The Mandometer: A plate that tells you not to eat so fast!

According to Brian Wansink, author of Mindless Eating: Why we eat more than we think, studies have shown that it takes about 20 minutes for our brain to tell us we're full.

The problem?

We eat way too fast... and can pack in a lot of calories before those 20 minutes are up.
Most of us rarely even feel full-and, as a result, have lost the ability to recognize when we've eaten enough.

Wansink refers to a study that found it takes us, on average, 11 minutes to eat a fast-food lunch, if we're eating alone (13 minutes at a workplace cafeteria).

The solution?

Slow down!

OR

Get The Mandometer!

This gadget, developed by researchers in England, is basically a scale, connected to a computer, on which you put your plate.
Throughout the meal, the user is asked to input how full they feel, re-educating them to become aware of these fullness cues, and measures the speed at which the plate is emptying. It compares eating speed with a "normal" speed, and will nag the user to slow down if they're eating too fast.

The Mandometer has been successfully used in eating disorder clinics, usually instructing anorexic or bulimic patients to eat more quickly.

The only problem I can see with this gadget (apart from it getting kind of annoying!) is that it doesn't know what's on your plate- mostly vegetables, or all junk food...

But interesting idea- I wonder if it'll ever become mainstream in helping people struggling with weight loss...

Check out this short video to see the Mandometer in action.

Diet Myth #2: Eating at night results in weight gain

No!

A review of the research indicates that eating late dinners or snacking at night will not lead you to gain weight faster. Rather, it's the total number of calories you eat in a day that matters... it makes no difference when those calories are eaten.

A 2006 study published in Obesity Research observed rhesus monkeys (supposedly an excellent model for humans) fed a typical North American diet for a year. The monkeys' eating patterns varied greatly- they ate between 6-64% of their calories at night. The monkeys that ate the majority of their calories at night did not gain more weight than those that ate more during the day.
Human studies have found the same thing.

That said, we do recommend you spread your calories throughout the day:
Eat breakfast to rev up your metabolism and break that fast and eat every 4-6 hours to keep your body and brain fueled and to regulate your appetite. If you do get hungry at night, stick with portion-controlled snacks of less than 200 calories- ie. small bowl of cereal, fruit, air-popped popcorn, yogourt, whole grain toast with peanut butter etc.

If you find yourself restricting your food intake all day and eating the majority of your calories at night, talk to your doctor. Night-Eating Syndrome, although not officially defined as an eating disorder yet, is a form of binge eating and is becoming more understood by the medical community.
Symptoms include:

• Little or no appetite for breakfast.
• Eating more than half of one's daily food intake after dinner. This behaviour continues over a period of at least three months.
• Feeling tense, anxious, upset or guilty while eating.
• Having difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep.
• Eating continually in the evening rather than bingeing in relatively short episodes.
• Experiencing guilt and shame from eating rather than enjoyment.

Today is International No Diet Day!

The International No Diet Day, started by British feminist Mary Evans Young in 1992, is a celebration of body acceptance and body shape diversity and a day dedicated to raising awareness of the dangers of dieting.


The Body Image Coalition recommends:

• Celebrate your natural size, eat well and be physically active every day
• Pay others a compliment based on something other than weight-related qualities
• Don't compare your body to others
• Avoid fad diets and eat healthily
• Help young people understand that the image of beauty portrayed in the media are not normal.

Sounds good to me!

Disappointment with diets shouldn't come as a surprise. I've blogged about the lemonade diet recently. There's the cabbage soup diet, the grapefruit diet, the Subway diet, the Scarsdale diet (promising 1 lbs weight loss a day!), the cookie diet. The list goes on. The fact is, you'll lose weight if you follow these diets... at least for a little while. However, the more restrictive the diet, the more hungry you'll be and the more you'll crave once-favourite foods you've given up. You'll inevitably "cheat", leading to feelings of failure and hopelessness and, in turn, you'll most likely give up on all weight loss strategies, including the good ones like exercise.

A healthy sustainable diet with lots of choices, few (if any) restrictions and no 'special foods' that's not only good for your waistline but for your heart, bones, brain, colon and psyche is what will help you meet your goals and keep you happy and healthy for a lifetime.

Part 1: What do Olympians Eat?

It’s Olympic time again- I’m very excited!

Seeing all these amazingly fit athletes always makes me envious of their amazing bodies and makes me ask.... what do they eat do be able to compete at such a high levels and yet stay so lean and cut?!

However, although I did find some information on what athletes actually eat (stay tuned for Part-2 tomorrow!), I mostly found stories of disordered eating and elite athletes starving themselves to 'lean-out' in order to perform better!

According to Carl Lewis, American track star, 10 time Olympic medalist (9 of them gold!) and who was actually vegan when he was at his prime: "most athletes have the worst diets in the world and compete in spite of that".

Even Carl Lewis admits to having starved himself to stay lean...until researching the matter and learning how to eat to stay lean and healthy while still having the energy to perform.

