3 3
3 2
This is how primitive man ate, a good indication that it is the way nature intended. Most of us
have been conditioned to eat when it’s time to eat: lunchtime, dinnertime, breakfast. But the tru t h
is that it is far more natural to eat when you’re hungry . That means t ruly h u n g ry, not just craving
food. As much as possible, try to follow this simple but powerful principle of eating.
The second timing principle - to stop eating when you’re no longer hungry - is also very
p o w e rful, but may contradict some childhood training. Remember “ E a t ! C h i l d ren are starving in
India/ Somalia/wher e v e r...”?
That may be true, but it is certainly no reason to stuff yourself. Childhood lessons are not always
good ones. The most natural time to stop eating is when you’re full, which is, surprisingly, not what
most of us do. This principle means that you should stop even if 95% of the food is still left on your
plate or if only 5% is left. It doesn’t matter. The amount of food on the plate is of no importance; it
is completely arbitrary and irrelevant to your body’s needs. What is important is only how you feel.
If you’re satisfied... if the hunger is gone... STOP.
If you can master these two basic eating concepts, you will, to a large extent, master your
nutritional and weight situation fore v e r.
Restaurant Eating
This is a particularly troublesome area. Restaurants, for some unknown reason, love oil. Even
simple salads are drowned in truly r i d i c u l o u s amounts of oil. This abuse of oil is the single biggest
p roblem with eating in restaurants.
Food freshness is also an area of concern. Fish, poultry and meat, in descending ord e r, are most
likely to be problematic. Be careful. Ask plenty of questions, particularly about freshness. If there
is any reason to believe your food is not fresh, order something else, or leave.
When ordering in a restaurant follow these simple ru l e s :
• Always ask how much oil is in the dish(es) you wish to ord e r.
• Insist that the dish(es) you want be made with n o oil, or at worst, a very small amount.
• Refuse any offer of sprinkled cheese to go over your food.
• O rder salads with vinegar dressing only, or lemon wedges that you can squeeze onto the salad.
If you must order dressing from the house, get one that s e p a r a t e s , like vinaigrette, so that
you can pour off the oil that floats on top, using only the tasty part below the oil. Or bring
your own, healthful salad dre s s i n g .
•
Never order anything that is deep fried! Remember to ask about this, because there are many
m o re foods that are deep fried than is obvious from most menus. For example, Italian
restaurants often deep fry their “eggplant parmigiana”. You must a s k, and avoid all foods
that are so pre p a re d .
• Avoid creamy foods. Many dishes that are normally pre p a red with cream are just as tasty
without it. Ask the kitchen to pre p a re it the way you want it.
• O rder a salad first, the larger the better, and ask that it be brought out immediately. Avoid the
o i l y / c ream dressings, and eat the salad as soon as it comes out. This will help “take the edge
o ff” your hunger, help you resist the temptation to eat those unhealthful white flour rolls and
b u t t e r, and get you started in the right dire c t i o n .
• Try to resist the temptation to order dessert. If you must do so, get one that is as close to “re a l
recognizable food” as you can get. A cup of fruit, or a fruit tart may do. In any event, avoid
the creamy cakes and pies.
• In general, do not be afraid to ask for what you want. If they say “no”, say “good-bye”.
T h e re are plenty of restaurants that will be only too happy to accommodate you, so don’t put
up with anything less than what you know is right for your body.
Cheating (Indulging)
OK, we all know you’re going to do it. Nobody’s perfect.
T h a t ’s why we use that well-worn euphemism... “indulging”, instead of “cheating”.
The secrets of success are :
( a ) Use the tips outlined below to help STOP your cravings, and thereby your cheating!
( b ) D o n ’t “indulge” too often, and
( c ) If you d o cheat, choose ways that are not so bad for you; i.e., minimize the damage.
T h e re is no quota for “cheating”. We urge you to strive for perfection. If you find yourself
succumbing once in a while, consider it cheating, not your “quota of bad stuff for the week”. Yo u
should always strive to reject your old, bad ways — to renew your dedication to yourself and to the
new body and health you are determined to achieve.
But if you are going to cheat, at least don’t eat a l l of whatever you’re cheating with. Leave some
to throw out. That way you’ll get in the habit, and someday you may find yourself throwing it out
b e f o re you eat it!
How to Prevent and Stop Cravings
1) BREAK THE CYCLE!
• Food quality: This is the most important factor you can change in the area of negative food
cycles. Avoid all junk food. Avoid all foods that trigger cravings. Avoid all added highly
p rocessed foods. Eat real, recognizable food.
Summary of Contents for Power Gym
Page 20: ...Notes...
