It’s Just Easier Not To Eat
If there’s anything I’m good at, it’s eating.
When I sit down for a feeding, I like a spread and plenty of time to enjoy it. The more the better. It’s like I’m The Disney Corporation and every plate is another company I’m slowly ingesting. And all it does is make me hungrier for the next.
If I was a chef, I imagine this talent would be something to be proud of. Like someone with perfect vision and calm hands becoming a sniper. But I’m no culinary wizard, I’m a fitness guy who gains weight when he drives past Dunkin Donuts too slowly. That’s why I’ve spent the last two decades figuring out how to subdue my ravenous appetite. And if there’s one tactic that helps me overcome my lust for food it’s this; it’s just easier not to eat.
Sounds weird, right? I mean, how does a guy who loves to eat solve the whole over-eating problem by simply not eating? It just doesn’t make sense.
The first thing you have to know is that most people make dieting complicated on purpose. I know I used to. That way, if I failed, I always had an excuse. The second thing you need to know is, it’s not missing a meal or two of three that makes us hungry, it’s the items on the menu and the actual act of eating itself.
Once I learned that, some 10 years ago, I eliminated breakfast, then snacks. And I felt fine. I worked up to skipping the occasional lunch, and finally fasted for days at a time. And you know what, still fine. In fact, I was better than fine. For the first time since I could remember, I wasn’t hungry. Yup, NOT eating made me NOT hungry.
Now I’m not saying I don’t still enjoy my food or that I don’t consume large meals when I finally do eat, I’m saying I do these things in such a way that I don’t get fat. And let me tell you, for a guy who gets fat eating broccoli, that’s saying something.
I know myself. I know that I look good in gray. I know that if I like something, I won’t shut up about it. And I know that when I sit down to eat anything — even good for me food — I won’t stop until it’s too late.
Maybe you’re different. Maybe you can eat several small meals a day. If that’s you, then good on ya. I tried that for almost a decade and all it did was make me hungry. Today I treat my diet like it’s that good friend I only call when I have the time to really hear about their lives. That means eating once a day at most, and often fasting for several days at a time. I still train the same as I would if I ate more often. I’m far less interested in food. And when I finally do eat, it’s mostly vegetables and meat, with plenty of fat to keep me full; about 2,400 Calories per meal.
Like everything else, eating infrequently isn’t for everyone. It destroys my wife and wrecks athletes who have a hard time maintaining weight. But for those of us who seem to add weight just by looking at food, it’s just easier not to eat.
