Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink

Chai Tea - check out the Kashi GoLean bars if you're serious about the whole glycemic balance thing. Those things just last and last and last.

Of course, none of those things can be called edible. But they're sorta good for you.

Another good bar choice are the Odwala bars. No additives, tasty, and a great way to get to the next meal without running to the vending machine for empty calories.

Some know I'm off on a year long roasted veggie kick - dribbles of olive oil, take 'em out of the oven when they are starting to get burny. Eat as is or use in soups..

In fact I've a batch going now for this next week - quartered or eighthed onions, carrots (I don't buy those carrot turd thingies, I like the non bagged individual carrots, but there is probably no diff except that to some extent the (washed) peel is good for you; a garlic bulb, two green peppers and one anaheim chile, cut up, pith and seeds out. A batch of red potatoes, cut up. Sometimes I slice them, sometimes I chunk them, sometimes peeled, sometimes not, sometimes with some sage leaves...

I've done sweet potatoes, yams, fennel, yellow squash - failed to do this with a kohlrabi (of which I am totally ignorant) and had to toss it.

I don't give a hoot about glycemic loads or indices - I eat pretty well and am not stopping bunches of veggies or fruits with the wrong listed loads.. I can be snotty like this about food - I rarely eat packaged stuff, except for my one recent foray at the asian/international market, much of which I'm glad to have at this snow-in-albuquerque time, and rarely eat junk food - but I'm staying at my weight because of my lack of exercise. Tis weird, all it takes for me to get going is to start it and do it, whatever, a second day... but it's that first day I keep putting off. I'm aware this is stupid.

As for snacks in that last post, oddly, really, quite oddly, if you like them, there's nothing so tasty as a chewy piece of roasted fennel.

I've had the golean bars, personally don't like them. There are other kashi products I really like though.

I love kashi's cinammon shredded wheat.

The absolute BEST of Kashi's is their 7 grain pilaf.
I've never had it by itself, always add stuff to it while cooking. It picks up the flavor.
7 whole grains, all unprocessed, and it's really delicious. In fact, we had it last night in our shrimp scampi.

Weird, they sell it in the hot breakfast cereal section, but I'd never eat it for breakfast.

bookmarking.

Very interesting & timely, too, Noddy!

Bought the book yessterday, it's an interesting and easy read. I'll let you know what I think of the big picture when I finish.

JPB--

Very simple--but then so is self-sabotage.

My favorite humiliating insight was realizing that I was speed reading Mindless Eating while nibbling--and not enjoying--a stale pretzel.

I don't do that much unintentional eating. I think about what I eat and make conscious decision to scarf down a whole bag of potato chips I know as I'm opening the bag that it will be gone before I put it down. What I'm looking for is more help on ways to evaluate what I put on my plate, such as the 20% less, 20% more suggestion in the beginning of the book.

I haven't gotten to the part where I have to decide if I'm actually enjoying what I eat, or discerning if I'm actually still hungry. Stopping snarfing will be a major life change for me.

JPB--

I've found that taking a measured amount of chips--in my case what fits on top of a cream cheese tub lid--then sealing the bag with efficiency and ceremony and stowing it in a stretch-to-reach cupboard cuts down my nibbling.

After all, walking from my reading chair in the living room back out to the cupboard above the refrigerator is quite a hike in the middle of a good book.

I'm trying to make signals of satiety automatic. If I remember to nibble slowly, I have a chance of noticing when the chips cease to be delicious and then cease to be pleasant and then become fodder.

The stage after "fodder" is "fat cell".

Excuse me while I get up and move the grapes back into the refrigerator. Grapes will also grow into fat cells.

Interesting fact--which must be taken with a grain of salt.

Every "extra" forty calories requires 10 minutes of brisk walking to burn away.

Comments & Questions:

Right now I weigh 123 and Mr. Noddy weighs 213. Doesn't he burn more calories than I do by simply ambling across the living room floor? After all, moving 90 more pounds requires more energy.

When I stand next to the potato chips and visualize this "brisk walking" i find it more effective to visualize briskly walking in the heat and humidity of August.

Yeah, those numbers are based on an average sized person who burns 60 cals/mile at 3 mph. I think it's based on a 5'10" male weighing 180 lbs, but I'm not sure of that. Size and one's definition of "brisk" definitely matter.

JPB--

Thanks.

Thus far my best speed on a treadmill is 2.5--and I hang on to the grab bar in front for balance.

I'm guessing I'd be talking 5 minutes walking for each extra potato chip.

Would that turning pages in a gripping story counted as exercise.

I love this one...



Talk about mindless changes! 70 cals/day = almost 500 cals/week = 0.5 lbs/month just by drinking ice-cold water.

Very few people gorge their way to obesity--they nibble.

I've been thinking about Portion Size.

Yes, self-servers are influenced by the size of the serving dish and the size of the personal plate and how much the people around them are eating.

Take the hamburger roll--the commercial hamburger roll. Who determined that size?

I can remember in my childhood there was definitely a margin of bread all the way around the meat patty.

Now the meat covers the bread.

Further, you have the option of adding cheese and/or bacon and/or something fried and/or something crisp.... All of which go out to the margin of the bread.

I'm a short woman. I've found that a half a hamburger, two or three french fries and a little dish of cole slaw is plenty for me for lunch.

Perhaps I'll split a dessert with someone--perhaps not.

In order to make this obvious "discovery" I had to eat slowly and to pay attention to when I felt full. I had to ignore the "waste" of unconsumed food. (Sometimes the dog gets my doggy bag and sometimes I heat it up for my dinner). I had to learn to sit--without nibbling French fries-- while my companions continued munching.

Choices.

Learning to determine "portions" according to my size, metabolism and activity level.

Learning to ignore the communal grazing instinct.