Daniel Parecki

I’ve been writing up a guide to weight loss that takes into account people’s current lifestyle and hopefully offers a successful way of keeping off weight.

I would appreciate anyone’s input. I would especially like some thoughts to the following questions, if they stem from your own experience, even better.

Questions:

1. Why do people over eat? Do people eat when they’re not hungry, do they never feel satisfied at meals, do they enjoy eating too much to stop, and/or do they snack too much and too often?

2. What prevents people from doing something about their weight?

3. What are people’s primary reasons for failing a diet?

4. Would having family/friend support help people be successful? either moral support, or a mutual effort at dieting.

What follows is just a preliminary writeup of my ideas.

Parecki’s 5 Step Healthy Eating Guide:

This program is designed for people willing to make a long-term commitment to reduce their weight and keep the weight off. It should be approached with the knowledge that it is entirely possible to achieve your desired weight, but that doing so takes time and commitment.

5 Stages: 1) eat more natural food. 2) eat more natural food. 3) eat more natural food. 4) Restrict sugar and wheat. 5) restrict grains, red meat, caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, all man-made foods, and anything else not paleo.
These steps operate with the knowledge that many people do not know how to eat a healthy diet. It is too hard to simultaneously restrict food and learn new recipes and ideas of eating. It is better to first learn the new style of eating, eat that way, then restrict the bad stuff.

The principle behind this program is substitution not elimination. It is too difficult to restrict constantly the amount and types of food people eat. Instead, the goal is to substitute junk food with healthy food. The ultimate goal is to shift as close to the ‘ideal’ diet as possible. Doing so will take time, perhaps years, in order to make the new diet a habit. Do not think of the new eating regimine as a ‘diet’, as diets are usually short term. We are talking about a long-term lifestyle modification, which should become second nature and enjoyable. The new eating regimen should be flavorful, delicious, and enjoyable. Food made naturally often has far more flavor, although it may not be as immediately satisfying. Ultimately though, you will find that tastes change, quicker than you might think, and that foods that you love now will lose their allure later.
An appendix (or next volume) of this pamphlet will include numerous recipes for healthy food choices ranging from quick snacks to elaborate meals. The appendix will also include tips for eating without a lot of time commitment, (for instance, making large batches of lentils or chile, and eating it over the course of a week).
The most important thing to realize is that you should never feel hungry or that you are restricting yourself. Eat till you’re satisfied and not more. Snack during the day.

Water
Simple. Drink lots of water. Sometimes, hunger cravings are actually disguised thirst. A simple way to combat this is whenever you feel hungry to drink a glass of water. The extra hydration will never hurt, and it may help stave off hunger.

Sugar
There is one food group that is very important to restrict or eliminate, and that is processed sugar. Sugar that is found naturally in plant foods is fine. However, corn syrup, evaporated cane juice, and all other forms of man-altered sugar are, I believe, the largest contributor to obesity. Also, fruit juices that are not fresh-squeezed are not terrible, but should also be avoided.

Notes on Fat:
It is my belief that (unaltered) plant and vegetarian fats are GOOD for you. Except for excessive amounts of cream and butter all other fats should be eaten in as much quantity as is satisfying. Nut’s and seeds are high in protein and fat and are one of the best snacks to satisfy hunger. Olive oil, avocado, and coconut fat are all good fats and should not be restricted. Any kind of fat from meat should be avoided at all cost. If meat is an essential part of people’s diets then they should always opt for the ‘lean’ version of their meats. Also, any kind of altered fat (trans-fat), and fat for deep-frying should be avoided.

Meals.
Every night at dinner, before the main dish is served, pile your and your family members’ plates with a salad. Everyone must eat the entire salad before moving on to the main dish, but once you move on, eat as much of the main dish as you want. Next the trick is to prepare healthy meals, and this will be a process…

Snacking
Tip 1. Before beginning a snacking session eat one healthy snack. After eating that first snack feel obliged to eat as much other food as you like. Make a goal to weekly or biweekly increase that healthy snack. For instance, if you are used to snacking while watching TV, when you first sit down on the couch, make it a priority to eat one apple before diving into the potato chips. Next week, ensure that you eat two apples, or an apple and an orange, before turning to the junk food. Mix up the healthy snack to keep a variety, and before too long it will seem natural to snack almost strictly healthy snacks.

The Ideal Diet
The ideal diet follows a plan most similar to the already popular “Paleo-Diet”. There are many blogs, websites, and resources about the diet available on the web. (links to follow). The principle is to eat as our genetic ancestors ate before the agricultural revolution. Key food groups include free-range lean meats, fruits and vegetables in vast quantities, some legumes, and nuts and seeds, along with eggs and milk. The technicalities of the diets vary, but those groups are the essentials. Notice that the most important group absent from the list are: processed sugar, and grains (wheat especially), along with stimulants such as caffeine and nicotine. The Paleo diet also recommends that people eat between 1500 and 2000 calories a day unless you are an endurance athlete. On this diet people feel invigorated and alert with energy that lasts them the whole day. They are easily able to wake up in the morning and fall asleep at night. Their cheeks are robust and sunny, clear of acne or blemishes, and their mood is often light and carefree.
While the Paleo diet is the ultimate goal of this program, everyone should choose their own goals that are within reach. People should work on making smaller more achievable goals so that they do not feel discourged and give up part way. By making goals every week and month people can slowly build their way to a healthier lifestyle. The Paleo diet for many is a distant goal, but any amount of progress towards it marks significant improvement even if they never eat a completely paleo diet.