Niemeyer Challenge '09

Scott joins the fun and shared this great advice on a healthier approach to living.

It sounds like everyone is really coming up with some good advice for you too. Very informative and inspirational too. I'd like to put in my 2 cents too but I'm afraid what I'm about to say won't sound so professional or technical. Even so I hope you'll stay with me to the end because even tho what I'm about to talk about may sound decidedly low-tech it is actually based on personal experience and I'm sure I'm correct in my observation about it. It has to do with hunger pangs and the so called "shakes" that inevitably follow them.

When I started hanging wallpaper about 7 years ago I was forced to get reaquainted with hunger pangs and the shakes and at first like just about everyone I tried everything I could to avoid them but after the pounds started falling off and stayed off for years now I realized that hunger pangs AND the shakes that follow are not things to avoid at all costs but things to embrace and actually welcome into your life. I'm absolutely serious about this.

Usually we eat in the morning before we go out and then at noon and then sometime in the evening again. That's the normal routine IF we can stick to it. What usually happens if we are leading an active lifestyle, moving our bodies is that around 10:30 or 11:00 in the morning we get the first hunger pangs and look at the clock and go Damn! there's still and hour and a half to go till lunch. Then about 10 minutes later the dreaded shakes kick in and we think we're going to die. So if we're like the millions of other weak willed jellyfish out there we grab a snack to tide us over until lunch. Anything to quiet those pangs and smooth out the shakes. But that is EXACTLY the thing that sabotages all our efforts to slim down. Let me explain.

The hunger pangs are telling your body that the tank is getting empty and soon BUT NOT YET your body will start burning the existing fat in your cells. That is the memo that you've been waiting for. If you can feel those pangs and know what they are telling you then you're on your way to a slimmer tomorrow. The most important time in the day is directly after the pangs come and the amount of time you have to wait until you eat again. This cannot be emphasized enough. The shakes will come sometime soon after the pangs and you HAVE to realize that you will not die. Drink some water and keep moving because they only last about 10 minutes and then you are through to the other side of them and then THAT is when your body is pulling the fat out of your cells and burning it. That time is not only important it is essential.

Once you go through the shakes you aren't hungry any more. It is that last hour that directly preceeds the next food fest and after you have successfuly gone through the pangs and the shakes that your body is burning fat. You need to go through this ritual everyday at least 3 times to lose weight and keep it off. It goes without saying that your body needs to burn off more calories that it consumes every day to lose weight.

I have found that as an adult that has limited time to excersise I had very little chance to actually get in a gym but if you can find the patience to make your self wait until you go through the hunger pangs and then the shakes that will always follow your body will start to burn that extra fat in your cells on its own no matter what you're doing.

Ours is the only generation where as soon as we feel those hunger pangs and get uncomfortable we can run to the fridge for a snack (even a healthy one). Our ancestors had to wait sometimes several hours before eating after the first hunger pangs set in. That is the time when our bodies are burning fat and why our generation is the fattest on earth in the history of the world. We have cut out the waiting period before eating.

Some people advocate eating 6 times a day. I don't agree. I was forced by my hellhound of a boss to work my ass off and actually wait until it was time to eat to eat. And I am absolutely positive through my own experience that it was the times after I powered through the shakes and had to wait for an hour or two that let me shed 30 pounds of fat or so in less than a year.

I'm sure that this was not what you wanted to hear. I'm sorry that what I wrote was so simple and untechnical.I know without a doubt tho that this is a small topic with a lot of importance that is almost always overlooked. Hunger pangs are not our enemy. They are our friends and should be welcomed into our live's as messengers telling us that we are on the right path if we can just hang in there a little longer. Usually only an hour or so will do the trick. The shakes are also not our enemy, they just let us know that we are breaking down the wall to a slimmer you.

At the risk of sounding monotonous I will sum up by repeating what I said. Hunger pangs are good. They must be recognised for what they are. A sign that your body is just about to start burning fat. The shakes are something that must be endured and passed through. They usually only last about 10 minutes. Drinking water will help. Once you've gone through the pangs AND the shakes congratulations, your body is burning fat and will continue to do so for the next hour or so until you fill up your belly with food again.

I hope this helps. I know it helped me. In fact everyday that I don't actually feel hunger pangs is a day I know that I've eaten too much and that I've gained a little weight. I'm at the point where now I can recognize almost to the minute when the shakes will come on after those first pangs have subsided and have learned that I can handle them easily now. I know you can too.

Good luck. Scott

Thanks to Eric for the following:

Not all carbohydrate foods are created equal, in fact they behave quite differently in our bodies. The glycemic index or GI describes this difference by ranking carbohydrates according to their effect on our blood glucose levels. Choosing low GI carbs (the ones that produce only small fluctuations in our blood glucose and insulin levels) is the secret to long-term health reducing your risk of heart disease and diabetes and is the key to sustainable weight loss.

"Breakfast like a Queen, Lunch like a Princess, & Dinner like a Pauper." Yes Darin... you too can be a princess. HA!

Carbs before noon, proteins after noon. Lots of calcium (50% Calcium to Magnesium) and lots of water. To sustain energy, replenish Vitamin C & B loses due to the water increase.

Understand the Glycemic Index. The basic technique for eating the low GI way is simply a "this for that" approach - i.e., swapping high GI carbs for low GI carbs. You don't need to count numbers or do any sort of mental arithmetic to make sure you are eating a healthy, low GI diet. Use: