March French Friday #4

Bonjour to you gorgeous French people.  Can you believe that this is our last discussion on Mindless Eating?  March certainly roared in like a lion and is now, thankfully, exiting as meekly as a lamb.  For my New Zealand and Australian readers, I know you are entering your autumn, and as French people, we embrace the changing of the seasons, so you all enjoy getting cozy in your sweaters and switching your meals to embrace some heartier, warming fare.  As for me, it has been SUCH a long winter.  I am embracing the spring with each new blossom I see.  I have also been using the weather as an excuse to go on a slightly longer walk to enjoy the daylight.

Today, Tangled Noodle and I will be concluding our discussion of Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink.  Don't worry though gentle readers, French Friday will be continuing in April with a discussion of The French Don't Diet Plan by Dr. Will Clower.  Don't forget to pick up your copy of the book to read along with me.  I was skeptical of some of the principles at first, but since adopting some of the ideas from this book, I'm down an additional 5 pounds in 3 weeks!

Tangled Noodle has a lovely discussion of Chapter 10 of Mindless Eating going at her site.  Please visit her and sit in on her conclusion of this book.  Here is a little snippet to whet your appetite:

"How does the science of economics fit into a discussion of food habits? Quite well, as a matter of fact. Please join me at Tangled Noodle as I explore how Dr. Wansink's main themes echo basic economic principles of trade-offs, margins and incentives, and how we might apply 'mindful eating' strategies to our other consumption behaviors."

Chapter 10:  Mindlessly Eating Better

Mindless Eating was filled with study after study that show traps people fall into where they mindlessly eat.  Scarily, eating just an extra 100 calories a day, will make you gain an extra 10 pounds in a year!  Think of what 100 calories is:  a cup of nonfat milk, two Hershey's kisses, a slice of bread, you get the idea, you can easily consume an extra 100 calories throughout the course of your day, and not even realize you were doing it.  However, you can also CUT OUT 100 calories mindfully (or mindlessly) without really realizing it and lose 10 pounds in a year.  The difference between the two scenarios is MINDFULLY realizing where you can cut and not realize you are cutting, and then keep a journal so that you KNOW that you are indeed cutting calories and that you are making small, positive changes to your diet.

Ask yourself:

1. Where can I mindlessly cut calories?  What are two or three positive dietary changes I can make?  Perhaps I can only eat HALF of my french fries, perhaps I store the Hershey's kisses in the freezer instead of eye level in the cupboard where I see them more often?  What mindless tricks will work for you?

I so enjoyed this book and our time together.  Thank you to Tangled Noodle for suggesting it to me.  Please remember to visit her lovely discussion of this book as well.  If you have an idea for a book that you think would make a great book to review during French Friday, please let me know, I'm looking for some new ideas!