/science/obstacle-meter/ Recent content in The Obstacle Meter on The Science of Dieting Hugo -- gohugo.io en-us /science/obstacle-meter/time/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /science/obstacle-meter/time/ I do not have enough time to meal plan and prepare meals. Do you have money to pay for a personal chef? If no, then you need to make time to plan and prepare meals. There are a number of tools and strategies that you can employ to save yourself time. We can start by outlining a few things you can do to make your meal planning a little easier. /science/obstacle-meter/money/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /science/obstacle-meter/money/ I do not have the money it takes to eat healthier or lose weight. Healthy eating does not need to be expensive. It can be tempting to compare a $10 value meal to a $200 grocery bill and run to the closest McDonald’s. But, in a meal-to-meal comparison, grocery shopping will win almost every time. It is true that you can save money eating nothing but ramen noodles. However, I invite you to consider this question: What is more expensive, fruits and vegetables, or doctor bills? /science/obstacle-meter/knowledge/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /science/obstacle-meter/knowledge/ I really do not know what I should be eating to be healthier or lose weight. There is so much nutrition information out there that it can be overwhelming to decipher what is true or untrue, important or unimportant. Find resources that are reliable and trustworthy where you can get good information. The Science of Dieting will be putting together a “Trusted Resources” page to help you find people that we trust on social media (Facebook and Twitter). /science/obstacle-meter/culinary-skills-equipment/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /science/obstacle-meter/culinary-skills-equipment/ I do not have the cooking skills, knowledge or equipment to eat healthy or lose weight. Cooking does not need to be complicated, difficult, or scary. There are only a few essential pieces of equipment and a few basic skills you need to get started. Luckily there are ample free resources that can teach you the step-by-step basics of almost any recipe. When I first started cooking, I really did not know how to make anything outside of tacos. /science/obstacle-meter/meal-planning/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /science/obstacle-meter/meal-planning/ I could really use some help planning out meals for the week. In theory meal planning is easy: pick your recipes, pick your snacks, and plan out when you are going to eat them. But do you know what? I have never met anyone who I have asked to meal plan for themselves for a week and to follow it who have not had a real eye-opening experience. The reality is, not too many people are good at meal planning and even fewer people enjoy meal planning. /science/obstacle-meter/availability/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /science/obstacle-meter/availability/ It is not uncommon for me to run out of healthy food to prepare at home. If you have run out of food you are probably not going to run out for a bag of apples, you are going to go get some McDonalds or Chipotle to get you to your next trip to the grocery store. Running out of things to eat happens to a lot of people. Maybe you still have food in the pantry but none of it seems all that appetizing. /science/obstacle-meter/access/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /science/obstacle-meter/access/ It is difficult for me to gain access to healthy food (for example: no grocery stores close to me, limited transportation, out of delivery range). Meal kits, meal delivery, and grocery delivery are great options if you have limited transportation and cannot get to the grocery stores. These are also going to cost you more and if financial considerations are preventing you from accessing healthy foods, please see our Money (02) Obstacle Solution. /science/obstacle-meter/environment/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /science/obstacle-meter/environment/ My home, work or social environment is full of opportunities to eat highly palatable, calorie dense food. I do not care who you are, if you are repeatedly exposed to highly palatable food, you are going to eventually break down and eat it. Controlling your (food) environment is one of the most important things you can do to ensure dietary success. Even the people that do not think that their environment is a problem have likely come up with a set of rules (conscious or unconscious) that helps minimize their exposure to highly palatable food. /science/obstacle-meter/willpower/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /science/obstacle-meter/willpower/ I lack the willpower necessary to eat healthier or lose weight. I do not care who you are, if you are repeatedly exposed to highly palatable food, you are going to eventually break down and eat it. Willpower is more a matter of being repeatedly exposed to tempting situations than it is your perceived lack of strength. No one should have to beat the odds, go against the grain, or make dieting into an insurmountable mountain. /science/obstacle-meter/10-favorite-foods/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /science/obstacle-meter/10-favorite-foods/ 10: Having to Give Up Favorite Foods I would eat healthier but I do not want to give up my favorite foods. Before we give you any advice in this category, we would like to tell you a story. There was a man who really enjoyed his Coca Cola, so much so that he would consume 12 cans in an eight-hour workday. He knew that drinking 12 cans of Coca Cola/day was negatively affecting his health, but he was not sure how to change. /science/obstacle-meter/11-work/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /science/obstacle-meter/11-work/ My work and/or workplace prevents me from eating healthier or losing weight. Let us take a deeper dive into what is happening. Why does your workplace prevent you from eating healthy? ARE MEALS CATERED IN? When the planners ask for requests, suggest caterers with healthy options. If pre-portioned, do not feel pressured to