2703: [Part 1] 4 Ways to Stop Eating a Million Calories Every Night by Jill Coleman of JillFit

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Have you ever noticed how a calm mind can really set the stage for a good night's sleep?

[00:00:04] [SPEAKER_00]: That's the idea behind our new podcast, Good Sleep.

[00:00:08] [SPEAKER_00]: Greg, our host from Optimal Relationships Daily, is here to help ease you into a peaceful night's rest with some positive affirmations.

[00:00:16] [SPEAKER_00]: And these affirmations aren't just comforting, they can help ease anxiety and nurture positive thoughts, setting you up for true good sleep.

[00:00:24] [SPEAKER_00]: So, press play on good sleep tonight because a good tomorrow starts with a good night's sleep.

[00:00:31] [SPEAKER_00]: Just search for good sleep in your podcast app and be sure to pick the one from Optimal Living Daily.

[00:00:38] [SPEAKER_00]: This is Optimal Health Daily, 4 Ways to Stop Eating a Million Calories Every Night, Part 1 by Jill Coleman of JillFit.com.

[00:00:48] [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm Dr. Neal.

[00:00:49] [SPEAKER_00]: Welcome back to Optimal Health Daily where I simply read to you from the best health and fitness blogs for free.

[00:00:55] [SPEAKER_00]: This is kind of like an audiobook but with articles instead and articles from a bunch of different authors and always with permission from the site.

[00:01:04] [SPEAKER_00]: And on Fridays, I answer your questions.

[00:01:07] [SPEAKER_00]: You can send one in at oldpodcast.com slash ask or email your question directly to health at oldpodcast.com.

[00:01:18] [SPEAKER_00]: Now, today's episode is a little longer than normal so whenever that happens I'll read the first half today and then finish up the rest for you tomorrow.

[00:01:27] [SPEAKER_00]: So with that, let's hear part 1 as we optimize your life.

[00:01:35] [SPEAKER_00]: 4 Ways to Stop Eating a Million Calories Every Night, Part 1 by Jill Coleman of JillFit.com.

[00:01:44] [SPEAKER_00]: I don't blame you for wanting to eat everything you can possibly get your hands on at night.

[00:01:49] [SPEAKER_00]: A few months ago, I was called in for jury duty.

[00:01:51] [SPEAKER_00]: I had never been and was fairly happy about being able to sit and read a book for 8 hours straight.

[00:01:57] [SPEAKER_00]: I thought, this can't be that bad.

[00:02:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Basically an excuse to not be on the computer or do real work all day.

[00:02:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Nice.

[00:02:05] [SPEAKER_00]: Or so I thought.

[00:02:07] [SPEAKER_00]: While I didn't get picked, I still had to be in that tiny room, sitting in a tiny chair with 100 other people for 8 hours.

[00:02:16] [SPEAKER_00]: And the farthest we could walk was the 50 feet to the bathroom.

[00:02:20] [SPEAKER_00]: By 5pm, I was so stir crazy and annoyed by the confinement of the day that all my singular mind had the mental energy for,

[00:02:29] [SPEAKER_00]: was stopping by the store on the way home and then proceeding to guzzle an entire bottle of wine.

[00:02:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Why did this happen?

[00:02:37] [SPEAKER_00]: I was actually thinking to myself on the way home,

[00:02:40] [SPEAKER_00]: now I understand why people who sit at a desk all day are so friggin drained when they get home

[00:02:46] [SPEAKER_00]: and that's all they can do to not eat the house.

[00:02:49] [SPEAKER_00]: Wow.

[00:02:50] [SPEAKER_00]: Call it irritation, stress, annoyance, confinement, boredom, needing a reward, whatever.

[00:02:57] [SPEAKER_00]: But after having probably logged 100 steps total that day and 8 hours of sitting,

[00:03:03] [SPEAKER_00]: I felt 100% like I deserved a bottle of wine for my ability to do that.

[00:03:09] [SPEAKER_00]: How crazy is that?

[00:03:11] [SPEAKER_00]: And yet so many of us feel like this every single day.

[00:03:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Get home after a long day of being sedentary at work and can't help but eat everything non-stop from dinner until bedtime.

[00:03:24] [SPEAKER_00]: I get it.

[00:03:24] [SPEAKER_00]: I do.

[00:03:26] [SPEAKER_00]: Wow.

