maven&meddler

What I’m about to tell you may sound a little crazy, but it’s supported by a lot of expert opinion these days: ditch the diversity and go for the boredom in your meals.

There’s a scientific reason for it. Normally, if you eat the same food for a period of time, your palate gets “tired.” You feel full sooner and don’t want as much. This is known as sensory-specific satiety. But get distracted — by reading the latest celebrity gossip, catching up on e-mail, or playing computer games — and this appetite-control mechanism gets turned off.

Your palate is primed for variety. Ever notice how there’s always room for dessert, even when you’re stuffed? The greater the variety of food, the more you’re likely to eat. The opposite is also true: Take away variety and you feel fuller sooner. It’s a trick you can use to your advantage. According to the RealAge Docs, you’re less likely to overeat — and more likely to lose weight — if you eat the same thing for at least one of your meals, day in and day out. Aim for overall variety within a weeklong period, not with each meal.

I do this in a couple of different ways, and my weight and BMI stay in the healthy range and rarely vary more than a couple of pounds … 135 lbs at 5’3” with a Body Mass Index of about 23.

There are exactly three different things I have for breakfast:

1- a bowl of whole grain cereals ( trying to stay with whole, heritage grains like kamut, amaranth, quinoa and others), lowfat milk or almond milk, fruit, one WASA crisp cracker with a bit of butter and my own spectacularly good that they’re famous homemade jams.

2- two poached eggs on whole grain toast, sliced tomatoes, fruit. Sometimes I get scrambled egg whites instead. I usually will have a slice of very crisp bacon with this. Yes, that meant one slice.

3- grilled fish, whole grain toast and jam, fruit.

That’s it. At home, at a restaurant, on vacation. Doesn’t matter. The mechanism here is a trained palate. It knows when I’m full. And since I’m paying attention to eating (also called being ‘mindful’)  I hear the message loud and clear.

Lunch:

1- half turkey sandwich on whole grain bread and a glass of lowfat milk.

2- half veggie sandwich on whole grain bread and a cup of soup.

3- a couple of whole grain WASA crisp crackers with butter, a slice of cheese, a single slice of ham and a latte.

That’s pretty much it. And, it ‘does it’ for me every time.

Dinner is a bit different, but I still stick to the tried and true. A small amount of high quality, organic meat or fish, a fresh vegetable and modest amount of whole grains - usually a type of whole grain pilaf.

When we eat out, we don’t order dessert for two reasons: we’re completely satisfied and full, and we don’t crave the sweet finish.

Alcohol is kept to a minimum, because any more stimulates the appetite and lowers the defenses against overeating.

I/we don’t snack. I/we don’t eat between meals. There are no ‘snacks’ in the house. I’m afraid that the ice cream in the freezer might be really old and glue-y. I should probably pitch it. This isn’t about the ‘food police’ at work. The snacks aren’t here because nobody in the house craves them or wants them …and I got tired of seeing that stuff go stale and throwing it out.

I/we don’t crave sweets or carbs. I have also managed to beat they ‘always hungry’ mode that I battled without success during my crazy lowfat/nonfat days … I was totally at war with food and it sucked. I finally realized that the body must have some fat - preferably healthy ones - whole grains and fresh fruits and veg to feel full and happy. I don’t particulary avoid anything. It just has to be honest, fresh and whole. No faux frankenfoods. No additives. Just food that my grandmother would have recognized, well prepared, in modest portions.

When I look back, I wonder how I missed it for so many years.

Friends and relatives - most of whom are constantly battling weight - tell me that they just couldn’t deal with not having ‘special’ treats on this occasion, that occasion and every imaginable other occasion. Make enough exceptions to a rule and the rule becomes pretty irrelevant … but I encourage them to let me know just how all those exceptions are working for them.

maven