finish the whole meal. If self-serve, take reasonable portions and only fill your plate once or conversely, take really small portions before determining whether to go back for seconds. /science/obstacle-meter/12-travel/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /science/obstacle-meter/12-travel/ I have to travel a lot for work, and it is tough for me to eat healthy or lose weight while on the road or at a job site. Constantly traveling and being without a kitchen means you will be eating out frequently. Use these tips to 1) reduce the number of times you have to eat out and 2) make healthier choices when you have no other choice. TO AVOID EATING OUT: Book hotels with free breakfast. /science/obstacle-meter/13-social-network/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /science/obstacle-meter/13-social-network/ My friends and I eat out (wine and dine) more than we probably should. Friends are great, but social situations often involve high calorie foods and drinks. Food is a way we connect with people, share experiences, and celebrate. It is possible to keep those relationships while trying to eat a healthier. Here are some ways to eat healthier when it seems you and your friends are always going out: /science/obstacle-meter/14-family-dynamics/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /science/obstacle-meter/14-family-dynamics/ The number of people in my household and their dietary preferences/requirements greatly affects my ability to eat healthy and/or lose weight. If family dynamics are keeping you from eating healthy, you need to gauge the readiness of each member of your family for dietary change. Chances are that they could they benefit from a healthier diet, whether or not they need to lose weight. Depending on their needs and motivation, here are some ideas of changes you can make as a family, or that they can support you in making: /science/obstacle-meter/15-hunger/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /science/obstacle-meter/15-hunger/ The hunger that I feel when I am on a diet prevents me from eating healthier. Although you will be eating fewer calories, it is possible to eat healthier and lose weight without feeling extreme hunger. Interestingly and somewhat surprisingly, your level of hunger will actually decrease during your diet and rebound during refeeding (after your diet). This phenomenon is partially to blame for why we tend to regain weight after we stop dieting. /science/obstacle-meter/16-palatability/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /science/obstacle-meter/16-palatability/ Healthy food does not taste good and/or is monotonous to me. When most people think of healthy eating their minds tend to gravitate towards grilled chicken breast and broccoli, baked fish and peas or lots of salads. If this is your definition of healthy then count me as one of the people saying that healthy food does not taste good. But the thing of it is healthy food does not have to be monotonous and boring! /science/obstacle-meter/17-snacking/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /science/obstacle-meter/17-snacking/ Snacking on junk food is part of my daily routine. There are a multitude of reasons why we snack: stress, boredom, fatigue, convenience, a lack of sleep or because it is just part of a routine that you have fallen into. Regardless of why you have chosen to snack we feel that the reasons for snacking can all fit into just two categories: 1) Snacking for Pleasure. 2) Snacking Because You are Legitimately Hungry. /science/obstacle-meter/18-food-reward/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /science/obstacle-meter/18-food-reward/ Some people live to eat, and others eat to live. I live to eat. When we talk about food reward, we are not talking about the act of rewarding yourself with food, rather we are speaking specifically about foods ability to activate the pleasure centers of the brain and not necessarily about your decision to eat. This may seem like splitting hairs but stick with me. The brain’s reward system is evolutionarily designed to seek out things that offer survival and/or reproductive advantages. /science/obstacle-meter/19-portion-sizes/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /science/obstacle-meter/19-portion-sizes/ I have trouble controlling how much I eat in one sitting. If you struggle with portion sizes, there are a few things you can do 1) change your eating environment. 2) learn tricks to help self-monitor. 3) limit your exposure to highly palatable food (high sugar, fat, and/or salt). ENVIRONMENT: Use Smaller Plates, Cups, and Bowls: in many cases it is okay to use kid sized plates and cups. Be careful here though as research shows that small plates do not prevent you from overeating when highly palatable food is available (i. /science/obstacle-meter/20-caloric-density/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /science/obstacle-meter/20-caloric-density/ I tend to eat foods that are savory (contain lots of fat AND carbohydrate). There is really no getting around this one. Highly palatable foods containing high amounts of sugar, fat, and/or salt are just too difficult to resist eating. Whereas other obstacles often have more user-friendly solutions, caloric density tends to not have easy solutions. We are evolutionarily designed to seek out sugar, fat, and/or salt for reproductive and survival advantages. /science/obstacle-meter/21-eating-out/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /science/obstacle-meter/21-eating-out/ 21: Eat Out Too Often I probably eat more meals out than I should be eating out to be healthy or lose weight. Eating out can be convenient, social, and tasty, but it can also sabotage your diet. Meals at restaurants come in unreasonable portions and tend to hide unhealthy ingredients to make them taste better. Here are some tips to reduce the number of times you eat out and help you make healthier choices when you do: /science/obstacle-meter/22-boredom/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /science/obstacle-meter/22-boredom/ I often eat or drink (alcohol or other calorie containing beverages) because I am bored. If you close your eyes and think of