Feast or Famine

For many people, a day of eating is either feast or famine

When it comes to dieting I’ve noticed an odd trend with some people. It seems to be a mentality of feast or famine, let me explain.

Do you or someone you know approach the day from the standpoint that if you’re going to eat ‘good’ or on your diet for the day then you can’t have even 1 indulgent food item that day, it’s got to be 100% strictly on the diet program.

And on the flip side, the minute you have 1 ‘bad’ item like a slice of pizza, well the flood gates are open and you might as well finish the pizza and follow it up with a pint of ice cream too.

It seems that some people view eating this way. It’s the idea that if you’re going to eat one ‘bad’ thing today then you might as well just crush a bunch more ‘bad’ things for the whole day. On the flip side if you’ve managed to start the day off eating ‘good’ food or the right foods for your diet then you’re having a good diet day and you try to keep that day going with more good food choices. Making it to the gym for a workout also contributes to this. If you make it to your workout that keeps you on track, but if you skip the workout then all bets are off and you’re heading to McDonalds for a double big mac.

The choice seems to be one of two extremes. It’s either salads and a workout, or no workout and pizza and ice cream.

This of course is a false way of looking at it, but it seems to be a trap many people fall into.Combining the two is the only way to make weight loss manageable for the long term.

John

Posted by johnbarban in Weight Loss
Tags: diet, weightloss |15 Comments

15 Responses to “Feast or Famine”

  1. Jonathan Says:
    April 28th, 2010 at 10:54 am

    John, I completely agree that combining the two is necessary for long-term diet success. I think most people have such a strong “good food/bad food” dichotomy in their thinking that it is all or nothing, good or bad. I used to try to do this before I came across you and Pilon…I would say, “No sugary sweets, no chocolate, etc.” for a week or for a month. But it was too hard to be deprived in that way. I always ended up eating my beloved chocolate and blowing the diet.

    But now that I’ve broken that dichotomous thinking pattern, I know that one piece of chocolate after dinner or a piece of strawberry pie for breakfast won’t kill my diet…AS LONG AS I compensate for those calories by eating less of something else. By eating less overall, but still eating foods I really like (chocolate!!! (BTW, my wife buys ME chocolate for our anniversary, not the other way around)) I am able to stick to my “diet” longer. Really, it’s become a lifestyle choice. And when one begins to look at it that way, it’s a whole lot easier than being on the dreaded “diet.”

  2. Jordan Says:
    April 28th, 2010 at 11:16 am

    Self-belief comes into play, as well. Before I started losing weight, I was very doubtful that I could practice moderation. I debated this within myself. Should I abstain from my favorite foods, or practice moderation? I honestly thought that abstaining could be more a realistic approach than moderation. That’s how much I didn’t trust myself around food! But when I finally started losing weight, I realized that practicing moderation was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Today I weighed in at 222 pounds, 33 pounds less than where I started. :-)

    Someone who has trouble with self-control around food is naturally going to find it hard to believe that they can do so much better. But they can. I was a pretty bad case in terms of poor self-control around food, so if I can do it, I know that many others can do it, too. We just don’t trust ourselves to be able to do it, or we haven’t fully committed to it and put in a full effort yet.

  3. Cooper Says:
    April 28th, 2010 at 11:34 am

    John,

    Do you think there’s a problem with having complete pig-outs if you control calories over the long term? A few of my friends and I tend to eat a ridiculous amount of food at the weekend but I compensate by eating hardly anything during the week.

    A typical Friday night meal for me would be a 14″ pizza, entire tub of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, large bar of chocolate and maybe half a pack of Pringle’s. I can still lose weight doing this a couple of times per week.

    Cooper

  4. Lou Says:
    April 28th, 2010 at 11:38 am

    John,

    There’s probably a psychological/physiological factor here as well. Sugar, fat, and salt, the three ingredients that tend to dominate so-called “junk food” have specific affects on the brain, don’t they? (Forgive my ability to cite the specific research.)

