Taking Off Ten: Changing the rules
Whether you've got 10, 20 or 100 lbs to shed, weight loss is hard. Taking Off Ten is about the journey to lose 10 lbs -- there's more to it than you think!Did you ever stop to notice how backwards our eating habits are? We eat little to no breakfast at a time when we haven't eaten for 8 hours and have the whole day ahead of us, and we typically eat a huge dinner, at a time when the day is winding down and we're settling down to be dormant for a period to time. I suspect this has something to do with much of the extra weight we're carrying around.
And, after much soul-searching, I realized a few other things about my eating habits:
- I eat according to the time of day, not whether or not I'm hungry. So, for instance, I'll eat a meal at dinner time, even if I'm not hungry, just because it's dinner time.
- I eat what's on my plate, even if I satisfied my hunger after the first few bites
- If, after dinner, I sit around having conversation and there's good food still on the table, I'll continue to pick off bites of it after I've finished what's on my plate, just for the sake of eating.
- I eat when I'm hungry, and only then.
- When I do eat, I'll take half a much as I usually do. After I've finished what's on my plate, I'll wait for half an hour before going back for more.
- I'll clear the table right after the meal.
- I'm going to eat smaller dinners and bigger breakfasts.
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America Takes It Off: Weekly Weight Loss #2_thumbnail.gif){kind=icon}
America Takes It Off: Wedneday Weigh-In #2
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-12-2008 @ 1:18PM
Vishaal said...
Congrats!!! This is great. This is what I do. I don't ever really have an actual dinner because I get home from the work/gym at around 7pm and I'm in bed by 9pm, so I don't have time for a dinner. I just have low fat milk and banana, or I have some fiber rich cereal. =)
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1-13-2008 @ 3:36PM
Martha Edwards said...
Thank you :)
1-13-2008 @ 1:17AM
Judy said...
My husband and I have very different eating habits, and it used to drive me nuts, until I stepped back and thought about it. He's never had a weight problem, so it's obviously working for him. I realized he only eats when he's hungry. I had to get over the notion of "family meal time," but realized we spend enough time together as a family that it's not a big deal.
I usually eat the bulk of my calories early in the day, and a fairly light dinner. "Lunch" - or the continuous meal that takes place in the middle of the day - is my biggest, usually. I also eat a decent sized breakfast, or I'm starved and overeat later. I periodically track my calories for the day, and so far today (it's about 2 p.m.) I've had roughly 1500 calories. But I'll probably have a small salad for dinner, and some fruit or veggies for a snack, so my total will still be about 2,000. (I'm still breastfeeding, too, so I'm burning a lot of those without doing any work for it - WooHoo!)
Anyway, I agree that a lot of our "food rules" and habits in the culture are backward and messed up. Where, exactly, did the idea of 3 meals a day come from anyway, and why do the meal generally get bigger throughout the day, when it should probably be the other way around?
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1-13-2008 @ 3:44PM
Martha Edwards said...
I know! It seems so silly. I recently reviewed a book on That's Fit about eating habits, and the author pointed out that eating huge meals before becoming inactive is exactly what sumo wrestlers do to GAIN weight! Yikes! If you're interested, this is the review:
http://www.thatsfit.com/2007/12/17/book-review-the-3-00-pm-secret/
1-20-2008 @ 5:00PM
Jimbo said...
Its almost been a week... how ya doin?
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1-20-2008 @ 5:02PM
Martha Edwards said...
Good! Thanks for asking. Here's the update:
http://www.thatsfit.com/2008/01/20/taking-off-ten-the-hectic-life/
3-13-2008 @ 12:26PM
B Brockus said...
Hi Martha,
It's easy to get 3-meals a day and snacks. Luckily, a friend of mine who is a Holistic Nutritionist sent me a link to an organic wholefood meals company. I have been hooked ever since. There wholefood meals can be used as meal replacement. I eat this one product that's called Phi Plus - which contains 45 different organic fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, etc. - you name it and it's in there. It's nutrient dense - which means it doesn't take a lot to fill you up. I make little baggies and leave them in my car and at the office. When I don't have time to prepare a healthy meal - I eat a baggie of nutrition.
Fruitilicious (contains over 11 different fruits) and Veggielicious (has a variety of 13 veggies) are my son's favorites. He's 5 years old - and he gets all his recommended daily allowance of fruits and veggies from those 2-products. No prep involved, you can eat them right from the bag. They can be added to yogurt, cream of wheat, soups or salads. If your looking for some awesome organic tasting healthy snacks to insure that your getting your 6-meals a day please check us out. www.bbrockus.wholefoodfarmacy.com
Be blessed,
Barbara B
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