What’s Really Making You Fat? And How to Stop Eating Sugar
Sugar is a pretty messed up thing.
Just in case you missed part one of this series, the answer to What’s Really Making You Fat? is just good old sugar. Nothing complicated about it besides expansive research linking sugar consumption to heart disease, cancer, and yes, weight gain. Sugar is what’s fattening Americans, not bacon.
Unfortunately for those wanting to cut down on the crystal fattener, the only advice available is trite and ineffective. Eat Less Sugar seems to be all that people say when tackling this issue. They’re well intended words but it’s like putting a child in a locked room with nothing but a TV and telling him “Don’t watch TV!” No way you’d expect that child to make it through more than 30 minutes but somehow adults with full-time jobs, families, friends, and schooling are expected to be able to stop themselves from eating donuts even while surrounded by donut shops. Well more and more studies indicate that it’s actually almost impossible for adults too.
Research has shown that willpower isn’t some vast reservoir that you can tap into infinitely. It’s more like a muscle. You can flex it, train it, push it to its limits but at the end of the day, it gets tired, sore, and you need to give it rest. Spending all your energy resisting your urge for sugar foods leaves no energy for the other important aspects of your life. Thankfully, there’s a way to fix that and it boils down to two main principles: Out-of-sight-out-of-mind and the 80/20 rule.
Out-Of-Sight-Out-Of-Mind
This is the easiest step in the process and if you get this right, almost everything will fall into place even if you mess up here and there.
Out-of-sight-out-of-mind refers to the idea that if you don’t have sugary foods lying around the house you will almost definitely end up eating less. It sounds simple right? That’s because it is and let me explain why.
The human brain is wired for availability. We think of what’s available now and use that to inform our decisions. It’s called the availability bias. So when it comes time to eat, if all you have around are pints of ice cream, your brain will naturally want ice cream.
Brian Wansick, PhD, explores a very similar concept in his book Mindless Eating. We eat what’s convenient for us at the time. For example, one experiment found that just by putting M&Ms further away on the table, people ate less. Think about that, just putting a bowl of M&Ms a foot further away from you is enough to change your eating behavior.
So the fastest and easiest way, right now, to cut down on your sugar consumption is to simply throw away these types foods from your fridge or pantry. Things like:
· Cereal
· Ice Cream
· Candy
· Juice (Never Drink Sugar)
After that, you need to replace these foods with something else. Generally, it’s a good idea to eat nutritionally dense foods. Studies have shown that eating foods dense in nutrients will keep you more satisfied and stave off hunger for longer periods of time. This means eating whole foods like greens, sustainably sourced meats and salmon, and low GI types of carbohydrates like sweet potatoes and quinoa will keep you fuller and more satisfied. So foods like:
· Coconut Oil — Studies have shown the MCT fatty acids in coconut oil to be incredibly satiating and increase thermogenesis (more calories burned)
· Spinach, Salmon, Sweet Potatoes — These three foods are all high on the ANDI scale, require little to no preparation, and taste amazing
For more information on what types of foods to keep at home, I recommend a Paleolithic or Mediterranean style of eating (lots of veggies, good animal meat, and low GI carbs). There are lots of studies showing the effectiveness of these diets for weight loss, heart health, aging, and etc.
*If you have your own recommendations, feel free to share them in the comments.
Now if you can get this part right, you don’t really have to worry about anything else and that’s because of the 80/20 principle.
80/20 Principle
80/20, or the Pareto Principle, is the idea that 80% of your outcomes come from only 20% of your inputs. In business, this would be that 80% of your revenues come from 20% of your customers. In life, this would be that 80% of your happiness comes from 20% of the people around you. In nutrition, this would be that almost all of your weight loss comes from the choice of foods you have at home — not the time you spend deliberating while eating out.
What this means is that if all you do is throw out sugary foods at home and replace them with whole foods, you will see vast improvements in your health and body composition compared to if you were to follow some “green-only-low-fat-low-carb-low-happiness” diet. The reason for this is because the 80/20 design maximizes consistency on a daily basis with basically no mental stress or willpower. In other words, it allows you to work towards your goals without strenuous effort. It’s like goal achievement on autopilot.
The best part? You can eat whatever you want when you go out! You’ve already taken care of the biggest parts of your diet so why not splurge a little?
So many times we stress about the small issues in life that don’t actually make a real impact.
Does it matter that someone cut you off in traffic when you have the job of your dreams?
Does it matter that one constantly complaining customer left your business but the other 99% absolutely love your product and service?
Does it matter that you ate one piece of chocolate cake when you’re eating a whole foods diet packed with nutrients?
The answer is NO! So go out and enjoy your life.
Summary:
· Use the out-of-sight-out-of-mind principle at home. Remove sugary foods and drinks and replace them with whole foods (Paleolithic or Mediterranean style)
· As long as you’re following stocking good food at home, don’t stress about your food choices while you eat out. Enjoy yourself.
Last note: I love coffee and numerous studies have shown it’s powerful effect on neural stimulation, staving off hunger, and long-term mental health. However, did you know that coffee comes from the Coffeefruit? Coffeefruit is a powerful food packed with antioxidants and natural caffeine but was discarded as waste for a very long time. We here at Frontier Nutrition want to change that so we’re now working on a research-based energy product for office professionals, entrepreneurs, and athletes. For information on our kickstarter, join our mailing list for release dates and full product details.
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