You know that eating too much--regardless of the what--means that you are overworking your digestive system which leads to purchasing pills for indigestion, gas, acid reflux, water retention, constipation, etc.  Or maybe you have found these ineffective so you are on the prescription version such as Nexium (acid reflux) which made $5 billion dollars for its drug company.  Eating too much is expensive!

And now we know that eating more quantity, more often, actually makes you hungrier! You may have observed that eating a big breakfast at 7AM makes you feel like eating something two hours later.   You have heard that "sweets beget the desire for more sweets."   This is not just the case of not being able to eat just one chocolate chip cookie.  This is not just head hunger or eating in response to external stimuli.   This is actual physiological hunger whereby your system's leptin response--which should make you feel full--is de-activated.

What’s next? Knowing that you didn’t gain the pounds in 3 months. Understanding that you need to stick to 80 Bites or less; watch any liquid calories; and constantly try to improve the quality and the diversity of your 80 bites.

Finally, read Michael Pollan’s book,  “In Defense of Food.”

Best of Luck,

Meredith Luce, RD

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You are invited to share Thanksgiving with friends.  Your hostess mentions that the menu will be turkey, French fries, sliced tomatoes and ice cream for dessert.  You say to yourself "No way".  Thanksgiving is turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy, string beans or brussel sprouts.   And pumpkin or pecan pie for dessert!! Similarly, does July 4th work with a menu of a mushroom omelet with an arugula salad and crème brulee for dessert?  No, of course not.  You know what are the traditional components of a holiday meal, but you also know how to put together any balanced meal.  Before airlines limited food service, you were served not only balanced meals but also the correct quantities.   Even though most of us have complained about tasteless airline food--and maybe unfortunately the serving size--you do recognize that the meal was balanced.  Even the  "TV dinners” that are sold in the frozen food aisle in any supermarket are balanced.

So where does this idea come from that everyone needs to learn nutrition in order to eat? You know a plate has a "main"--usually some poultry or meat or fish--and two "sides": one starch as in potatoes or rice or pasta and the other a green as in vegetable?  Well it comes from diet companies and nutritionists who want to sell you their "expertise."

But another reason is that grazing has taken the place of eating meals so that we are never sure if we are getting balanced nutrient unless we write down every mouthful for 16 hours.  The solution is to eat meals--four times a day--spaced four hours apart.  Choose foods that you like and that compliment one another.

Highlighted Principle:

COMPOSITION The digestive system is at its best if all food groups are consumed equally so that digestive enzymes process nutrients properly.

Week Eleven Tasks:

1.  Look at our 21 days of Fare A.   You know that we do orchestrate a meal that may vary from the main/2 sides equation.   Remember that eating lunch is never one part:  a container of yogurt or a slice of pizza is insufficient.

2.   Americans have pancakes. Other cuisines have crepes (French); tortilla (Mexican). Think of three others.

3. Read myths 6 & 14

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Today, eating has evolved into this complicated affair that Focuses on crunching numbers & chewing on scientific data. You are confronted with such choices as FATS (omegas/polys/monos), CARBS (simple/complex), PROTEINS (whey/soy/animal), FIBERS (insoluble/soluble). When did eating get so complicated? In the 1950s, figuring out what to eat was a simple matter of assembling the parts. You decided on an entrée and adding to" sides" by selecting a starch and then adding a vegetable.  Badda-Bing-Badda-Boom. Done. Today, making the decision of what to eat means you have to be fluent in dietitian-speak, up on the latest health-promoting foods and/or savvy about "empty calorie" foods.  Get this; a food labeled by the nutrition establishment as containing "empty calories" is in Fact NOT DEVOID of calories but instead empty of health-promoting Benefits. Go figure.  If the professionals can't get it right, how are the common folk expected to interpret this nutrition-ese? What did we do before nutrition labeling?  One could argue that label reading has only raised the bar on the mathematical gymnastics one must do in order to eat a sandwich!

Highlighted Principle:

COMPOSITION The digestive system is at its best if all good groups are consumed equally so that digestive enzymes process nutrients properly.

Week Ten Tasks:

1. Make a list of 10 dinner entrees and 2 “sides” for each.

2. Taste a new food this week.

3. Study Garnish Chart after looking up the definition of garnish!

4. Read Myths 7, 8 & 17

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DD classifies meals in two categories; FIX & FARE.  This week we will focus on familiarizing ourselves with the two meal types.

