for awhile (hard to eat chips while you’re talking on the phone).  Anything to get your brain focused on something else other than your craving.  Find healthy alternatives to your junk food.  Yes, it would be nice if we could all have the willpower to say no to a chocolate bar and choose a handful of raw almonds.  But sometimes you really need that bar of chocolate.  There are tons of blogs/recipes out there that have healthy versions of your favorite junk food.  One of my favorites is The Gracious Pantry.  There are tons of recipes for any craving you have.  Healthy chocolate bars, caramel popcorn, potato chips and a ton more.  Do a little research, find a recipe, and give it a shot.  Will it taste exactly the same? Maybe not, but a lot of them are just as good or better and won’t leave you feeling guilty or depressed.

The biggest thing to know about cravings is to try to remain calm when dealing with them.  Take a deep breath and think about what it is you really want.  If you are trying to lose weight, focus on how much progress you have made and how giving into your craving will set you back.  If you are just trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle, think to how you feel after eating junk compared to how you feel after you eat a healthy balanced meal.  Will you be perfect every time and resist? No.  We are human and sometimes we falter.  But you can learn something from those weak times and use it to make your resolve stronger for next time.  You are in control of your body and you CAN overcome any obstacle!