[00:03:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Mentally, we are on empty.

[00:03:28] [SPEAKER_00]: Willpower is exhaustible and at the end of a long day of just even talking, there's none left.

[00:03:35] [SPEAKER_00]: And when willpower is gone, all that's left are the habits.

[00:03:39] [SPEAKER_00]: So if you've developed good habits, those are in place.

[00:03:43] [SPEAKER_00]: If you've developed poor habits like sitting on the couch watching TV pounding chips,

[00:03:49] [SPEAKER_00]: then those are there too.

[00:03:51] [SPEAKER_00]: And isn't TV funny?

[00:03:52] [SPEAKER_00]: It's actually easier to watch TV than it is to go to bed

[00:03:56] [SPEAKER_00]: because going to bed requires brushing teeth and taking contacts out, changing clothes and so on.

[00:04:04] [SPEAKER_00]: And so often we know we should just go to bed but relaxing with TV and food is easier.

[00:04:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Watching TV is the path of least resistance.

[00:04:14] [SPEAKER_00]: I was talking about this with my mom recently and I was dying laughing because I was saying that

[00:04:19] [SPEAKER_00]: TV is actually easier than sitting quietly alone

[00:04:22] [SPEAKER_00]: because when you do that you have to think about stuff.

[00:04:25] [SPEAKER_00]: That's the reason my mom gave and she's exactly right.

[00:04:30] [SPEAKER_00]: Thinking when we are depleted is hard work

[00:04:32] [SPEAKER_00]: and resisting sweets and treats takes mindfulness also known as thinking.

[00:04:38] [SPEAKER_00]: And thinking's just not a luxury we have at night after a long hard day of it.

[00:04:43] [SPEAKER_00]: So I don't blame you.

[00:04:45] [SPEAKER_00]: But the issue is that we need to figure this out

[00:04:48] [SPEAKER_00]: because the current way of handling it is not working.

[00:04:52] [SPEAKER_00]: So how do we then not eat a million calories every night?

[00:04:56] [SPEAKER_00]: Metabolic Effect calls this continuous meal when you eat from dinner time straight until bedtime.

[00:05:02] [SPEAKER_00]: We do this, don't we?

[00:05:04] [SPEAKER_00]: I thought about this from all angles and came up with four tools that can help.

[00:05:08] [SPEAKER_00]: One, find ways to replenish willpower throughout the day.

[00:05:13] [SPEAKER_00]: You can think of your willpower like a battery that gets drained as the day goes on.

[00:05:17] [SPEAKER_00]: It's highest in the morning,

[00:05:19] [SPEAKER_00]: it's no wonder people site breakfast as their healthiest meal of the day.

[00:05:23] [SPEAKER_00]: And with every decision throughout the day, willpower gets less and less.

[00:05:28] [SPEAKER_00]: So it would follow that if you could take moments throughout the day to replenish it

[00:05:32] [SPEAKER_00]: or charge the battery you'd be more equipped to deal with resisting sweets at night.

[00:05:37] [SPEAKER_00]: Some of my favorite ways to boost willpower also known as restorative activities

[00:05:42] [SPEAKER_00]: include leisure walking, 5-10 minutes of meditation,

[00:05:46] [SPEAKER_00]: light stretching or foam rolling, reading a book, creative writing in a journal, sketching

[00:05:53] [SPEAKER_00]: or even light yoga or tai chi.

[00:05:56] [SPEAKER_00]: Dr. Kelly McGonigal in her book The Willpower Instinct shows how even

[00:06:01] [SPEAKER_00]: five minutes of meditation throughout the day can make a significant impact.

[00:06:05] [SPEAKER_00]: I also recommend reading The Power of Full Engagement by Tony Schwartz

[00:06:09] [SPEAKER_00]: and Switch by Chip and Dan Heath.

[00:06:12] [SPEAKER_00]: Two, eat more and satisfying stuff earlier in the day.

[00:06:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Often cravings are related to feelings of deprivation.

[00:06:20] [SPEAKER_00]: When we feel deprived for a day or a week or a month,

[00:06:23] [SPEAKER_00]: the compensatory overindulgence is inevitable.

[00:06:27] [SPEAKER_00]: So it would follow that if you can stay more satisfied and satiated throughout the day,

[00:06:32] [SPEAKER_00]: that compensatory hunger and cravings would be less at night.

