diet

The Seed of Mindfulness

gordonmeyer — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 11:55:13 -0500

Merlin's Mindful Eating and Keeping Weight Off reminded me of the best tool I've found for prompting mindfulness in virtually any situation.

It's the Powerseed, and while it is marketed primarily for weight loss, it turns out to be a useful reminder/timer for virtually any activity where mindfulness is important. It's a sleek, battery-powered pod about as big as the end of your thumb. It offers both visual and audible cues, and operates in a couple of different coaching modes. The basic idea is that it is a discreet coach that prompts you to "check-in" with yourself. It signals both short and long regular intervals, which are useful for being aware of time passing, as well as performing different routines are each mark.

I've had mine for sometime time now, long enough that I had to figure out how to change the battery. According to the product's website, it's not currently available, but my understanding is that the inventor is updating the 'seed with battery and other improvements so perhaps it will be back soon.

Another approach you might consider is computer-dependent, but more flexible. I also use Red Sweater Software's FlexTime as a handy tool for regular-interval cueing. See Merlin's early peek at it for more detail, and from a slightly different perspective.

Either way, tuning-in is a Good Thing.

”The Seed of Mindfulness” was written by Gordon Meyer for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on January 08, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

Mindful eating and keeping weight off

Merlin — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 09:33:13 -0500

Reason Magazine - Secrets of Weight Loss Revealed!

This review of two recent diet books underscores what most of us already know all too well: while it's easy enough to drop a few pounds for a short while, it's nearly impossible to lose a lot of weight for a long time.

What caught my attention for anyone wishing to apply some fancy book-learning directly to the affected area was this chunk of insight on eating mindfully -- alongside a smart bit of life-hacky weight loss advice:

Wansink’s overarching point is that, when it comes to food, we’re not paying attention. “It takes up to 20 minutes for our body and brain to signal satiation,” he notes, and Americans often finish their meals in less time than that. Instead of internal signals we rely on external cues to tell us when we’re done: Is the plate clean? Is everyone else done? Is there more in the serving dish?

To counteract such cues, Wansink recommends such tactics as using smaller plates (which make portions seem larger), keeping serving dishes in the kitchen (which discourages second helpings), replacing short, wide glasses with tall, thin ones (which make drinks seem bigger), keeping food scraps and bones on your plate (which reminds you how much you’ve eaten), and dividing snacks from big packages into smaller bags or plastic containers (which discourages you from devouring the entire package).

I'm also a big-fan of guesstimating portion with real-world objects. Although, candidly, the last time I ate beef, it was less like a deck of cards and more like the whole blackjack shoe.

[via: Arts & Letters Daily]

”Mindful eating and keeping weight off” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on January 03, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

Food for thought

grant — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 14:59:42 -0500

One of the secrets to Napoleon's amazing success (and he was a guy who definitely got things done) was embracing the high-tech innovation of canned food. He's the one who coined the phrase "an army marches on its stomach," after all. After observing my own habits, I know what he means.

It's not just that being hungry throws me off (although it does). It's that if I want to think clearly for any length of time (like, say, four hours in a row), I can't be loaded up on potato chips, peanut M&Ms and whatever other delicious junk food has piled up on the snack table in my office. I need the stuff my *mom* made me eat.

Forget things like heart disease and obesity. The difference it makes in my brain is subtle enough that if I wasn't paying attention, I'd miss it - but once I started keeping track, I realized it's freakin' huge.

Of course, the snack table is easier. It's more tempting, too.

Here's how I fight off its dreadful, mind-wrecking lies:

Edamame - You'll see these parboiled soybeans in particularly authentic sushi bars sitting on the counter like peanuts. We get 'em from a local (Florida) farm, but you can find them in the freezer section of any decent Asian market. Stick in boiling water just long enough to turn bright green, salt to taste, stick in a Ziploc baggie and go.
Green beans - Blanched, with lime juice and pepper (or whatever acid+savory is easy to reach). Easiest thing in the world to make, and you can eat 'em like french fries… that is, fries from the Light Side of the Force.
Peanuts - At the office, I prefer them roasted, but research says the boiled variety is more nutritious. (And contrary to what you might expect from roadside food, is as delectable as a fine paté.)
Cold Salmon - Tastes good, won't stink up the workspace, and will help counteract the effects that junk food fats have on your concentration, judgment and cognitive ability. Other people might look at this as "leftovers," but for me, it's a secret weapon.

You can read more about eating for your brain at Psychology Today and LifeHack. And you might have some great snack-hacks I don't know about - in which case, spill.

”Food for thought” was written by grant balfour for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on November 21, 2007. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"