FIX: The simplest of eating events but have a minimum of two solid parts—one protein and one carbohydrate-- and a fluid.

Go to the DD FIX page view the FIX chart.   Here you will begin to familiarize yourself with what foods fall into what categories.

Then, go to DD menus click on Menu 2. Look at FIX A.  You will see there are two solids parts; 2 eggs and a slice of toast plus a fluid. Even if you choose to eat the eggs as a sandwich or one unit, this has two parts that can fall into the categories of Proteins (eggs) and Carbohydrates (toast) thereby making the composition of the eating event one that is balanced for nutrient mix. Here's what's NOT a meal: a bowl of cut-up fruits. Even though there are different fruits they are all still just fruits. A better choice would be ½ a bowl of mixed fruit with ½ a bowl of cottage cheese.

FARE:  Have one part greater than a Fix but have a minimum of three solid parts-one protein, one carbohydrate, one vegetable- and a fluid.

Go to the DD FARE page view the FARE chart.   Here you will begin to familiarize yourself with what foods fall into what categories.

Now go to Menu 9. Look at FARE A. There are three solid parts: chicken salad, crackers and sliced pepper plus a fluid. Again, the different parts include one from the Protein category (chicken salad), one from Carbohydrate category (crackers) and one from the Vegetable category (peppers).

Meal Assembly:

When it comes to assembling a meal, you simply choose first whether you will be having a FIX or FARE, then choose the appropriate number of solids and add a fluid. The DD menus give you 84 different Fix and Fare ideas. Now step back and look at Menu 10, the complete day. You will notice there is plenty of variety and no repetition of parts. That is, if you have poultry for lunch, then dinner is not poultry, if you have eggs for breakfast, then egg salad will not be your lunch nor will your dinner be an omelet.

Variety is also achieved in contrasting textures and color. Consider a plate of dover sole fish, mashed potatoes and cooked cauliflower. Not only all have the same color but all the textures are the same. This would be a meal for a person who was colorblind and had no teeth!  Think about it. You're familiar with the expression "we eat with our eyes". But, in fact we eat with all our senses. What appeals to one person's tastes buds may not work for another person so individualizing your meals is key to long-term weight control.

Highlighted Principle:

COMPOSITION The digestive system is at its best if all food groups are consumed equally so that digestive enzymes process nutrients properly.

Week Nine Tasks:

1. Study the FIX and FARE charts
2. Use the DietDirectives Menus as a template to pick parts to each meal you have this week.
3. Read Myths 3 & 4

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In order to re-train your stomach to accept LESS, you must organize your eating into a predictable pattern.  Training anything whether it is behavior or a muscle requires repetition.  If your stomach currently has days in which you skip a meal only to double up on the next or days in which you graze with your stomach always on active duty, then you have a confused stomach!

Think about how you trained yourself to text type on the keyboard; by using repetitious movements, your thumbs and fingers developed a muscle memory.  No longer did you have to think how to do it, it just came naturally.  Same idea applies for your stomach.

Scheduling eating events in a predictable pattern of four times per day at 4-hour intervals, re-structures eating behavior, sending a message to the stomach about when eating is appropriate.  Remember the adult stomach has the capacity of 4-6 cups and as adults we are capable of going the distance between meals.

A snack is NOT physiologically necessary!

Different story for kids - smaller stomachs can't go the distance and they are growing! Here's something else to keep in mind: digestion of a mixed meal (all nutrients present) and at least 2 cups of food and fluid volume in the stomach can take 2-4 hours to digest or empty into the small intestine. By the time your previous meal has emptied, it's time to eat again.  This is indicated by a low blood sugar, empty stomach and often by growling sensations.  This "verbal hunger" initially before you re-train your stomach could happen often and at odd times but after re-training through timing and predictability, the growling occurs just prior to your scheduled eating event. Using the Inventory Form, organize your eating for the next three days.  Yes, it's called menu planning.  This is necessary in order to re-train your stomach and behavior.

Highlighted Principle:

PREDICTABILITY Erratic eating confuses the body and wrecks the metabolism, causing 95% of all calories to be absorbed. Each of us has an inherent ability to absorb fewer calories (only 75%).

