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February 8, 2006
Eat 80% Full
That's the Okinawans' oft-quoted piece of wisdom, and the text of one of MR's t-shirts. I considered it both yesterday and this morning as I ate my delicious, nutritious food to the point where I was satisfied but not stuffed.
I note that when I stop eating at the end of the meal I've planned, I don't feel as full as I used to by the end of a meal. I notice that about twenty minutes later I feel full... right about the time when before, I would start to feel uncomfortably stuffed. It really is true that it takes twenty minutes for the brain to register that enough food has been consumed. In addition to the "29 grams of protein before you leave the house" advice, I'd add that you should always wait twenty minutes before deciding you're still hungry.
Here's another thing I notice: if I wait to eat my afternoon snack until I'm really hungry, instead of eating it just at a convenient break in the day or when I start to think that some yogurt might taste good, I feel much less hungry before dinner time. That makes tons of sense, of course, as I end up eating a good two hours later than I would have otherwise. We're so programmed to eat based on the clock, social cues, or just boredom. It's not easy to learn to listen to the body's signals, but I suspect that people who lose weight successfully can credit listening for real hunger with keeping the weight off.
For those of us who do CR, it's a tricky proposition. We need to listen to the body to make sure that we monitor our health, know when we're losing weight too fast, and check for any signs of nutritional deficiencies. I know I'm not eating enough fat when my skin gets dry, or that I'm not drinking enough water when I notice my performance at the gym sagging. But when it comes down to it, CR is an "unnatural" lifestyle. It goes against biological programming to resist the urge to feed the body, and the body will say it's hungry even when it's had all the calories it truly needs to function. For us women, our bodies want to put on enough fat to sustain a pregnancy through a famine, even if we have no intention of ever becoming pregnant, much less during a famine. Even for men, it's "natural" to eat more: that's why we call it Calorie Restriction. It's not just a weight loss program -- it's about pushing the body to achieve and maintain the absolute best level of health it possibly can, and that means giving it fewer calories than it thinks it needs.
I've been having quite a few chats with my body lately about what we want to do with all this. I definitely don't want to be hungry to the point where it distracts from my work or other things I find important in life. But I don't find a bit of hunger subjectively painful, and the feeling of eating to 80% full vs. eating to 100% full, which feels like 20% *overfull* twenty minutes later, is definitely preferable. I don't like feeling overstuffed -- never have, never will. When I eat a perfect combination of nutrients, both macro and micro, I am satisfied on a cellular level that makes me *not* hungry on many fewer calories.
Caloric consistency from day to day has definitely opened up a whole new world of possibilities for my CR. It makes me understand that MR's fanatical consistency is not just one more sexy manifestation of his self-discipline (I am driven mad with lust at the sight of self-discipline -- did I find the right man or what?), it's essential for his level of CR. While I may never be quite so consistent as MR, at least not every single day, I have benefitted tremendously from the exercise of keeping consistent, so much so that I have cut my calories by 250 per day and I'm feeling better than ever!
How far will I push it? We shall see. The more I learn, through both research and self-experimentation, the more power I have to make my own choices. In the meantime, I'm enjoying the journey. I think it would have been boring to have just woken up one day with the perfect CR plan. Could have saved myself a lot of trouble and pain, but the thrill of discovery would be missed.
Onward kale-fed soldiers... marching to a dramatically extended life...
Posted by april at February 8, 2006 7:15 AM
Comments
i find it interesting that u r now using more calories per day (u profess now exercise), and consuming same number or less of calories without any ill effects. u have yet to blog as to how many calories u r burning in ur exercise, and whether the amount of exercise may be affected by energy levels due to calory consumption. migh also be interesting at some point to compare life extending benefits of exercise vs. cr or appropriate combo. seems little point to cr when couch potato habits lead to death by body deterioration.
Posted by: fb0252 at February 8, 2006 10:59 AM