How to Use Food as Medicine
I used to have a self imposed rule of fasting during air travel. In other words, any time I was flying somewhere I would make that day a ‘fasting’ day. This seemed to make good sense as most destinations were either a conference or vacation or some other event that would likely involve all kinds of special eating occasions, formal dinners, buffets, catered conferences and meetings etc.
Having some water cuz I'm feeling a bit dehydrated
So I used the ‘bookend’ diet hack of fasting the day before and after each trip (ie: the two days spent traveling to and from said destination)
BUT this system has fallen apart on me because the airline industry and air travel in general is becoming a horribly stressful and dehumanizing experience.
Air travel lately has become more stressful, and so bad that I loathe the thought of having to fly anyway. (Delta airlines are currently the worst offender for me and I will NEVER fly with them EVER again)
And this brings me to the point of today’s post, and that is this: Medicating with Food
Food and the act of eating food you like is an enjoyable and calming experience. And my last few travel experiences have been so brutal that I embraced the concept of ‘medicating with food’ during those days instead of fasting.
Instead of forcing yourself to ‘stick to a diet’ or pre-plan every day of eating to achieve a certain body shape/weight goal, I would suggest fitting the stress/hassle/discomfort level of the day to your food choices of that day.
Gelato! Better than any medicine!
I’m not suggesting you use this advice as license to go to a buffet every day because you have deemed every day of your life ‘the most stressful day ever’. But be realistic, if you know next Monday is likely to be a really stressful day for you and the last thing you want to do is think about food/dieting, then give yourself the green light to eat according to your stress level that day, go ahead and have something that’ll help you get through that day (just be mindful of the total dose, but go ahead and have those comfort foods that help you get through these lousy days)
To be clear, this doesn’t mean to eat as much food as possible and stuff yourself to the point of pain, but rather don’t cut yourself off from any specific food choices that day. if you feel like a burger, then have one, if you feel like having ice cream then have it.
Having this psychological freedom to know that those options are there if/when you need them is likely going to help you avoid over doing it on these foods when you finally do have them.
On the other hand, when you’re having a low stress day and you’re feeling good and really on top of things, ride the wave of control and momentum and make that the day you really cut back on the calories and maybe throw in an extra workout.
The point is to match your energy and stress level with your strictness on dieting or cutting calories (if weight loss/maintenance is your goal)
You simply can’t be ‘on’ every day. Some days are just gonna suck, and those are the days that some chocolate, or ice cream or a slice or two of pizza are really gonna help you calm down, so you should totally allow yourself that flexibility.
Life throws you enough curveballs and bummer days as it is, trying to force yourself to ‘diet hard’ on those days could just drive you to snap!
Instead, allow yourself to ‘strategically medicate’ with food when you really need it.
For me it’s during air travel, I’m just a lot happier when I arrive at my destination if I can have some chocolate and fun food the days I travel.
What is your stressful/bummer days that you would like to allow yourself to ‘strategically medicate’ with food? Please share in the comments section.
John
17 Responses to “How to Use Food as Medicine”
Leave a Reply
Blogs
Getting in your best shape for women
Building the perfect body for men
The most flexible diet you will ever find-
December 20th, 2010 at 2:37 pm
The stressful days for me are probably the days when I am most physically active. It spend a few hours at sports I want to eat. I have no problem lifting while doing an ESE fast but a few hours of martial arts and I want to fill the tank during the breaks.
On a side note.
Obviously our travel experiences are different. I am on between 30 and 40 flights a year, mostly North America. I end up eating too much on the business trip in between those flights so I almost always fast, like you did as bracket days. It keeps in me away from the temptations of lots of food and booze in the airport. These temptations are even greater as I have access to the business class lounge (free booze in Air Canada’s Maple Leaf Lounges).
I have a few approaches to dealing with the stress of airline travel. Get to the airport with lots of time to spare, have an approach to the security check-in so it goes smoothly and practice being patient, off to the lounge if they have one and complete some low level work (cleaning up e-mails, reading etc). I get a coffee and a bottle of water before boarding the plane and again do some low level work done on there. I do not fret about arrival etc. as I have no control over it. The end result relatively low stress travel. Oh and I avoid flying through O’Hare due to traffic problems and in Canada never book the last flight of the day during the winter. YMMV.
