Losing Weight The National Geographic Way; The How-To Guide

G'day Groovers.

Sorry for the lack of input and inspiration over the last day or two; slack really. Dock my pay. I deserve it.

Things at the Harperdome, the new kids gym (Gecko), the corporate speaking world and radio-land have been somewhat frantic and demanding. Sometimes the realities of being a business owner, the boss of a bunch of people and Mr. I-can-do-fifty-things-at-once.... is just way too grown-up for me.

Sometimes I'm so mature and responsible, I think I'm becoming my Dad. Bugger.

Hi Ron.

I've been suffering from Blogger withdrawal today... so I thought I best put pen to paper...er, finger to keyboard.

So it seems that the article on the National Geographic Diet (my tongue-in-cheek description of instinctive eating) has generated some significant interest. For those of you who missed the piece, I explored the crazy dietary notion of not following any set eating plan (times, amounts, RDI's), but rather, learning to listen to, interpret and act upon the signals our body is constantly giving us; the signals we've so effectively trained ourselves to ignore over the years.

The physiological signals which tell us wacky things like: STOP EATING YOU DON'T NEED THIS! The signals which clearly tell us (when we choose to listen) what our body does, and doesn't need (in terms of food).

Not to be confused with the emotional and psychological urges and desires which tell us every five minutes that we need to medicate, sooth or reward ourselves with another unnecessary, indulgent, high-calorie 'prize'.

If you missed the article you can check it out here.

Okay, for those of you who want to re-connect with your body, learn something about yourself and give the instinctive eating thing a crack, here are my thoughts, ideas and suggestions (I would say rules but then I sound bossy.. and we really shouldn't have too many 'rules' when the very thing we're trying to do is listen to our body and let it tell us what to do).

1. Before you start your 28-day journey collect some base-line data. In other words; measurements and photos. Body-weight, girth measurements, body-fat percentage and a visual record (photos) are all good ideas. Remember; it's almost impossible for you to be objective about you.... so the pre and post-program testing helps us get some real perspective and objectivity about the worth of the concept we're exploring (in this instance; instinctive eating).

Enough geekiness? Okay.

Unfortunately, we need to get a little scientific and quantify things as much as possible. For the program evaluation we want to take out opinion, estimation, guessing and simply assess the results.

2. Length of Program and start date. The length of our little research project is 28 days and you can start any time you like up until January 1, 2007... Then I can get your results, feedback, ideas and thoughts by the end of January. I will write up my report on my (personal) experience as well as provide an overview of the group results, vibe and feedback.

3. Keep a diary. Yes it's a suggestion... but consider it a strong suggestion. We know there are no 'rules' here at RYL (Renovate Your Life) but seeing as we're trying to conduct a pseudo-scientific study, we best document some stuff and look like we know what we're doing. Record EVERYTHING which will have some bearing on the outcome and be specific and thorough. What you eat, when you eat it, how much you eat, fluid intake, exercise, moods, hunger levels and sleep patterns (time to sleep, time awake).

For example: don't write in your diary - Breakfast: cereal (not enough info).

Instead, write Meal 1: (7.05am, very hungry) - 1 cup of oats, 1 cup of skim milk and 1 small banana. Meal 2: (10.45am, hungry) - 1 apple, 1 peach and half a cup of low-fat yoghurt... and so on. What we're trying to do is establish what works best for your body, and when we diarise everything we collect lots of valuable information, which over time will tell us what works best for us.

3. Don't eat until you're hungry. No matter what. The point of this study is for us to listen to what our body is really telling us and for us to learn what is optimal eating for our body. While I'm not going to tell you what to eat, or when to eat, I do suggest that you keep your intake of refined and processed foods to a minimum for the 28 days as they can mess with your blood-sugar, which often results in cravings. When we experience blood-sugar-related cravings, we often mis-interpret those signals for hunger and overeat.

And get fat(ter).

4. Size of meals. Again, a suggestion.. smallish meals is usually the best option. Spend time establishing what is the best portion size for you. Typically, it's better to eat a small meal at 8am (for eg.) and another small meal at 9.40am if you're hungry again. Eating a huge meal at 8am and then nothing till February ain't a great plan. Better for digestion, blood-sugar, energy levels and metabolic function to stick with the smaller (more frequent, if necessary) meals. Not always practical, convenient or easy (we're about results and learning; not easy), but you're better to have seven or eight very small meals than one or two whoppers. However, if you do eat a big meal (not illegal in most states) then listen to your body....it will tell you when next to eat. Having said all of that, you may find you're weird and you function great on two bigger meals per day. Remember there ain't no rules, no absolutes and it's all about you listening to your body and seeing what works.

You might eat four pounds of cheesecake on Monday (there's an idea) and a cow on Thursday ....and feel great.

Doubt it.

5. Warning - Do not get involved in this trial if you have a pre-existing medical condition which could be exacerbated by a change in your eating habits. Diabetics, kids, people with eating disorders and pregnant women are just a few who should give this a miss. If you're not sure, see your doctor.

6. Change how you think - A lot of people who change the way they eat struggle simply because they weren't mentally or emotionally ready for the transition. Their body is fine but their head feels a little (nutritionally) neglected because they are accustomed to eating a certain (different) way. If you go into the process with the "I'm-a-martyr-and-I'm-making-a-huge-sacrifice" attitude, you'll last five minutes, you'll hate the process and you'll annoy the crap out of everyone within five miles. Focus on what you're gaining and learning; not what you're missing out on and before you eat every meal ask yourself this question: "Do I need this... or want this?"

7. Make sure you get enough micro and macro nutrients. If you think your body is telling you to eat nothing but donuts, there's a fair chance you're not listening properly... or you're listening to your head, not your body.

8. A Reward? Everyone who completes the 28 days, sends me a before and after photo and a brief report (no more than 250 words) will receive a RYL T-shirt... we will (okay, Johnnie will) set up a new section on the site and post your photos and report (we can omit the photo if you like). Then other people can learn from your experience... that's what we're about. Please ensure that you send us legitimate pre and post program photos.. we don't want photos taken two years apart!

9. Be organised. While we don't want our life to revolve around food preparation, organisation or consumption for these 28 days, it is important to be organised when it comes to your meals. This means having quality food available when you are hungry. Planning and Tupperware; the keys to success! Finding yourself in a situation where you're hungry with no access to quality food ain't what we're after.

10. Get going! Okay, off you go. Get organised, get your head where it needs to be, plan, prepare, change your body for the better, learn something and tell us about it.

If you have any questions post them on the comments section and I will answer them as quickly as possible.

P.S. It's a few hours later now and I just got back from doing my Saturday radio show.

I interviewed one of Australia's most respected dieticians, Glenn Cardwell and ran the whole instinctive eating concept by him on air ... He's of the opinion that the whole 'listening to our body and eating accordingly' thing, has plenty of merit. Smart man.

His latest book; Gold Medal Nutrition (edition 4) is a great read and provides lots of quality information with no B.S. Love that. Check it out if you get the chance.