[00:06:37] [SPEAKER_00]: So the answer to quitting nighttime binging is actually not to be more strict during the day.

[00:06:42] [SPEAKER_00]: This can be a tough pill to swallow though,

[00:06:45] [SPEAKER_00]: especially when we wake up in a state of remorse from the night before.

[00:06:49] [SPEAKER_00]: Often we want to literally fast all day to make up for it.

[00:06:53] [SPEAKER_00]: Don't do that. Instead, find ways to preempt cravings and hunger.

[00:06:58] [SPEAKER_00]: First and foremost, this includes eating more protein

[00:07:01] [SPEAKER_00]: and fiber-rich foods earlier in the day.

[00:07:04] [SPEAKER_00]: They keep us feeling fuller for longer and stabilize energy.

[00:07:08] [SPEAKER_00]: The second way is to incorporate preemptive cheats.

[00:07:12] [SPEAKER_00]: I've written on these quite a bit, but they're foods that are satiating

[00:07:15] [SPEAKER_00]: but don't necessarily help with fat loss.

[00:07:18] [SPEAKER_00]: They are more neutral and we don't need a lot to feel satisfied.

[00:07:22] [SPEAKER_00]: Examples are a couple of strips of bacon, a few squares of dark chocolate,

[00:07:27] [SPEAKER_00]: a sprinkle of cheese on salads or even a few slices of cheese off a block,

[00:07:32] [SPEAKER_00]: avocado, guacamole, sugar-free froyo or even a single glass of red wine.

[00:07:37] [SPEAKER_00]: They help take the edge off but don't usually add pounds if you are watching servings.

[00:07:43] [SPEAKER_00]: They act as a built-in relief for your diet.

[00:07:46] [SPEAKER_00]: Have a serving each day or every other day.

[00:07:49] [SPEAKER_00]: 3. Hear that on tomorrow's episode.

[00:07:56] [SPEAKER_00]: You just listened to part 1 of the post titled,

[00:07:59] [SPEAKER_00]: 4 Ways to Stop Eating a Million Calories Every Night by Jill Coleman of jillfit.com

[00:08:04] [SPEAKER_00]: and I'll be right back with my commentary.

[00:08:07] [SPEAKER_00]: Dr. Neal here for my commentary.

[00:08:10] [SPEAKER_00]: Isn't it amazing that even those of us that love exercising and talking about health

[00:08:15] [SPEAKER_00]: and nutrition all the time are actually human too?

[00:08:19] [SPEAKER_00]: That we are also susceptible of making not so great lifestyle choices?

[00:08:24] [SPEAKER_00]: If I could have it my way, I would eat donuts, pizza and french fries all the time.

[00:08:29] [SPEAKER_00]: And you remember how today's author Jill was talking about how

[00:08:32] [SPEAKER_00]: watching TV is the path of least resistance?

[00:08:35] [SPEAKER_00]: That's absolutely right.

[00:08:36] [SPEAKER_00]: In fact, researchers have found that when we watch TV,

[00:08:40] [SPEAKER_00]: we burn even fewer calories than we do when we're asleep.

[00:08:44] [SPEAKER_00]: So if burning more calories each day is the goal,

[00:08:47] [SPEAKER_00]: it would be better to actually fall asleep while watching TV

[00:08:50] [SPEAKER_00]: than staying awake watching it.

[00:08:53] [SPEAKER_00]: Something I like to do when I watch TV is

[00:08:55] [SPEAKER_00]: to not fast forward through ads or commercials but instead

[00:08:59] [SPEAKER_00]: use that time to get up and do something.

[00:09:01] [SPEAKER_00]: Like get a drink of water, wash a few dishes or load the dishwasher,

[00:09:05] [SPEAKER_00]: swap out laundry and so on.

[00:09:09] [SPEAKER_00]: I find it keeps me a little bit more energized

[00:09:11] [SPEAKER_00]: and I feel good about burning those few extra calories

[00:09:13] [SPEAKER_00]: by getting up and doing something.

[00:09:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Alright, that'll do it for today and the first half of this post.

[00:09:19] [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you so much for being here.

[00:09:21] [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for sharing this show with someone.

[00:09:23] [SPEAKER_00]: I'll be back here tomorrow to finish up this post.

[00:09:26] [SPEAKER_00]: So I'll see you there where your optimal life awaits.