Great picture BTW. Nicely done in B&W. That is the physique that I want to work towards.
December 20th, 2010 at 3:23 pm
aLowry,
Yeah I don’t travel enough to have become adjusted to it as a ‘way of life’ so to speak. I guess I travel infrequently enough that it’s a bit of a ‘shock’ every time I do and thus my stress about it rises.
I’m sure if I traveled more often I would have learned to deal with it, but for now it’s just a kick in the ass for me so I enjoy eating on my travel days cuz the past 4-5 times they’ve just been terrible experiences.
December 20th, 2010 at 5:18 pm
The last time I’ve flown was like 8 years ago. Is it true that airlines don’t serve food anymore? That was the best part of flying, haha!
December 20th, 2010 at 7:10 pm
John, can you explain to me as to how these guys on bodybuilding.com who go through similar transformations shed fat by eating 2500+ calories a day? Since I know you are all about calories in/calories out I always thought that they would need to severely cut their calories not add more on? I do understand however that they workout harder/longer than most people opting for typical 5-day splits and 4-5 cardio sessions per week. Are they truly burning more calories because of this combination? 2500+ calories seems steep to me don’t you think?
December 21st, 2010 at 1:20 am
John,
I must say you look great, one of the things I like about getting lean is how the face chisels out. What do you think about the classical bodybuilding proportions of arms = neck = calves?
December 21st, 2010 at 5:49 am
Hey, John.
I just wanted to share my experience as I have had problems with this, before.
Of course, as I stay in Singapore, the only times I engage in air travel are for vacations overseas. As such, I see it as thrilling and absolutely love the in-flght movies.
However, stressful periods often present themselves in studies and now work. I used to deal with them by bingeing and then fasting for days on end in an attempt to undo the damage I’ve done.
I’m limited in fasting as I have gastrointestinal pains if I go for more than a day without food. These arose from trying to go too long without food during those days. As you have mentioned in the past, fasting became another restrictive diet that I used.
Nowadays, I fast for 16 hours per day – a method popularized by Martin Berkhan – except that I keep my calories below maintenance and do not take BCAAs for fasted training sessions or make a point to eat high protein. This has served me well as I no longer feel hungry and deprived and get to eat and feel full every single day.
I deal with stress by moving as far away from the table, computer or textbooks as possible for a couple of minutes, looking far and calming myself down for a minute or two and then engaging in some relieving activities, like watching humorous shows like The Big Bang Theory or soccer matches or taking my soccer ball down to the field to kick around with it. Sometimes, I even go for a walk.
I find that such therapeutic activities help to keep my stress levels in check. They calm me down really well. I know that while Brad Howard is one for walking, you aren’t, but to each his own. I feel that engaging in fun activities instead of food for stress relief doesn’t make me stress out even more later about how many extra calories I’ve eaten.
December 21st, 2010 at 10:45 am
Agreed, food can help you with some big stress events a lot. Sometimes I have so much work and stress that I forgot to eat or that fasting comes handy, however sometimes the stress is so intense and I just have nothing to do or I have to wait for something, then the food medicine as you called it is a good trick to calm yourself down.
December 21st, 2010 at 12:35 pm
J,
Yeah I think those proportion measurements are likely pretty close to ‘ideal’, my neck and arms are similar and my calves need about another half inch or so to even those measurements out to all be equal. I guess it all fits on me.
It’s likely that the neck = arms = calves works on natural guys, but guys that are using massive doses of steroids can build arms far beyond what their neck or calf could likely be so they will eventually distort it as they become super big.
December 21st, 2010 at 1:23 pm
^ That is what I’ve been wondering; I read before that Androgen receptor density is more concentrated in the shoulder girdle and upper arms, which is why heavy steroid using bodybuilders may be proportionately different than naturals even considering the higher muscle mass.