Week Eight Tasks:

1. Review when and how often you are eating.  Begin moving towards 4 eating events per day at roughly the same times each day.
2. Continue to Practice ‘proper’ brushing after meals to curb the desire for snacking.
3. Read Myths 2, 6, & 15

Best regards, Meredith Luce, RD

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You know the sparklingly clean sensation in your mouth after your teeth have been cleaned professionally.  It feels so good that you resist eating or drinking anything-- but water. Each tooth has been polished. The gums feel toned and strong.  The professional dental floss has removed every spec between your teeth.  The actual teeth surfaces have been brightened with whitener.   Your mouth is singing.   And, of course, your dentist urges you to observe good dental hygiene at home.    You know that this takes time.   Just flossing properly takes at least five minutes.  Stimulating the gums with an implement--plastic or wood--is laborious.   Brushing properly may mean using two sizes of toothbrush to reach deeper areas.  Then there are fluoride rinses. Maybe your dentist has prescribed a fluoride gel that needs to be applied to the necks of each tooth.  The dental benefits are obvious.

What does this have to do with weight loss?? You can short-circuit the desire to snack by really cleaning your mouth/teeth/gums.  Rather than loading up on a lot of low calorie "free" foods that you don't really want, focus on getting a clean mouth!

Principle Review:

QUANTITY the digestive enzymes in the stomach work best on smaller quantities. When these enzymes are outnumbered, digestion is short-circuited which leads to weight gain.

CHEWING starts digestion. Overweight people don’t chew enough so they produce too little saliva. This means the stomach is forced to overwork. An overworked stomach stretches.

FLUIDS raise blood sugar quickly because they are absorbed first. Fluids and foods have to be compatible in order to shut down hunger.

Week Seven Tasks:

1. Practice ‘proper’ brushing after meals to curb the desire for snacking.
2. Listen to Dinner with Meredith (Audio 3).
3. Reread Myth 1.

Best regards,

Meredith Luce, RD

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Digestion requires specific stomach actions:  enzymatic activity, mechanical churning and an acidic PH of 2.  Beverages that contribute more acid such as soda, juice, tea, etc. facilitate digestion.  Water has a neutral pH of 7, which forces the stomach to work harder and compensate for the neutralizing effect of water.   So we could say that drinking water with a meal actually inhibits healthy digestion—in turn making the stomach work harder.  Any muscle that has a demand placed on it gets bigger. While we do not advise drinking water during your meal, drinking water is a great way to cleanse your mouth before and after you eat.

Ever feel the need to burp after drinking a carbonated beverage such as soda, beer or champagne? That's because they all contain gas. The stomach contains gas as well and putting the two together increases the pressure in the stomach. Increased pressure gives a sense of fullness.  So drinking a carbonated beverage with a meal will make you feel fuller sooner.  And if we drink the carbonated beverage through a straw it adds even more gas into the stomach  (as you sip through a straw you suck in air or oxygen--a gas).  A carbonated beverage drunk slowly through a straw makes you feel fuller faster and so you eat less.

Obviously, beer is carbonated and has taste and calories--a lot of calories-- so we can't just say that any carbonated beverage is good.  But there are so many that do work. Finally, beverage companies now offer choices between industrial strength calories and Zero calories. Vitamin Waters and reduced calorie Sports Drinks are examples.

Reminder: Limit fluid quantity to 12 oz per meal or snack.

Highlighted Principle:

FLUIDS raise blood sugar quickly because they are absorbed first. Fluids and foods have to be compatible in order to shut down hunger.

Week Six Tasks:

1. Experiment with beverages by taking any carbonated No CALORIE soda or water and add some calories:  Dr. Brown's Diet Back Cherry with some Milk; Coke Zero with Fresh Lemon Juice; Diet Seven Up with Grapefruit juice; Root beer with milk; Seltzer with Cranberry Juice.
2. Review the FLUIDS on the FARE and FIX Charts.
3. Read Fast recipes. You may choose to substitute bites for a fast drink.  How many?  Each drink is 12 -16 “bites.”

Best regards,

Meredith Luce, RD

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Fullness is not just a feeling. It is related to the digestive process, which begins in the mouth.  From the very first bite, your digestive system goes into action sending peristaltic waves all the way through the stomach, small intestines, and large intestines. The action of chewing allows saliva to be incorporated into the food in the mouth, which both starts the breakdown of the foodstuff and adds lubrication for easier swallowing.  The bite you take becomes the first step in weight control; thereafter you can either help or hinder the digestive process. How much time the food spends in your mouth as you CHEW the food to a more easily swallow-able mass will determine what happens in the stomach and ultimately when fullness is reached. Chewing, the mastication process whereby you reduce the food mass into a smaller size with more liquid added from the saliva, sends a certain size food mass into the waiting stomach. Swallowing in general takes three seconds.  However, the time it takes from the bite to the actual swallowing of the bite depends entirely on how many times you chew the food.

