HAPPY NEW YEAR! Here's wishing you all the very best for 2012! I have been away for the past month overseas, the first part spending it in Dubai at the World Diabetes Congress where I presented my latest research, which was a fantastic opportunity. I spent the rest of December and early January travelling between the UK, Italy and France and had a good opportunity to think a lot about the different lifestyles, different cultures, different nutrition, what works, what doesn't work and why. I observed the people, the food, the daily activities and formed a mental picture and made some very interesting observations which I plan to discuss below. Of course it is now 2012 and hopefully many of you are well on your way to the New You (as is the so-called campaign in the UK [New Year, New You]). I only got back home late on the 4th of January and although I may not have started the year with my strong and bulletproof resolutions in place, I think, if you have a plan in place, then we are still good to go. I am still ploughing through my mountains of chocolate from belated Christmas presents and gifts, but I am not stressed. Stress happens when there is no plan, when there is no direction, no aim. My question to all is how much planning and forethought do you give to your resolutions? As I once heard
"If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!"
Whilst I am not saying this:
What I am saying is, preparation for success is key. While that may sound rigid and boring, you have to plan for change, alterations and deviations from The Plan and acknowledge, or better yet,
anticipate that you will probably in fact find a better way of doing something half way through. Make allowances. This is why you need to plan to plan to have reassessments at various points along your journey to a healthier happier you.
Before I go off on a tangent on this topic, my final words for emphasizing the importance of preparation are:
Success is when preparation meets opportunity.
To tie preparation into the topic of moderation, I felt it was important to start there because EVERY magazine, newspaper, blog and advice column is telling you the key to good dieting is moderation. So it's all good and well to write that resolution and prepare to
"Eat in moderation"
but what's the point of having that resolution if you don't know what it means? What is moderation? This is why I wanted to write this preparatory article to explain how I view moderation and how I have found it works for me.
I googled "what is eating in moderation" and the results were dismal. I don't feel like anyone explains it properly and it's this wishywashy phrase that gets thrown around but no one actually knows what it means. Some say, eating in moderation means sticking to the number of calories to maintain your weight. Some say, eating in moderation means eating healthily and knowing when you are full. I still don't feel like this is an ADEQUATE guideline. That's just more blah blah words thrown together to make some kind of sense but without any specific direction.
The best advice given for moderation seems to be when it comes to alcohol. The British Government alcohol guidelines state that moderate alcohol consumption for men is 3-4 units per day, whilst for women it is 2-3 units per day.
DOES ANYONE EVEN
REALLY KNOW WHAT A UNIT OF ALCOHOL IS?
1 unit is in fact 1 small bottle of alcoholic beverage (4%), half a pint (250ml) of lower strength beer or lager (4%) or 1 shot/measure of spirits.
2 units = a standard glass (175ml) of wine (12%), a double shot of spirits, a pint (roughly 0.5L) of lower (4%) beer or lager
So why are there no real set standards when it comes to food moderation? The scale that works for me is:
"One...or Two...but not more than Three."This is an easy concept to remember and can pretty much be applied to everything.
When it comes to coffee/tea and
adding sugar, I'd call moderation "One teaspoon, or two, but definitely not more than three.."
Same when it comes to
drinking cups of coffee a day "One or two, but 3 or more is getting excessive."
Treats per week - One or two but not more than 3. This makes it easier for dieters to have some leeway and freedom without getting bored of their porsibly restrictive diets and this also largely minimizes the chances of bingeing and giving up on the diet completely.
Alcoholic beverages - 1, 2 but not more than 3 drinking days/week, or drinks per day. Always a good idea to have some alcohol-free days of the week.
Red meat - One, two but not more than 3 times per week.
Bread - One, two but not more than 3 slices per day (if you're on a low carb diet) or sandwiches per day if you're not.
Fruit - One, two but not more than 3 per day. Say what!? Yes! Fruit contains a LOT of sugar and consuming more than 3 fruit a day, in combination with drinking tea with sugar and breads (which contain sugar), you will actually consume over the daily calorie limit of sugar/day.
Cigarettes - same.
This to me makes a lot more sense than trying to count calories or use vague terms like "Stop eating when you're full." It's worked for me for years and I haven't gained a single kg in 5 years and with my love for chocolate, that is seriously surprising! You really don't have to give up anything! Mastering moderation is the best chance you can give yourself of maintaining a successful dieting regime. Become too strict and you may lose a lot initially but you WILL get bored and you won't be able to sustain it - according to research more than 90% of dieters gain all the weight back, if not more. Being too loose with your diet and you may find yourself becoming unhealthy, more sickly, lethargic and generally heavier and unhappier with your image than before. VIVA MODERATION!
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