Ground Up Strength

Portion Size: Effect on Food Intake and Possible Interventions

The prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased. A strong environmental factor contributing to the obesity epidemic is food portion size. This review of studies into the effects of portion size on energy intake shows that increased food portion sizes lead to increased energy intake levels. Important mechanisms explaining why larger portions are attractive and lead to higher intake levels are value for money and portion distortion. This review also shows that few intervention studies aiming to reverse the negative influence of portion size have been conducted thus far, and the ones that have been conducted show mixed effects. More intervention studies targeted at portion size are urgently needed. Opportunities for further interventions are identified and a framework for portion size interventions is proposed. Opportunities for intervention include those targeted at the individual as well as those targeted at the physical, economic, political and socio-cultural environment.

Continue Reading » Portion Size: Effect on Food Intake and Possible Interventions

Self Control: Not all its Cracked Up To Be

More and more, everyone is learning that "diets" don't work. Sure, people drop weight on diets but they fail to make a lasting change. I don't need to go into this, you know all about yo-yo dieting. Despite this there are still plenty of judgmental folks (who probably wouldn't know a problem if it bit them in the tuchus) who will say stuff like, "jeez, what ever happened to old fashioned self-control?"

Continue Reading » Self Control: Not all its Cracked Up To Be

When Snacks Become Meals: How Hunger and Environmental Cues Bias Food Intake

While environmental and situational cues influence food intake, it is not always clear how they do so. We examine whether participants consume more when an eating occasion is associated with meal cues than with snack cues. We expect their perception of the type of eating occasion to mediate the amount of food they eat. In addition, we expect the effect of those cues on food intake to be strongest among those who are hungry.

Continue Reading » When Snacks Become Meals: How Hunger and Environmental Cues Bias Food Intake

Hunger is a Physical Feeling

In my post, Instinctual Eating, Thin People, and Appetite, I discussed eating from the perspective of one life-long thin person.

My problem is not, therefore, keeping off fat but eating enough to maintain my strength and of course to continually get stronger. For a person like me that is not so easy to do and involves what seems like a lot of eating. Back when I was still suffering from the bodybuilding affliction it was even worse.

Continue Reading » Hunger is a Physical Feeling

Instinctual Eating, Thin People, and Appetite

By Eric Troy

Once in a post about Micheal Pollan's ideas about "nutritionism" and instinctual eating I made the following statement:

“…nutritionists would never tell you that simply eating by your “instincts” is a magical ticket to health.”

Continue Reading » Instinctual Eating, Thin People, and Appetite

Nutrition is Not a True or False Proposition

I just came across a "nutrition quiz".

I got eight out of ten correct. Only eight? ME? You have got to be kidding me? I am a nutrition stud. Well, perhaps not exactly a nutrition stud but let's just say I do not get my nutrition information from steroid salesmen on bodybuilding forums.

One of the questions on the quiz involved brown rice. Go figure. I knew they wanted to hear that brown rice was healthier than white rice so that is what I answered but really I refuse to capitulate to the nonsense about brown rice being magical health pellets and white rice being evil little starch monsters.

Continue Reading » Nutrition is Not a True or False Proposition

Diet Alone, Exercise Alone, Or Both For Fatloss?

The age old question. And it seems to spark absolute outrage on all sides. Which is "better" for fatloss? Diet alone, exercise alone, or a combination of diet and exercise intervention?

Most people involved with helping the very overweight or obese lose weight will tell you that if you have to choose one then diet alone is the way to go.

Continue Reading » Diet Alone, Exercise Alone, Or Both For Fatloss?

Diets: "They All Work When You Stick To Them"

Public perception, even that of some health professionals, is that people who are classified as obese are lazy and have made few serious attempts to lose weight [1]. We are now starting to understand that the underlying causes of the obesity epidemic operate at numerous levels – individual, cultural, societal, and biological. We also acknowledge that fad diets are not the solution to weight loss [2], and that we need to consider a number of short and long term strategies to facilitate the social change needed to enable individuals, families and communities to live healthy lifestyles [3].

Continue Reading » Diets: "They All Work When You Stick To Them"

Appetite regulation - does it exist?

Appetite regulation and feeding behaviour are critical for survival. Through appetite regulation the proper amounts of fat, carbohydrate and protein are provided through specific signals, as has been demonstrated both in rodents and in man. Although feeding is necessary to provide energy, it also leads to severe perturbations in the homeostasis of the body. To help the body to maintain homeostasis various pre-meal events occur, such as the cephalic phase secretion of pancreatic juice, the production of satiety signals and the production of heat. The latter probably involves the action of uncoupling proteins present in the intestine. The diet-induced thermogenesis is hence important for achieving energy balance in the body. The increasing prevalence of obesity in the Western world is suggested to be a consequence of the overflow of tasty high-fat and sweet food items, which after ingestion override the original rules that we were once constructed for.

Continue Reading » Appetite regulation - does it exist?

It's a War Not a Battle

I really like a good analogy. And I consider myself pretty good with them. I've noticed that some people are masters of good analogies. And others…not so great.

The trick with an analogy is you have to argue with yourself. When you come up with an analogy to illustrate something you need to try to tear it down. Come up with situations where the analogy doesn't hold. The easier this is to do and more situations you think of…the worse the analogy.

Continue Reading » It's a War Not a Battle