(relatively) Easy Diet explained (1) : Fears (6)

There was one fear I did not realize until I began the diet, and which is a concern for a lot of athletes. I am by no mean an athlete, but I hate this feeling : Weak and without energy.

Sugar crash. Even if you are not on a diet, you can get it...

.. In fact, you are more likely to get it if you do not pay attention of what you are eating.

People would think because you are not eating a lot you will feel weak. Wrong. it all depends on WHAT you are eating. In fact, sugar crash appends after ingestion of simple sugars (sweets, fruits, energy drinks, etc..) as you can see here :

As a matter of fact, most of the junk food are potential for a sugar crash. Ever felt hungry one hour after a
Big Mac ?

More insulin than is actually needed is produced in response to the large, rapid ingestion of sugary foods

A little bit, like "eating to fast", this phenomenon appears when the body overreact to high level of glucose in the blood, by generating to much insulin to store the excess. Issue is, too much sugar means too much insulin, means too much storage (fat creation), and let the blood stream empty.

For now, you just have to remember :

By the way, You wont have  sugar crash during exercise, even if you are eating simple sugars :

The Myth of the “Insulin or Sugar Crash” during exercise…

High Glycemic food favors fat storage and generate short term hungry feeling. Not good.

I am talking about you !

The success of junk food based on those mechanics, the more you eat, the hungrier you end up, kind of remind me the success of soft drinks or beers, the more you drink the thirsty you are, or the cigarette nicotin.

Junk Food Addiction As Real As Drug Addiction, But Less Cool

By the way, Salad do not trigger sugar crash ;)

Compare this to those !

New Training Weapon

After a couple of weeks of rental and trying different shape and size, I eventually got a Naish Hokua 9'0, officially to work on my core,  unofficially to have fun.

Happy Birthday !

And yes, it was my birthday present for my 40's. Thanks everybody who participated to the gift !

Still have issue on a right drop on a surfboard. Way easier on a paddle board.

Love this board. Got already double overhead sets on Thursday late afternoon. This weekend was a little smaller, still very fun.

Judge yourself.

Lanes. 4-6 feet. Clean once in a while.

BIg Thanks to my wife for those pictures !

Right, Left, Right, Decide. This one, I am not gonna make it.

Great week end overall, except the KSP did not start yet.

lay day number 4 at ho’okipa kite surf pro maui

Wind, no wind, you need a tool for every day ;)

(relatively) Easy Diet explained (1) : Fears (5)

My last fear was to be unable to eat some food I really like. Pims. Salami. Cheese. Red Wine.

Well, I guess it depends which kind of diet do you decide to choose, but overall, there is common truth:

If you eat well 95% of the time, what you will do with the other 5% does not really matter. 

No need to go crazy and become a zealot of the food. 

Here is one reference, relatively balanced:

I think you can go safely with this plan and do not count calories at all. I would swap proteines and fat  and keep carbs low, but this is another discussion all together.

Myself, I decided to count calories because I liked the idea of understand the food nutrition values. Now, I am still doing it out of an habit. I do believe that counting calories allows me to bends those "servings" numbers in any direction and still meet my quota. I do think it is important to count calories for Fat and Proteins and Carbs, because those food are usually richer than they look (certainly the fat ones), at least until you know those quantities well enough.

However my point is : I eat a little bit of everything. Nothing is Off limit. The only rules that really apply:

Eating, Tasting and Gluttony are three different things. 

There is the food you eat, the one you taste. No room for gluttony !

Sorry, there is no place for gluttony in a diet :)

(relatively) Easy Diet explained (1) : Fears (4)

Not cool.
Well, it was an issue for me. I always wanted to be the coolest guy in the world. I tried very hard, believe me. I did a lot of things I should not have to be 'Cool'. I guess we all have. On a diet, you cannot drink to much. I mean, more than a glass or two. And not every day. And that's not cool, in a society, where the social aspect goes through drinking, mostly.

Salute!

And you cannot eat everything too much. You may have to say 'No' when people ask you gently to server you again ... What ? You do not like What I have cooked for you ?

Yup. Not cool. And they are all jealous of you, Right ? Because you are doing it ! feeling better, looking thinner, in better shape that them. Then they will put you aside. You are not like them anymore.

Wrong. I was projecting on others what I would have felt before the diet, looking at someone in better shape than me. Envious. Not them. Me. Typical. Usually you fear from others your own fears that you project. Whats really going on ? They do not care, do they ? It is a free country. Don't want to get drunk ? Just don't. I realized that If i stop worrying about others opinion, there was really no issues.

Diet Crawl ?

Just be honest. Tell them, write a blog. Who knows. You may help someone to a step in the same direction. Now you will have a "diet" buddy. No more a "crawling bar" buddy.

Being honest with myself and with others, I found was the key to go over this fear of being rejected.

(relatively) Easy Diet explained (1) : Fears (3)

- Starving.

In fact, I almost never felt hungry. Really hungry. Feeling hungry is a good thing, it is a signal to tell you to eat. Then I eat.

Part of the diet was to reeducate me on the quantity of food I really needed. A good plate is a small plate. Really. Think about a fancy restaurant size's plate. Tiny. But usually just enough. I wanted to reach a balance were you do not feel heavy or sleepy after eating. Light digestion.

Here are my trick to never be hungry:

- Try to eat slow. Give some time for your body to feel fed.
- Eat small portions. ( In case you fail on the first point - which is my case, usually). At least, you know that should be enough.
- If hungry, eat a small snack. Avoid large sport bars (except if you are actually DO sport). Usually, those are are around 300-400 calories, which is considerable. I am targeting snack around 100 calories : One banana, one small choco-bar, one half avocado. one handful of almonds. You get the idea.
- Drink a lot. (no sport drink, try Coconut water instead). Lot of water.
- Eat more fruits and vegetable than fat & sugary food. They tend to fill the stomach more for less calories.

And frankly, if I have to go over my daily threshold for any reason, I do not panic and indulge myself.
This is for life. No Hurry.

Using those techniques, I usually can do with 3 snacks a day and 3 meals. Super roughly, that runs around 3x150 and 3x400 calories, roughly 1700 calories. Plenty of space for extra stuff and a glass of wine.

Good looking plate.

I guess you realize that 400 calories for a lunch/diner is not a lot. It is not. It is not a lot. It is just enough ;)

The key point :  More (Volume) For less (Calories).

More for less.