the feelings of boredom, what comes to mind? You likely feel dull, lethargic, anxious, unmotivated, and in some cases trapped by your own inertia to find something more stimulating or trapped in a very uninteresting task that you are required to do or be a part of. Oftentimes this uninteresting task is repetitive in nature, and you have to do it as part of your work of family life. /science/obstacle-meter/23-stress/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /science/obstacle-meter/23-stress/ I often eat or drink (alcohol or other calorie containing beverages) because I am stressed. There are two ways you can look at food. Food is either 1) fuel (energy) for our bodies or 2) a means to stimulate the pleasure/reward circuits in our brains. The reason this distinction is important is because if you are stressed out, you are not viewing food as a simple combination of fats and carbs that fuel our bodies, you are looking at food as a means to activate your pleasure/reward circuits to dampen your stress response and to make yourself feel better, at least for the moment. /science/obstacle-meter/24-depression/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /science/obstacle-meter/24-depression/ I have been pretty depressed over the past month. Depression just plain sucks. Unlike some of the other obstacles to healthy eating, depression is out of our control (for the most part) and more difficult to manage. Depression feels like things will never change, like we are permanently stuck in our current situation or frame of mind and that there is no way out. Things we used to enjoy are no longer enjoyable. /science/obstacle-meter/25-sleep/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /science/obstacle-meter/25-sleep/ I tend to wake up feeling tired in the morning like I could use a couple extra hours of sleep. As public health professionals we have a number of general recommendations for helping you improve your sleep but keep in mind that what may work for one individual will not work for another individual. The truth is, we do not understand sleep very well. The Science of Dieting would argue that sleep recommendations are far more unique to the individual than are diet and exercise recommendations. /science/obstacle-meter/26-vigor/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /science/obstacle-meter/26-vigor/ At the end of the day, I am way too tired to cook. At the end of a long day, it can be hard to find the motivation to cook an involved meal. But you need to eat. A healthy meal does not need to be complicated or take a lot of effort. There are two ways you can approach this problem, you can 1) reduce the number of times you need to cook and 2) minimize your efforts when you do cook. /science/obstacle-meter/27-exercise/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /science/obstacle-meter/27-exercise/ I tend to not get enough exercise in on a weekly basis. Exercise is a very important part of a healthy lifestyle. But, keep in mind, that research shows that exercise alone will more than likely not lead to a meaningful weight loss (<5% of your initial body weight). People love to ask me whether diet or exercise is more important to weight loss and if one is more important what type of percentage would I give to each. /science/obstacle-meter/28-priority/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /science/obstacle-meter/28-priority/ Healthy eating and/or weight loss has not been too high of a priority for me recently. Although you realize that eating healthy is important, motivation can waver depending on other things that are going on in your life. You may be stuck feeling like you want to make a change, but other things come up that distract you from actually moving forward. Maybe you have tried changing, but it was difficult for you to sustain, and you are hesitant to try again. /science/obstacle-meter/29-support/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /science/obstacle-meter/29-support/ I lack the support I need to make a lasting dietary change. It is downright difficult, if not impossible to complete a huge project by yourself. It does not matter how big, tough, strong or skilled we are, we all need (at least some) help. We all wear a lot of hats. Spouse, parent, son or daughter, friend, caregiver, coworker, housekeeper, gardener, yardmaster, shuttle service, dishwasher, cook, housecleaner, money manager, laundromat, exerciser, mentor, volunteer, the list goes on and on. /science/obstacle-meter/30-accountability/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /science/obstacle-meter/30-accountability/ I could really use someone to hold me accountable to my diet. Take a second to think about the things that are important to you in your life. Who or what comes to mind? Your partner, your parents, your kids? A close personal friend? What do all of these people have in common? They have a close personal relationship with you. And with any close personal relationship you do not want to let them down nor do you want to disappoint them. /science/obstacle-meter/31-willingness-to-cook/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /science/obstacle-meter/31-willingness-to-cook/ 31: Willingness/Desire to Cook I have little to no desire to cook. I read some market research not too long ago that said 45% of Americans hate cooking 45% of Americans are neutral to cooking 10% of Americans actually like cooking If you do not like cooking, it looks like you are not alone. I do not particularly enjoy cooking either, but I choose to cook knowing that The more you cook, the easier it is to eat healthy. /science/obstacle-meter/32-self/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /science/obstacle-meter/32-self/ 32: Me I am the biggest obstacle to my success. The point is this: if you have truly bought in and want to make dietary changes for the better, The Obstacle Meter will help you identify where our obstacles may be and provides you with solutions for overcoming them. If, however, you have not truly bought in, then the obstacles are no longer obstacles, they have become excuses and the first obstacle that you have to get over before you deal with anything else, is you.