The Hardest Part About Eating…
Dietary and exercise programming are the 2 most used interventions I use in my practice, in addition to the use of physical and manual therapies. Exercise programming involves an assessment of disability as well as ability. The outcome of an accurate assessment allows for an effective program to be designed that avoids triggering present injuries while maintaining function in other areas. Physical fitness and ability needs vary between individuals and their day to day function. Dietary coaching usually addresses inflammation control, macronutrient intake (like carbs, fats, and protein portions), and micronutrient prescription to address clinical symptoms. Portion control, food choices, and nutrient timing are some of the issues addressed in dietary coaching, and are by far a much more difficult area to adopt compared to exercise programming. Here’s why…
Exercise may be hard, but its temporary. You may need to be coached through a movement or a specific motor skill, but as difficult as it could be, the feeling is transient. Good coaching in this area is necessary during injury or rehabilitation to avoid unnecessary or extraneous harmful movements.
Exercise might be inconvenient, but once its done...its done. You might be pressed for time, or have to put in time, but once its done during the day, the task is complete and you just wait for the results.
Exercise can be done with others to be more fun and challenging. You can do it alone, with a coach, your therapist, or a friend. Either way, you can exercise with others and make it less arduous and monotonous.
Unlike exercise, eating is an ALL DAY choice. You might be faced with a hundred different opportunities to eat throughout the day...at home, at work, during meal time, snack time, boredom time, driving time...you name it! You can potentially eat all day if you wanted to, but most people don’t spend all day exercising. You might exercise once a day to every other day, but you can eat all day! This can be exhausting and complicated by addictive behavior, temptation, and lack of information.
Addiction to food is more common than exercise. The combination of smell, taste, and presentation of foods influences one’s appetite. An entire industry for food photography and media production validates this point, but it’s only the beginning! Food advertising is merely trying to get the food into your hands and eventually into your mouth. Once you have tasted the food, a whole biochemical reaction takes place that include stimulation of the reward centers of our brain. This has a very powerful emotional component where food can trigger a feeling of contentment (and probably even guilt and resentment) if you allow it.
Our body longs after carbohydrates. Your central nervous system and your body’s cells have a preference for carbohydrates and sugar metabolism. It’s a macronutrient that is easily absorbed, digested, and converted into fats, and when you are fuel deprived and desperate, your body knows it can count on fast burning fuel sources like carbs to meet energy as well as emotional needs. Hunger leads to impulsive eating and poor choices. The trick is to not get hungry or “hangry” to control impulsive behavior.
Food is everywhere...in the virtual and the real world. How many times have you been able to access food and snacks over the course of the day? And how many food advertisements, videos, or a friend’s food photo for today? Food presentation and access is likely ubiquitous for many of us.
Food education does not equate to food choice. Honestly speaking, there are moments-even whole days, when I feel like having a __fill in the blank, because I don’t want to admit it__! If dietary change is to be desired and successful, the question to ask is “what does my body NEED now?” instead of “what does it FEEL like eating?”
Food choice is a difficult area for many people to control. You’re not alone. Foods affect our emotion and sense of gratification, and there are more factors tempting you for failure than success. Try not to get hungry, and snack on items like almonds, seeds, and non-carb sources to maintain blood sugar levels. That’s the hard part about eating…to eat before you get hungry! And by the way, don’t forget to exercise!
Dr. Adrian