This is a bit surprising- you would think that elite athletes would be doing everything they can to improve rather than hinder their performance.

Athletes are driven, extremely focused people- even obsessive-compulsive, so it shouldn't be such a shock that they are susceptible to suffering from eating disorders. In fact, disordered eating has been reported by 1/3 of American female college athletes.

Kimiko Hirai Soldati, a 2004 American Olympic diver has admitted to having struggled with bulimia for 1.5 years before seeking out help. She claims that it would be hard to find a female athlete in a "thin-build" sport (one that requires a lean body weight such as gymnastics, diving, cheerleading, figure skating, synchronized swimming, dancing, wrestling, lightweight rowing) who isn't preoccupied with their weight.

World famous gymnasts Kerri Strug and Nadia Comaneci have admitted to having struggled with eating disorders as has 1972 Olympic gold medal winning gymnast Cathy Rigby, who's 12 year struggle with eating disorders caused her to go into cardiac arrest twice. Chrsity Henrich, a former world-class gymnast suffered from anorexia and actually died in 1994 at the age of 22 from multi-organ failure.

However, it's not just the athletes of aesthetic sports that are at risk. Allie Outram, a British runner that competed internationally for 12 years, recently published her memoir "Running on Empty" where she describes her long struggle with anorexia and then bulimia. Her weight went down to 64 lbs and she was eventually hospitalized. She claims with confidence that at one World Cross Country Championship, 4 of the 6 girls from the Great Britain junior women's team had some form of an eating disorder. This corroborates the results of a 2007 study published in the journal of Psychology of Sport and Exercise that found that one in five of Britain’s leading female distance runners had an eating disorder or had suffered from one in the the past, compared with just 1% of the general population.

The Frost twins, now 24 years of age, were considered among Britain's best prospects for track medals at the 2012 Olympics but last year revealed how they survived on just a few pieces of fruit a day because of anorexia.
Liz McColgan, British long distance athlete, has said that during her training for the 1988 Seoul Olympics, where she finished second, her weight fell to 98lbs, which probably cost her the gold medal. “I was so weak and undernourished that I didn't have the energy to sprint for the line,” she said.

The director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center recounts an urgent request from the woman's cross-country running coach to speak to his athletes after learning that the girls were competing at the dinner table to see who could eat the least. Some of these girls were running over 100 km a week and only eating a carrot a day!

In 2001, German rower and 1988 Seoul Olympic eight time gold medalist, Bahne Rabe, died at age 37 as a result of an eating disorder. In 2003, Helen Lee, British cross-country champion died at the age of 18 from pneumonia and organ failure thought to be a direct result of her long-term battle with anorexia. 41 year old American swimmer and 2008 Olympic hopeful Dara Torres, pictured above with the amazing 6-pack, has admitted to having suffered from bulimia in the past.

Even Canadian elite ironman Peter Reid, 10 time ironman champion, admits to having "somewhat of an eating disorder". His normal weight is 172-175lbs but his race weight is 10 lbs below that. To get to that weight, he keeps his fridge and cupboards empty so he won't cheat. He shops for each meal and often goes to bed with a headache because he's so hungry. He claims this obsession with weight is very common among runners, cyclists and triathletes and that it is necessary to compete at a high level.

According to Dr. Angie Hulley, a sports psychologist and former international marathoner, a relatively low body weight can be helpful for elite athletes. Being overweight can limit performance in many sports because the body is forced to supply oxygen to fuel surplus fatty tissue. When you're leaner, the oxygen goes directly to the working muscles instead, enabling faster and more efficient movement. However, the danger is that many athletes get caught up in the mindset that they need to be even thinner to be a winner. Dr. Hulley states that there is a thin line between an optimum racing weight and one that is too low, and it is easy to overstep the mark.

But how do athletes keep training when their energy reserves are so depleted?

According to Hulley, “The body has a tremendous ability to cope with calorie deprivation for a while,” Dr Hulley says. “Eventually, though, it becomes too weak to sustain the activity, becomes prone to viruses and stress fractures and has to draw on all its reserves just to stay alive.”

Sources:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=744765316519516434
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-02-05-women-health-cover_x.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52856-2004Aug9.html
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article4445180.ece
http://hope4eds.wordpress.com/2008/08/07/athletes-and-eating-disorders/
What it Takes: A documentary about four world-class triathletes' quest for greatness. WIT Group, LLC. 2006

The promotion of thinness is criminal

"Today I am fasting. No exceptions! I hope not eating does not affect my medication. Oh well, I refuse to eat because I am just too disgusted with myself. I felt like an absolute pig at prom. I will probably fast tomorrow as well. Any one have any fasting tips to keep up the energy?"

