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Article: Eating Right?
by Phil Kaplan
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Eat Right and Exercise!!!
You've heard that more times than you'd like to remember. The next time you hear it you're afraid your head might start doing 360's as a ghoulish voice blares out, "SHUT UP! I know I'm supposed to eat right!"
We all know we're supposed to eat right. We don't want to ever hear those words again!!!! It's like telling someone to breathe. They know they must!
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Here's the challenge. Breathing is intuitive, it's the same for everyone, and it doesn't require very much thought.
Step 1: Inhale.
Step 2: Exhale.
Step 3: Repeat Steps 1 & 2.
Wouldn't it be nice if "eating right" were that simple.
I won't make any false promises. It will never be as simple as breathing, but the 21 Day Journey teaches anyone to make Supportive Eating a habit, and while at first it requires some new knowledge, you'll recognize that it's far simpler than many of the diet gurus would have led you to believe.
First, let's eliminate two words.
Word #1: Never.
Word #2: Perfection.
Why eliminate "never?" Because that word is one (and there are several) of the primary pitfalls of "dieting." You can NEVER eat your favorite foods! That thought process is a clear invitation to binge. I do not tell people what NOT to eat, instead I help them understand the concept of "Supportive Eating" with a foundation in the consumption of Frequent Thermic Meals. Don't worry, I'll provide you with some insight into what those terms mean.
As far as perfection, it's out of the question. I've personally worked with tens of thousands of people from deconditioned sedentary folk seeking improvement in their quality of life to the highest level athletes seeking radical performance enhancement and I can honestly say, not a single one of them stuck to "the program" perfectly! I don't believe perfection is possible, at least not for human beings. I do believe commitment is possible, but I have also learned that even with commitment we have to allow for those indulgences that are a part of what is aptly called "Human Nature."
By integrating "The Cheat Day," a concept I wrote about in a 1996 issue of Muscle & Fitness magazine, I found adherence was as simple as allowing for indulgence and dismissing the residual sense of guilt.
I'll define three terms I've already mentioned to help you understand what I mean when I suggest that my clients learn to "eat right."
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Supportive Meals:
I use the term "Supportive" to describe the type of nutritional regimen my clients follow. "Supportive Nutrition" refers to the consumption of meals that support energy needs, metabolic requirements, and preservation of lean body mass. In simpler terms, they're meals that support metabolism. Supportive Eating suggests consuming "thermic meals" frequently throughout the day, ideally every 3 - 3 1/2 hours.
Thermic Meals:
"Thermic" refers to generation of heat, and a calorie is actually a unit of heat. Your body is a heat machine, operating right now somewhere in the vicinity of 98.6 degrees. Every time you contract muscle (which is virtually every time you move) you combust fuel and generate heat. If you understand that simple concept, it follows that when our digestive systems act to move food along, to facilitate the breakdown of foods, and to faciltate the absorption of nutrients, there is a calorie "cost." Calories must be burned to handle the act of digestion. "Thermic meals" are supportive of metabolism, in part because they require the body to do a significant amount of digestive work. A thermic meal would typically contain a lean protein, a starchy carbohydrate from a natural unprocessed source, and a fibrous carbohydrate.
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The Cheat Day:
Pick one day a week, ideally the same day every week, and on that day throw nutritional rules out the window. Eat what you want to eat. That doesn't mean you have to wake up to the Feast of All Feasts and drown yourself in alcohol, milk shakes, and grease (yuck). Think of it simply as a day to enjoy whatever that little voice in your head asks for.
Want pizza? Nobody says that because it's the cheat day you have to eat an entire pizza and then order another. Just enjoy those treats you might avoid while you're trying your best to eat supportively.
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There are two outcomes that surprise people. The first is, if you "eat clean" six days of the week, when a scheduled Cheat Day brings sugar and fat back into your digestive tract, at the end of the day you'll feell miserable . . . and that's a good thing!!! You'll have put the cravings to rest and you won't want to even see those "cheat" foods, at least not for another week.
The second surprising outcome is, the desire to "cheat" lessens over time. Your tastes actually change. If you're new to supportive eating, and you love the sweets, the fats, or the treats, I know you find this hard to believe . . . but eat supportively and optimize the use of the ingested nutrients with exercise and you'll see. Salads begin to taste good, even without the dressing, and one forkful of birthday cake is "enough."
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As long as you understand what "eat right" means, and you begin to make gradual shifts that move you closer to the ideal, with a full recognition that perfection is not the goal, "supportive nutrition" becomes a welcome habit, one you're surprised you've waited this long to implement.
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