Conscious chewing of each bite provides the mechanical breakdown and adds enzymes to the food in the mouth.  The food that arrives in the stomach can then be further digested by the stomach enzymes and the peristalic (mechanical) action of the stomach.  If the food arrives in large chunks because of insufficient chew time, the stomach must do the majority of the work to breakdown the food for release into the small intestine.   More demand placed on the stomach means the stomach has to work harder to digest and has to be more accommodating.  More enzymes need to be made to accommodate the increased food coming in.   This is a vicious cycle. The body needs more enzymes to absorb more nutrients (calories) in order to make the enzymes that will break down the food.  The more you eat the more digestive assistors need to be available to meet the demand.

Highlighted Principle:

CHEWING starts digestion. Overweight people don’t chew enough so they produce too little saliva. This means the stomach is forced to overwork. An overworked stomach stretches.

Week Five Tasks:

1. Count how many times you can chew one bite of food.  Do this with any and all types throughout the week.
2. Notice the difference between scrambled eggs and the buttered toast you may have with them.  French Fries:  how many bites to eat just one? How many CHEWS for one bite? Remember that a BITE is what you deliver to your mouth.  Then you  it. Our goal is to reduce the NUMBER of Bites and Increase the Number of CHEWS.
3. Read Myths 11 & 16

Best Regards, Meredith Luce, RD

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We continue to focus on quantity. Now also pay attention to how much you are spending on food.  You will probably notice your savings increase as you continue to eat less.  See, less really IS more!

Continue to take 10 FEWER bites each day until you are consuming 80 max per day - by now your stomach should automatically want less than it did when you started.  Hopefully, you are also beginning to see food rather than nutrient numbers.   Demonizing some foods and glorifying others is not productive.  Remember, our goal is to assist you in adopting a neutral food stance.

Highlighted Principle:

QUANTITY the digestive enzymes in the stomach work best on smaller quantities. When these enzymes are outnumbered, digestion is short-circuited which leads to weight gain.

Week Four Tasks:

1. Continue to reduce the number of bites by ten bites each week.  Remember to chew each one consciously.  This will help to slow down the eating process.
2. Include some bites of an unfamiliar food or an expensive food (lobster, caviar, endive, etc.) See how much more slowly you eat.
3. Listen to Eating with Meredith #2 Brunch
4. Read Myths  http://dietdirectives.com/client/diet-myths/  9, 12 & 13
5. Read the Real Green Revolution http://dietdirectives.com/go-green/

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"We would love to say that physical activity has a positive effect on weight control, but that does not appear to be the case," said Richard Cooper, Ph.D., co-author of the study and chairman of the Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology at Loyola University. Study results showed “when people exercise vigorously they compensate by eating more”.

What does work? Mayo Clinic researchers found that the key factor in predicting whether excess food was stored as fat or burned up was calories burned during the normal activities of daily living -- fidgeting, moving around, changing posture, etc. They labeled this factor NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis).

Correct exercise--for us that is TheMethodPilatesâ-- is vital for your muscles, heart and lungs. However, we do not suggest forcing yourself to exercise to burn calories.  Beating up your one and only body trying to "burn fat" is unhealthy.  Instead, fidget, change positions, move, stand, sit, breathe and "talk with your hands/arms" and your mouth.

Tips towards becoming a NEAT person:

• When you are sitting, remember to stand up and then re-sit every 15 minutes
• Uncross your legs when you are sitting; you will want to cross them again so cross the other leg
• Lift arms above head
• Stand on one leg
• Don’t sit when you are talking on the phone; get up and walk around; tap your fingers on your desk; squirm around; fidget; do some conscious breathing:  inhale and exhale for five counts.

Highlighted Principle:

QUANTITY the digestive enzymes in the stomach work best on smaller quantities. When these enzymes are outnumbered, digestion is short-circuited which leads to weight gain.

Week Three Tasks:

1. Practice becoming a NEAT person all week.
2. Continue to count the number of bites you are taking each day. Are you taking more than 80 bites a day?  If so, begin to cut back by 10 bites daily.
3. Enjoy lunch with Meredith  (Audio #1).
4. Read Myths 4 and 10

Joan Breibart

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