A Rant: Why We REALLY Over Eat
[ Note: This article was written by a friend of mine who happens to be fitness and nutrition author Jon Benson. He is assisting me with my fitness and nutritional needs, and I just wanted to share some of his insight with you. ]
Fair warning … this one is a rant. It’s probably a bit long, but take the time to read it, the information is really eye opening.
I have a few things to get off my chest … and a lot of people reading this will find it refreshing.
We have a problem in this country… hell, this world… with people overeating. Obviously overeating is one of the primary reasons people are struggling with belly fat and excess body weight in general. The solution to this problem is not “don’t eat so much,” although that is the end goal. The solution is to really, REALLY learn and understand how your body uses fuel and how to create a diet plan that allows you to take advantage of it.
First, my rant: You want to know why 99% of the people who fail to see results REALLY fail? It’s because they do not understand how smart and powerful their bodies really are. Look… no diet plan on earth will allow you to eat whatever you want every day – That’s fat loss suicide. No pills will cure this. No surgery… There is only one thing that will cure it —–> learning to use your body’s own internal fat burning/appetite mechanisms to your advantage.
I receive hundreds of emails every day from people who see results from my Every Other Day Diet plan. But I won’t lie to you: I also get emails from people who do not. Welcome to the real world, right? Some people will succeed – others will not. It’s the same story no matter what your goals or New Year Resolutions may be. But with fat loss, the difference between success and failure, at least in the case of my readers, is NOT the diet plan… it’s the need to fully appreciate how and why it works. Let me explain, here’s a picture of me (excuse the quality; this was snapped with a mirror and a cellphone…)
Obviously I have abs, and I’m lean, and because I love to lift weights I also carry a lot of muscle. But the real power behind this picture is what you do NOT see:
–> You do not see what I ate the night before; half a pizza.
–> You do not see how obese I was ten years ago… yes, 70lbs over-fat with a belly that looked like I swallowed a basketball.
–> You do not see how I set my body up to receive this pizza and actually get leaner after eating it.
In case you think I was on some magical diet plan or taking some fat burning-stimulants… you’re wrong. I just woke up 5 years ago after studying nutrition for 15 years and finally put 2 and 2 together. So, here’s the facts. My EODD Plan is built around a simple concept: Eat your favorite foods “frequently” and still drop the body weight you want. And it work… NO, it’s not a gimmick, it uses the science of metabolism, natural hormonal manipulation, and psychology to prepare your body to eat more calories. Now those calories could have easily come from say, three yams… but I prefer pizza. ; ) If you’ve tried EODD with success, you know what I’m talking about. If not… then read on.
First, EODD never promises you that you can eat however MUCH you want every other day (or in my case, since I’m an athlete, every three days)… no, no, NO! It’s whatever you want… not however MUCH you want. That is the sole reason a small fraction of my readers are not seeing the results they want. Now, here’s the beauty of it all – after about 3 weeks of following my system of eating every other day, you simply cannot overeat… Well you can, but you’d have to force-feed yourself in order to pull it off.
You’ve been feeding yourself frequently for the day or two before your favorite food meals. The higher protein and very low starch content of the nutrition plan (with plenty of veggies) ensures that your body’s metabolism stays elevated. BUT, and this is crucial – the amount of food consumed on these days before is not that much. I’m never starving… I eat too frequently for that, plus the foods on my plan curb your appetite. But I am not eating anywhere near my maintenance level of calories. I do not count calories (nor should you)… I just follow the System, which does the calorie-counting for me. Plus I know my body really well after all these years. So, after days of eating enough to keep my metabolism relatively high, and right BEFORE it starts to slow down, (your metabolism slows when you do not eat enough, bringing fat loss to a rapid halt) I hit the body with A LOT of calories. BUT precisely at the right time – and never at certain times.
And, please read this —-> I do not eat “however much” I want on my feed meals… I eat WHATEVER I want in reasonable portions. I don’t have to fight to not overeat, even when it’s pizza or burgers (my two favorite cheat meals.) Why? Because the EEOD has my body set up to want more food, but also trained not to eat too much food at one sitting. This is because I’ve been “grazing” — eating small, frequent meals the days before my feed day, this way the body learns to adapt quickly. The brain is actually re-trained to signal the stomach that you’ve had enough food… yes, even when it’s dessert, or pizza, or whatever your favorite foods may be.
So here’s the deal: Yes, you can lose all the belly fat and body fat you want eating like this… but like anything else that works, you have to follow a few simple rules. The result is a diet plan where you never feel trapped. You always know that tomorrow, or possibly the day after, you can have whatever food you want – only in reasonable amounts. If you ask me, this is the perfect trade-off. No starvation, super-healthy eating at least 4 days a week, and you get to eat your cake as well (literally if you want.) It’s not magic — it’s science, and a bit of work on your part. Yes, work. Nothing happens without effort. But, when you put some effort into this System – boy, there’s not a better diet plan on the face of the earth.
Click the URL below and watch how and why this works…
Now, one more thing: I do take a few supplements to help the process along. I have a video on the Member’s Only page that explains what I take and why. The good news: Not one of these supplements are stimulants or dangerous. In fact they’re all very healthy nutrients the body needs. I like to think of The Every Other Day Diet plan as “The Thinking Person’s Diet plan.” Anyone who considers every angle of what it takes to shed body fat, eat the food you enjoy, freedom, wants a plan that’s easy to follow with flexibility will recognize that this is the most ideal approach. But like all ideal approaches, it requires you to re-think the way you eat. You eat for fuel… period. But you CAN (and should) eat for pleasure too. As long as you keep FUEL as the main reason you are eating in the forefront of your mind, your body (and mind) will follow. Your body will adapt and begin to use both healthy and “not-so-healthy” foods as fuel instead of storing it as fat. Fuel to get you through the work week, to keep up with the kids, to power your workouts and help you burn-off that belly fat and lose those extra unwanted pounds – you will empower your sense of control.
Especially now with the holidays ——> “food as fuel first; food as pleasure second” <——— should be carved into your dinner table. Because, let’s face it, when all that holiday overeating is over with, you will be left with a bigger belly, feeling sluggish, and just one more step away from the body you desire.
My alternative offers the best of both worlds. You just have to be willing to re-think some things and give your body a few weeks to re-learn what it already knows – When to signal you that you’re full, and way before you overeat. And, believe it or not, you can (and should) do this by eating your favorite foods each and every week. That’s the only way to keep your MIND satisfied and happy. And your mind is the key to your body’s success.
Thanks for reading.