10 food fibs that will make you fat
When Pinocchio lied, his nose grew. When you lie to yourself about your diet, it won't be your nose growing, warns Sophie Pachella, founder of EatStrong
1. I deserve it
This is a classic example of self-sabotage. Exactly what do you deserve? Blown progress? Thicker thighs? Self-medicating with food is a learned behaviour, which invariably leaves us feeling miserable. Instead, establish a food-free reward system such as indulging in a good workout, or new pair of running socks. Work on progressively altering the feeling that food soothes. The numbing effect is fleeting at best but the consequences sadly linger.
2. I've saved calories by missing breakfast
Not so. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Skipping breakfast lowers your metabolism meaning that the next meal you eat is far more likely to be stored as saddle bags. Skipping a healthy breakfast doesn't give you free license to gorge on crisps and biscuits before lunch. Some starters can run up over 1500 calories. Eat regularly and consistently to keep your blood sugar level and temper temptation.
3. It's free!
Hardly. The free 500-calorie bagel at the office costs you £50 with your personal trainer just to get back to square one. Furthermore, when food is free, we settle for below-par standards. Stale? Picked over? Ask yourself if you'd shell out the money to eat it. While you're at it, pop 50p in a jar each time you refuse free food. At the end of the month treat yourself to a healthy reward.
4. It would be rude to refuse
Never have two issues been as frequently confused as food and love. When a colleague, mother or friend offers us food, we feel compelled to accept even when we're not hungry. If this situation occurs frequently make your case clear. Rather than repeatedly turning down food, state your intention once, firmly and politely and ask for your efforts to be supported. In circumstances which require a little more finesse, graciously accept while insisting you're already full and are only having a bite because 'it looks divine'. If you announce your intention, you're less likely to then polish off of the entire slice of cake.
5. It's not the same without (popcorn, hotdog?)
If an event requires food to distract you, go home. It can't be that entertaining. Our behaviour at the cinema is quasi-Pavlovian. So use this to your advantage. Create a new habit, and work at making it stick. Bring your own air-popped popcorn to the cinema or better yet, take pride in proving to yourself you can survive two hours without food. Once you've established a new habit, you can draw upon that behaviour the next time and repeat it until it becomes the new you.
Comments
Unless you are obese like me you are talking through your backside and making up garbage as you go along.
In my late teens/20's I managed my weight quite well by delaying breakfast sometimes till lunch and having a cup of coffee instead. I found that I never felt hungry and when I did eat I was able to choose foods that were good for me without gobbling sweets and fatty stuff and my weight was perfect. I was healthy and I felt ok.
Then everybody started "bleating" about "kick starting your metabolism" with a "good" breakfast and listening to all these strident confident athlete-type "experts" roaring out about "healthy breakfasts", I started to think my way must be unhealthy.
I began to believe this garbage and even started trying to follow their rules. But what I found was the weight started packing on and I couldn't stick to eating healthy things anymore. I'd find that after I ate the breakfast I could hardly wait for the morning snack and then the lunch and afternoon snack and then dinner. In the end I was snacking all day, plus breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper.
I finally realised that having a so-called "healthy" breakfast to me is like a dam wall breaking and all I want to do is "Hoover" in anything that I can get. And then I'd blame myself for not having "discipline".
You know "discipline" don't you? You know that thing that skinny so called "experts" talk about to make overweight people feel like crap and judge themselves as spineless and worthless?
I struggled and struggled to stick to diets using the rules punched into us by the so called diet experts and I got nowhere. Eventually I started to wonder whether this "healthy breakfast" lark was not quite right.
Perhaps somebody was deliberately pulling everybody's leg about the "healthy" breakfast story because it gained something for them. If not selling their own brand of sugar loaded cereal then at least a sense of self importance and superiority?
Right now I'm an unhealthy weight and having all sorts of physical problems because of it and I'm desperate. I've spent thousands of dollars trying out all the major players in the diet industry putting their kids through college and buying mum's Mercedes with my membership fees and realised I was getting nowhere, but spending lots. What was the point?
Then I began to remember how I'd managed my weight as a young person. Was I so wrong delaying breakfast and having a coffee instead? It can't have been all wrong because I didn't have the problem I have now.
I began to realise that I knew at least as much as anyone else about my own body. And I was fed up with being force fed "rules" that didn't seem to work.
I decided to take charge of me and "do it myself" as I used to do. I have gone back to delaying breakfast and having a coffee in the morning and only eating when I am ready. Already I no longer binge, gorge or "graze" anymore. I'm starting to believe in myself and it's working - the weight's coming off.
I found other articles on the web that support what I think. And I am feeling sorry for all the gullible, overweight people who are still struggling with their weight and who listening to the lies of called "experts".
I've realised that these "experts" have an agenda. They are trying to make people feel guilty for something their physiology controls and not them. They say such things as your statement which I have copied below - another example of the kind of propaganda that is causing this plague of obesity.
"Skipping a healthy breakfast doesn't give you free license to gorge on crisps and biscuits before lunch."You should be ashamed because those words just cause gullible people to make it harder on themselves by trying to eat a breakfast they clearly don't need and then feeling horrible because they can't stop eating for the rest of the day because of the breakfast.
All this because of stupid, brainless, unproven, irresponsible claims such as yours above. Those words are mis-leading and encourages self loathing and dependence on so called "experts" who are only interested in selling us gym memberships and diet products.
There is another way.
You are wrong and I am right and you're all about to lose your corner of the market.