  5. Al Says:
    April 28th, 2010 at 11:52 am

    But that seems to be the hard part for me, combining the two extremes to fit in my lifestyle.

  6. Wood Says:
    April 28th, 2010 at 12:13 pm

    damn so true again lol

  7. johnbarban Says:
    April 28th, 2010 at 12:25 pm

    Jordan,

    Awesome progress so far, keep it up, you’ll get there.

    This is actually going to be a chapter in the new book. I’ve figured out why people view things this way and it’s something rooted in our subconscious. This will probably be the most revealing chapter in the whole book.

    JB

  8. johnbarban Says:
    April 28th, 2010 at 12:26 pm

    Lou,

    I’m on it and I’ll be writing about this in the new book. This is something that cuts to the heart of the matter with food and weight loss and this is what we should be focusing on rather than good and bad foods list.

    JB

  9. johnbarban Says:
    April 28th, 2010 at 12:28 pm

    For everyone reading,

    The new philife podcast is up at http://www.phi-life.com

    This one is about loose skin after weight loss and what can be done about it.

    We also get into a discussion about body water and how it affects the look of muscles and being lean

    JB

  10. Jordan Says:
    April 28th, 2010 at 12:58 pm

    Thanks, John. Still got a ways to go (I assume 40-45 pounds,) but I’m very pleased with the progress so far. Almost halfway there!

  11. Robert Says:
    April 28th, 2010 at 1:31 pm

    Odd as such a view may be to you, it’s what I utilized to lose 135 lbs total. I don’t know how some define long term, but I’m 9 years since the day I started losing and I still maintain that mind-set.

    That said, I see two things with this topic and what commentors have said.
    1- Allowing little bits in of “bad” foods ONLY works in the long and short term IF they account for them. If not, then those “bad” foods will stop the progress or maintenance. Damn near most people I have discussed this with over 9 years do NOT account for them.
    2- Self-selection is key here. All-or-nothing works only … if you are an all-or-nothing kind of person. Moderation works only … if you are a person capable of handling moderation. I think the key is what you have said on podcasts before. Just. Find. What. Works. FOR YOU. Of course one method (note I said “method” and not “mechanism”) will not work for every person every time. Wasting time and effort on a method that just is not working is ridiculous. If you can’t handle all-or-nothing…then don’t do all-or-nothing! If you can’t handle letting in one morsel because it causes you to fly off the handle…then don’t let one morsel in! As you’ve said, find the method that works for you and do it. And, be honest enough with yourself to admit when it doesn’t work for you. Wasting half a year on a method (or claiming to but never really doing it) that isn’t working is ridiculous.

    I look forward to the phi-life podcast. Believe me, I have been thankful for how little loose skin I have after losing 135 lbs, but I do still have a little and I’m interested to hear what you have to say.

  12. Jenny Says:
    April 28th, 2010 at 1:58 pm

    I am definitely caught up in this trap and working hard to try and get out of it. Extremest is my middle name. I am working on moderation, but will take Robert’s advice in that if I can’t handle moderation then I will have to do what works for me.

    I can’t wait for your new book!!!

    J

  13. Maro Says:
    April 28th, 2010 at 3:07 pm

    John, there was a really good article sometime in March about the “salt-sugar-fat” in junk food, very interesting read:

    http://www.bcnn6.com/2010/03/obesity-the-killer-combination-of-salt-fat-and-sugar.html

    I would definitely like to see your take on it. Good luck with the book!

  14. Jason Says:
    April 28th, 2010 at 4:57 pm

    Awesome, John! You guys did a podcast on body water and how it affects your look. I can’t wait to listen.

    If someone falls into the “feast” mentality with trigger foods, do you think it’s practical to remove all trigger foods from their immediate environment (even if there is a little extra effort associated with going out and getting more)?

  15. Dan Says:
    April 28th, 2010 at 6:22 pm

    I fall into the eating trap on occasion. I eat some pizza, so I might as well polish off a huge bowl of ice cream and a plate of fries.

    Luckily those days are few and far between.

    Dan

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