Dan's Plan

I came across this on J.K. Rowling’s website recently that I thought really reinforced the point that weight is not an end unto itself, but rather just a simple, gross measure of health. Rowling states that she would rather her daughters be independent and interesting than “thin.” Sometimes its useful to keep in mind that things that we most hold dear are things like health and happiness, which leads me back to two thoughts that we’ve touched on before:

1) A person’s worth is not defined by their weight

2) The end goal is not necessarily weight, but rather health, happiness, and living an informed, sustainable lifestyle.

Have a great week,

Larry

“Maybe all this seems funny, or trivial, but it’s really not. It’s about what girls want to be, what they’re told they should be, and how they feel about who they are. I’ve got two daughters who will have to make their way in this skinny-obsessed world, and it worries me, because I don’t want them to be empty-headed, self-obsessed, emaciated clones; I’d rather they were independent, interesting, idealistic, kind, opinionated, original, funny – a thousand things, before ‘thin’. And frankly, I’d rather they didn’t give a gust of stinking chihuahua flatulence whether the woman standing next to them has fleshier knees than they do. Let my girls be Hermiones, rather than Pansy Parkinsons. Let them never be Stupid Girls. Rant over.”

Three items with take-away points for your weekend perusal.

Have a great weekend,

Larry

1) It’s Friday night – will you split the bill among friends if you eat out?

Here is a paper showing that people tend to consume more when they split the bill (and dilute the cost of consuming more by sharing it with others).

Take-away: Avoid splitting the bill. At meals where someone else is picking up the tab, order as if it was hitting your pocketbook.

2) It’s the weekend – will you spend some time making a nice meal?

Here is an article that posits that microwave meals and easy-to or no-prepare foods are less satisfying to us than meals that we have put time and effort into creating. If true, less satsfaction might lead to excess consumption of these easily accessible, microwavable foods.

Take-away: You don’t need to prepare a Thanksgiving dinner or gourmet feast every night, but do take the time to prepare your own food. Start with something that is recognizable as food (a vegetable, a piece of meat, etc.). You will likely appreciate your own efforts and it will taste better than this stuff (I give their commercials that try to dissuade people from preparing their own meals an equally poor review).

3) It’s Saturday or Sunday morning/afternoon – what will you decide to buy at the market or grocery store?

Here is just one example of how consultants and industry will try to get you to buy their product (regardless of their nutritional value for you) and will try to get you to consume more, more, and more. Food is a big business and they have more resources than you do.

Take-away: Know what you want before you go shopping and leave with those items only – if you decide at home that you want to eat nutritious food, make a list of specific items and stick to that list – you will save time and money. Consider what features are most important to you: brand, characteristics, or price. The importance of these factors might vary from product to product, but if you feel that product characteristics (e.g., nutritional content, organic, etc.) are more important than price for at least some things, make sure to follow through on your convictions when you’re at the market.

Many folks use the beginning of a new year to make resolutions or promises to themselves to change something in their lives. For a lot of people, new year’s resolutions include things like losing weight, eating better, or exercising more. The beginning of a new year feels like a fresh start. The new date suggests that we have a clean slate and can do things differently.

Well, guess what? Tomorrow marks the beginning of a new month. If you want to make a change in your life, why wait for the new year? Why not make that change starting tomorrow?

This time of year there are a lot of food drives going on. Many folks are collecting food for the needy. If you are planning to make a change in your diet (e.g., to try a Paleo diet), a common suggestion is to clean out your cupboards to make a clean break from your old habits to your new ones. Right now is a great time to do that because there are a number of organizations and workplaces that are more than happy to take all of those non-perishable goods off of your hands. So, if you’re thinking of moving away from boxed pastas, canned soups, cookies, crackers, cereals, puddings, etc., give them to an organization who will feed someone who is hungry and in need. You will be doing a good deed for yourself and for others.

The time is now.