8,153
edits
Changes
m
no edit summary
* '''Measure and record.''' Measuring your progress is a valuable motivator, and a way of checking if your approach is working. It is better to [[Body Fat Measures|Measure Body Fat]] as well as body weight, as the goal is to lose fat, not muscle. There is advice to only weigh yourself once a week, as the day to day changes are small and they can be disheartening. However, my experience as a runner my weight will vary due to hydration and glycogen storage, especially when running longer distances or in the summer. I therefore weigh myself each day, but I look at the trend over a longer period of time. Losing or gaining a couple of pounds from one day to the next does not mean anything; what matters is this week’s average compared with last week’s average.
* '''Food Diary. ''' Keeping a diary of what you eat is a lot of hassle. There are web sites that make it easier to track your intake, but it's still a significant effort. You still have to read packages and for home cooked food, you have to do a lot of measuring and you have to record it all. However, the benefits of a food diary justify the effort, even if you only do it for a few days. Unless you know where your calories are coming from, it’s incredibly hard to adjust your intake. A food diary can also reveal any hidden 'calorie bombs', like that luxury coffee with 700 Calories.
* '''Food as an addiction.''' [[Book Review - The end of overeating|The end of overeating]] shows how some foods are addictive. These are the foods that create cravings and lead to overeating. For instance, I struggle with ice cream particularly, though there is a long list of foods that I will overeat. Approaching these foods as you would an addition seems to work better than other approaches I’ve tried. Using a modified [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve-step_program|12 Step Program] may help.
==General Advice==
* '''Banned Foods.''' These are the foods that you will overeat, which means they are also the foods you enjoy most. The addictive quality of these foods means you have to ban them totally, which is hard. Here is the list of foods I have to ban – your list may be different. For instance, burgers are no on my list because I don’t like them much. I have to ban Ice Cream, Candy, Cake, Soda (diet and regular – see below), Cookies and Chinese Food.
==Recommended Books==
* [[Book Review - The end of overeating|The end of overeating]]
* [http://www.amazon.com/Glucose-Revolution-Authoritative-Index-Groundbreaking/dp/1569246602|The Glycemic Revolution]
==Further reading==
* http://www.alanaragonblog.com/2010/01/29/the-bitter-truth-about-fructose-alarmism/ The bitter truth about fructose alarmism
* http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/06/040630081825.htm Artificial Sweetener May Disrupt Body's Ability To Count Calories, According To New Study