Thursday, September 29, 2016

Battle of the Bulge: When and How

Every once in a while, Luke decides to overhaul his diet. It is very tiresome. 

". . . and then instead of getting the [insert deep-fried high-carb junky food item], I get the [insert nourishing protein and non-fatty prepared vegetables]!" 

"No, REALLY?" I reply, head on table. That's it, then: I'm not preaching to him anymore, especially since he's going to take the credit for it anyway. 
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But you won't get off so easy. Read on. 

1) I'm an early riser, early to bed-er; my appetite usually awakens with the day, and shuts up by 7 pm. However, if I am thrown off my schedule, usually do to a joyous occasion that involves late-night partying . . . well, if I eat late at night then I am not hungry in the morning, and then I crave food later than I typically would. I then have to reprogram myself to the original setting. 

"You are when you eat," this article by Emily Laber-Warren echoes. Logic—and biology tends to be logical—would dictate that we only require calories when we need fuel. Ergo, consuming food, then going to that wonderful energy-conserving activity, sleep, doesn't make much sense. 

The article contains research that shows allowing the boch to "rest" (technically fast) for 12 hours nightly gives it a boost for the next day. The Rambam advocated such a rest as well, that digestion cannot be always in motion; the organs need a break. Waaaay before hitting the sack.

The list at the end of the article does take night owls into consideration; as long as 12 hours of no food is in play, the benefits are there. 
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2) I'm a J, so I'm always planning ahead. Planning my meals bring me great joy. 

Luke, however, is a P. He usually does not plan his meals. "Maybe I won't be in the mood of _____," is an oft-uttered statement of his, and yet we both know that hunger never saw bad food. Especially in the office. 

While I tote to work prepared lunches, he moseys out to take-out places. Ergo the head on the table. Fast food is not good food, that we all know. If the waist is a consideration, into the kitchen you get. 

“If a decision is going to be implemented immediately, we just care about the immediate consequences, and we discount the long-term costs and benefits,” Dr. VanEpps said. “In the case of food, we care about what’s happening right now – like how tasty it is – but discount the long-term costs of an unhealthy meal.”
On the other hand, when you order a meal in advance, “you’re more evenly weighing the short-term and the long-term costs and benefits,” he said. “You still care about the taste but you’re more able to exert self control.”
When one is hungry, one doesn't care. It's strictly short-term: Get me un-hungry. But when planning (in general), both the long and the short is taken into account. I love planning.
http://lakelandcamel.scene7.com/is/image/LakelandCamel/19646_1?$300$
I have one for milchig and fleishig.

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