December 21st, 2010 at 5:44 pm
Good point about the “chiseled” face, Jase. We tend to focus on our physiques, and that’s important obviously, but having a “leaner” face is wonderful, too. We can wear clothes to cover up our bodies, but our faces are what the whole world sees. If I had to choose between not having a double chin, or having a six pack, I would take the former.
December 21st, 2010 at 7:30 pm
So I’m currently down with a mild bout of flu. Not only has this stuffed my training, but I seem to have completely abandoned the paleo diet I’ve been sticking to with great success for just under a year (albeit with cheat meals every three days or so). Today’s carbs included croissants, chocolate biscuits, half a loaf of bread, hummus and also a paella. This feels like self-medication. Any truth to the old ‘feed a cold’ idea? Perhaps the carbs will ensure I sleep deeply and thus speed up the healing process?
December 22nd, 2010 at 10:09 am
John,
How would you go about getting that extra inch on your calves? My calves lag my other measurements, and I am wondering if it is possible to to increase the size of one’s calves during a cut down phase? Or must it be done by increasing calories after one has obtained the weight loss goal?
Also, is there any way to change one’s password. The one generated to me is extremely complex and difficult to remember.
December 22nd, 2010 at 11:36 am
Johnai,
An extra half inch on the calves? Train those bastards as much as possible, high reps, low reps, and everything in between. It’s definitely a muscle group that seems to be dominated by genetic predisposition and needs specific attention to get them to change. Most guys just don’t train them enough. I’ve managed to put about a half inch on them this year and it’s just from volume…I started to train them alot more, and do more cardio and other repetitive movement that also worked them on a daily basis. I think calves will respond to a mix of weight training and steady state cardio type training.
Most runners I know have great calves even if the rest of their body is otherwise ‘skinny’. So it would seem that calves respond to lots and lots and lots of reps even if those reps are just jogging/running, or 1000′s of calf raises each week.
Not sure about the password, can you try logging in an resetting it?
December 22nd, 2010 at 4:32 pm
John,
Thanks!
I am really impressed with your transformation, btw, and was wondering why you stopped posting pictures of yourself last December. I figured that perhaps you’d fallen “off the wagon” so speak and had perhaps put some pounds on. But it turns out the opposite is true, and these new pics really drive home a couple of things: (1) the truth of the message that it really is all about the calories; and (2) how dramatic the difference can be in the final 7- 10 lb. range. Your photos are incredibly motivating.
You, Brad P., and Brad H. speak the truth! I recommend your site to so many people. Most folks, though, really aren’t ready to listen to the logic contained therein.
Thanks again.
December 23rd, 2010 at 7:34 am
Hey John, do you have any ideas on how to trim your face down? It’s a tricky part of mine. Even when I was borderline underweight by BMI measurements, my cheeks were still quite chubby
December 23rd, 2010 at 9:27 am
@Clementinho
I know you’re asking John, but I’ll chime in… You can’t control where your body removes fat and when. Just know this, if you remove all fat, you’ll remove all fat everywhere.
Some people lose it first in the face, some lose it first in the thighs etc… etc. I’m just like you btw. I have to literally get ripped before I lose a chubby face. I used to think it sucks, coz people perceived me as chubby even when I was 12-15% bodyfat, whereas some 20-25% guys had lean faces so they weren’t perceived as chubby.
I’ve reframed it myself. Instead of seeing it as a curse, I see it as great thing… a motivator to be super lean year round. Those guys who have lean faces even at 20% bodyfat? They have one extra excuse to not lose the weight lol… Its like, well I look kinda ok in a shirt, and my face looks fine… ya… whatever, I’ll put off weightloss.
So take that face-fat-storage propensity as motivating fuel to finish your motivation to leanness.
January 4th, 2011 at 11:33 am
Good information. I also adhere to the philosophy that restriction causes cravings which eventually causes binging. I love the message you put out there and the truth you reveal. It’s not about grams of protien and kettle bells or some other super secret hormone that is being touted this week. It’s about hard work, consistency, and eating low calories. For the most part the lower the better when it comes to fat loss.