"I've been eating 300 cals a day for the past week, I've put a ban on fasting... I have like 60cals for breakfast, 70 for lunch then a 170cal dinner... but I feel like I'm eating sooo much. I don't want to go any lower because I don't want my metabolism to get shitty... It's driving me crazy, I could easily just have a 70 cal dinner and do 200cals a day, but I'm worried I'll start losing weight slower. Does anyone else eat only 200cals a day and lose at a steady rate?"

These are examples of entries that can be found on "pro-anorexia", aka "pro-ana" sites that give advice on how to lose weight,, how to hide eating disorders from family members and doctors, what foods are easier to throw up etc.

France has passed a pioneering bill that aims to criminalize websites like these that encourage girls to starve themselves. The bill would also affect fashion houses, magazines and advertisers that promote thinness. If the bill is passed by the French Senate, offenders would face a fine of 45 000 euros and 3 years in jail.

This follows other efforts to stop the promotion of an unhealthy body-ideal in the media:

In 2006, Spain required models to have a minimum BMI of 18 to be allowed to walk the runway. This occurred shortly after 2 models dies of anorexia-related causes.

In 2007, Italy banned an ad campaign for the fashion label Nolita (pictured in this blog) that showed a naked anorexic woman. The Publicity Control Institute rules that the image was in breach of their code of conduct that states that advertising must be honest, truthful and accurate and must respect human dignity in all its forms.

Dr. Hany Bissada, of Ottawa's Regional Centre for the Treatment of Eating Disorders supports the French bill and agrees that women with a BMI below 18 should not be allowed to model.

"I think it's a step in the right direction," he said. "It's not legislating weight; it's putting a minimum level of health for people to be able to participate in this industry."

Anna Wintour , Vogue Editor, encouraged designers to "consider athleticism and vitality" in the April issue of the magazine.

However, most of the fashion industry is not jumping on this bandwagon and remain skeptic about this new law and is even angry that they're being blamed for eating disorders.

Designer Jean-Paul Gauthier was quoted as saying: "This kind of problem cannot be resolved with laws".

Jeanne Beker, host of the Canadian Fashion Television, said: "I find it very strange that people are trying to legislate an aesthetic. We don't want to promote unhealthy images, but who's to say what's really healthy? How would it look if people over a certain weight couldn't be shown?"

She also says that this French law would be a form of censorship and points out that the images of models "are not to be taken literally" since fashion is supposed to depict fantasy, not reality.

The message is clear from the fashion industry- fashion is a business and it would not be profitable to have "average-weight" women selling their products.

Our society does have a preoccupation with weight. In Canada, at any given time, 70% of women and 35% of men are dieting. A 1993 Statistics Canada survey reported that of women 15- 25 years old, 1-2% have anorexia and 3-5% have bulimia. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of all mental illnesses, with 10% to 20% eventually dying from complications.

And regardless of what the fashion industry says, it's my opinion that the media's role in portraying a certain body image that many women (and men) go to great efforts to achieve, to the detriment of their health, is undeniable. It's very sad.

Sources:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7349607.stm

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080419.wthinNEW0419_2/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7053725.stm

http://community.livejournal.com/proanorexia

http://www.cmha.ca/bins/content_page.asp?cid=3-98

Orthorexia and Drunkorexia?

There's anorexia: Extreme restriction of calories combined with fear of gaining weight and body image distortion.

There's also bulimia: binge eating followed by inappropriate methods of weight control (purging) like vomiting, fasting, laxatives, compulsive exercise.

But did you know there's also:

Manorexia: The male version of anorexia.

Binge Eating Disorder: Obsessive overeating, especially foods high in salt and sugar, that doesn't involve purging or excessive exercise to compensate for the high calorie intake.

Diabulimia: Diabetics who avoid taking insulin in order to control weight. Despite the name, purging is not typically involved.

And the newest additions:

Orthorexia: An obsession with what is perceived as unhealthy- eliminating processed foods, fats, preservatives, for example. People with this condition can dangerously deprive themselves of needed nutrients.

Drunkorexia: Caloric restriction or bingeing and purging combined with alcohol abuse.

Drunkorexia isn't an official medical term, yet, but is being used by more frequently by bloggers and the media. It describes a phenomenon that's becoming very common- anorexics and bulimics that abuse alcohol. According to experts, this is a result of society's obsession with thinness and the social acceptance of drinking and drugs- partly due to the fact that rehab among celebrities is depicted in the media as being normal and even 'chic'.

Statistics suggest that 30% of 18-24 year olds, mostly women, skip food in order to drink more.

About 25 to 33% of bulimics also struggle with alcohol or drugs, according to a study published last year in the journal Biological Psychiatry. Between 20 and 25% of anorexics have substance abuse problems, the study found.

A growing number of researchers are examining the psychological and neurological links between eating disorders and substance abuse: does eating a chocolate bar, or bingeing and purging, stimulate the same pleasure centers in the brain as drugs or alcohol?

We're realizing that food can function in the same way as alcohol or drugs but that causes some complications with treatments: the response to addiction is abstinence but abstaining from food isn't an option.

Source: NY Times.