Binge eating, food addiction, and athletic performance

I read The Hunger Fix by Dr. Pam Peeke with some interest. Sometimes I binge, making excuses about binge foods and what I'll do to mitigate the effects, and I feel horrible afterwards.  I would look at my tummy in the mirror and beat myself up.  I would weigh myself, sigh, and promise myself to be better. Although I didn't enjoy reading the book, it turns out that its suggestions have been effective and powerful for me, with some unintended consequences.  Instead of following the complete program, I used behavior modification techniques that appealed.  Specifically, I came up with ways to trigger dopamine and serotonin release that didn't involve food.  When I wanted to gorge, for instance, I would give myself a facial or roll out my muscles instead.

Not enough time has elapsed to say I am cured, but in two weeks since I've read the book, I haven't binged.  I've experienced common binge triggers that have precipitated a massive feed, such as the fact that it's Friday night, or the mere presence of more than one serving of cheese, but it hasn't happened.  In fact, I haven't been very hungry at all, abnormal in any situation. I didn't skip meals, but I cut my intake.  Very soon, I looked and felt great, how I always hope to maintain.

I competed in a kettlebell lifting contest a few days ago.  I trained hard, I reached my goal several times in practice, and I was ready.  When the moment of truth came, I wasn't able to finish.  I'm pretty sure it is because I hadn't eaten enough.

A Calorie is Still Not a Calorie

This short article from the Huffington Post gives a quick overview of some ways that a calorie is not just a calorie.  The extent to which a food has been processed matters, and even the mix of microbes that each individual carries inside their body.  Way cool thought-provoking.

Calories In/Calories Out? FALSE

More in depth reading re: what your calories are made of is more important than how many you get. The calories in/calories out model seems intuitively wrong to me. Included below is a reading list.

* Samaha FF, Iqbal N, Seshadri P, Chicano KL, Daily DA, McGrory J, Williams T, Williams M, Gracely EJ, Stern L. A low-carbohydrate as compared with a low-fat diet in severe obesity. N Eng J Med. 348:2074-2081, 2003.
* Sondike SB, Copperman N, Jacobson MS. Effects of a low-carbohydrate diet on weight loss and cardiovascular risk factors in overweight adolescents. J Pediatr. 142:253-258, 2003.
* Brehm BJ, Seely RJ, Daniels SR, D'Alessio DA. A randomized trial comparing a very low-carbohydrate diet and a calorie-restricted low-fat diet on body weight and cardiovascular risk factors in healthy women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 88:1617-1623, 2003.
* Foster GD, Wyatt HR, Hill JO, McGuckin BG, Brill C, Mohammed BS, Szapary PO, Rader DJ, Edman JS, Klein S. A randomized trial of a low-carbohydrate diet for obesity. N Eng J Med. 348:2082-2090, 2003.
* Yancy WS jr, Guyton JR, Bakst RP, Westman EC. A randomized controlled trial of a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet vs. a low-fat diet for obesity and hyperlipidemia. Am J Clin Nutr 2002;72:343S.
* Volek JS, Sharman MJ, G?mez AL, French DN, Rubin MR, Watson G, Sokmen B, Silvestre R, Judelson DA, Kraemer WJ. Comparison of an energy-restricted very low-carbohydrate and low-fat diet on weight loss, regional body composition and hormonal responses in overweight men and women. Int J Obes. (submitted)
* Goedecke JH, Christie C, Wilson G, et al. Metabolic adaptations to a high-fat diet in endurance cyclists. Metabolism 1999;48:1509-17.
* Bisschop, P.H., A.M. Pereira Arias, M.T. Ackermans, et al. The effects of carbohydrate variation in isocaloric diets on glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis in healthy men. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 85:1963-1967, 2000.
* Yudkin, J. and M. Carey. The treatment of obesity by the "high-fat" diet. The inevitability of calories. Lancet. 2:939-941, 1960.
* Arase, K., J.S. Fisler, N.S. Shargill, D.A. York, and G.A. Bray. Intracerebroventricular infusions of 3-OHB and insulin in a rat model of dietary obesity. Am. J. Physiol. 255:R974-R981, 1988.

Why Counting Calories is a Waste of Time

Many people ask me how many calories they should eat, how many calories they should cut, and often make comments about the calories in what we're eating or drinking. It is common to hear that you should figure out how many calories you're eating, then subtract 500 per day to lose a pound per week. Funny how that never seems to happen to the poor soul who tries it. Dr. John Berardi has a great article about this very topic.

What is a calorie? It is the measurement of the "fuel or energy value of food," according to dictionary.com. How do we know how many calories are in foods? It isn't an exact science at all.

Many people don't understand that this energy value is a measurement outside the body. Once a calorie is in our systems, there are hundreds of variables that can make the calorie act in any given way, including its chances for being used as fuel or stored as fat. Those variables include our age, sex, body fat percentage, sleep deficit, stress level, and any combination of hormones and neurotransmitters that result from the sum total of our state of health and well-being.

Sound complicated? It is. In my humble opinion, we will never figure it out.

What exactly do you need to know if you want to lose fat? A few simple guidelines will help. First, get enough sleep, preferably while it is dark out. Second, find ways to manage your stress level, whether it is yoga, aromatherapy, kickboxing, or talking with a trusted friend - whatever works for you. Those two factors alone will help prevent cravings for the wrong calories.

What are the right calories? They're real food, not edible products, including lots and lots of plant foods (thanks, Michael Pollan). If you see something on an ingredient label that isn't a food, put it back. In fact, avoid foods with ingredient labels, with few exceptions such as natural nut butters with only nuts and salt, or yogurt with milk and cultures.

Every couple of days, fill your refrigerator with leafy greens like spinach, kale, collards, all salad greens, bok choi, tatsoi, mustard greens, beet tops, etc. and eat them with every meal. Make sure you're getting your brassica vegetables every day, including cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli. Several of the green leafy vegetables are also brassica.

Are there any other vegetables you like, such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, celery, cucumber, radishes and many many others? Every few days, make sure they're accessible and prepared for eating to save time when you need it. A piece of fruit every day is a great idea. The best fruits to keep you on your fat-loss journey are berries of any kind, apples, grapefruit and oranges, and stone fruits such as peaches and plums. Avoid dried fruit because it concentrates sugars and often has sugar added.

Have a bit of meat or fish nearly every day. If you reduce portion sizes, you can save money on the good stuff: grass fed beef and bison, organic chicken, wild caught fish, cage free eggs, nitrate- and nitrate-free sausages or bacon. Read the labels on bacon - you'd be surprised at how many brands add sugar. Whole eggs are fast and delicious, and people like them at all times of day. Fish and seafood are quick, versatile, and a very satisfying food. More on this soon.