On Monday I made reference to work done by a Cornell University psychology researcher Brian Wansink. His work uncovers the main reason why we overeat; we tend to eat with our eyes and respond to "food cues".

For instance, one example in which we eat with our eyes might be, "I can still eat if my plate  still has food!"

In a bottomless soup experiment that discretely refilled a soup bowl, subjects consumed as much as 73%-101% more soup than a control group that was presented with a finite amount of soup.  The variable group reported afterward that they didn't really feel full despite having consumed more soup. This was when Wansink realized there was more to eating than just being hungry or full.

Another example is the "My family made me do it!" excuse. Family can be interchangeable with friends, proximity, environment, etc. Every single one of us eats how much we eat largely because of what is around us. We overeat not because of hunger but because of family, friends, the packaging and plating of our food, the names and numbers, labels and lights, colors and candles, shapes and smells, distractions and distances, cupboards and containers, and so on. This list is almost as endless as it is subtle.  So beware of people who have candy in or on their desk.  Wansink found that those who did "reported weighing 15.4 pounds more than those who didn’t." 

How else can you avoid these pitfalls? What can you do to prevent overeating over the holidays and in everyday life?

1. Start by just recognizing that the presence of friends, family, and environmental stimulation may cause you to eat mindlessly. 

2. Be mindful of the portion and the quality of the food you select. Keep your choices to 2 or 3 items.

3. Keep temptation hidden or far away from you.  If it's not out (visible and easy to reach), it won't be in your stomach. Instead, keep fruit and healthier fare between you and your temptation. Make it difficult to get to that particular snack, either by placing it out of sight or far away.  Put a simple obstacle between you and your food nemesis. It is effective as illustrated in the Google example below.

In an experiment conducted by Google, M&Ms were moved from baskets to bowls with lids. The seemingly minor hindrance reduced the number of M&Ms consumed in Google's New York office by 3 million pieces a month.  This gives a whole new meaning to "put a lid on it!"

With that, I want to wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving from Roy Alexander Fitness.

If you are interested in reading more about the study cited above, check out Wansink's book, "Slim by Design: Mindless eating solutions for everyday life".

Did you know that Thanksgiving can be dangerous to your pets health?

The weekend after Thanksgiving is usually the busiest day for veterinarians. 

Why? Because people give their furry friends table scraps and those treats can be tricky for their digestive system. 

Here is a brief list of foods that may land Fido or Kitty at the animal hospital or the veterinary.

•Fatty turkey skin- let your guests know to be careful with these pieces because your dog or cat could end up with pancreatitis. 

•Onion and garlic can lead to anemia.

•Chocolate-covered coffee beans are double trouble, because caffeine is poisonous to pets, as are the caffeine-like methylxanthines in chocolate.  So no chocolate!

Here is an innocent one....

•Bread dough is especially dangerous, your dog’s stomach is a perfect medium for yeast, and the ethanol that yeast gives off can make your dog drunk and ill, she says. And the expanding dough could cut off its blood supply.

A more complete list of foods to avoid can be found here...the A.S.P.C.A. website

 https://www.aspca.org/

has a full list of people foods to keep away from your furry family member.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Excerpts from the NYT 

We eat for many reasons, surprisingly hunger is usually not the reason we eat.

We usually respond to food cues over feelings. What we see ( eating with the eyes) is usually more important than what we actually eat.   (Keep this in mind when you sit down at an expansive food setting on Thanksgiving. Reread the bold sentences.)

A research psychologist wanted to test the eating with the eyes theory and he rigged bowls to be “bottomless.” A hidden tube made sure that no matter how much soup a subject ate, the bowl would not empty.

Then he fed people. What happened? People with normal bowls ate 15 ounces. Some with the rigged bowls more than a quart.  That is more than double the normal amount!!

Tomorrow you and I will go over what you can do to curb this tendency.

Do you consider yourself a healthy eater or do you know someone who claims to eat incredibly clean?  How about feeling guilty after eating unhealthy food?  Then this is an article you should quickly scan.

When Healthy Eating Calls For Treatment http://online.wsj.com/articles/when-healthy-eating-calls-for-treatment-1415654737

When you face difficult circumstances, please keep this lady in mind. @FitcampNYC feels you can get a fresh start on how you view trying times, as we watch #LaurenHill22 close, what may be,her final chapter by helping children with cancer in her first collegiate basketball game for MSJ. Kudos to all who this a reality from her coach, her teammates, opponents, the NCAA, Xavier University and the long list of other compassionate people.