Sunday Support Group: Make It a Game (OT)

["Sunday Support Group" is hopefully meant to provide support and inspiration for peoples' personal projects, photography-related or otherwise. It appears, at the risk of being obvious, on Sundays. —Ed.]

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Humans love games. Toyota used this when it devised its suite of dashboard monitors for its Prius line—Prius owners use the feedback to optimize their mileage in a game they've dubbed "hypermiling."

Lately I've been using a similar strategy with eating: make a game of it.

Backtracking a bit—my eye operation in June derailed my diet. I survived my confinement by eating quick meals of peanut butter sandwiches, which got me back into sugar and bread again, and I have addiction issues with sugar and bread. From there, my healthy eating broke down.

But as I mentioned recently, in my life I've quit cigarettes (1985, age 28) and I've quit alcohol (1990, age 33), and I know how to deal with addictions: you keep struggling until you get it. The struggle with addiction seems endless when you're in the middle of it, but in fact it's not endless—or doesn't have to be—eventually, if you keep trying, try different things, and are willing to go to any lengths to change, you can change. You get it. The new habits "stick." The struggle recedes into history. The trick is to keep trying until you succeed*.

Playing games with the brain
Diet isn't just about food ideology—it's also a lot about behaviorism. The best three beginner's starting points for overhauling disastrously bad eating, for instance, are all behavior related:

1. Don't eat between meals
2. Don't drink calories
3. Stop eating two hours before bedtime

So anyway, my latest trick with myself is also behavior related—I've made a game of my goals. I printed up a sheet with my daily goals on it and then at the end of every day I just tick off the ones I achieve. The total is ten, so I can easily count up my score on a ten scale.

The top third of my daily score sheet

Now, obviously, your sheet would have your goals on it, and would look a lot different from mine. I drink two mugs of tea in the morning, have a main meal in the afternoon built around rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes / yams or whole-wheat pasta and one or two vegetables (I eat as much as I want), and then have a dinner of bean, chickpea, split pea, or lentil soups (I eat as much as I want of that, too). The rest of the things are specific to my own bad habits and the details of my own particular daily life. For instance, there's free popcorn at the Moose Lodge where I play pool, and that's a failure point**. I want to try to limit myself to one serving. (I failed yesterday, but I beat my friend 8–6, so you lose some, you win some.) You'll notice that on my sheet I get two checkmarks if I avoid sugar for the day, that being my major weakness—if you have no "sweet tooth," sugar might not even be on your own list at all. "Didn't eat out" is because I'm making much less money now and sort of in a battle to try to make it to Social Security, so I've been trying to comprehensively reduce my expenses, and eating out is a bigger expense than most people think. Not to mention that there are restaurants that have not a single healthy meal on their entire menus. The last one, "soup made," is just because I need to keep up with the chore of making my homemade soups for the evenings—when I don't have any on hand, I have nothing convenient to eat in the evenings, and for me that's a big failure point.

Make your starting point an automatic success
Speaking of behaviorism, the first check on my list is a free point—I love my tea and never miss it. It's a "list trick" I learned long ago. Let's say you're making out a list of things to do the next day. Well, what you do is begin the list with three things you've already done! That way you wake up in the morning and you can tick off three items right away. It makes you feel like you're already on the right track, and makes it easier to dive into the rest of the list. Try it; it might sound dumb, but it works.

Everything for the week fits on one page. I eat three salads a week and three berry smoothies a week, and I allow myself one serving of meat a week, mainly so I can either partake when meat is on offer at friends' houses or have an occasional meal of sushi.

That's it. Just wanted to share this trick in case you might like to try it with your own goals. Make a game of it! It's surprising that it works, but it appears to be how we're wired.

Sugar is hiding everywhere
Oh, and by the way—you might wonder how peanut butter sandwiches got me back into sugar. Well, the peanut butter I was using has three grams of sugar per two-tablespoon serving (amusingly, the label says "3g sugars including 3g added sugars"), and the bread I bought has six grams of sugar per slice, of which five grams are added sugar. So each peanut butter sandwich I fixed myself during my recovery contained 15 grams of sugar—that's three and a half teaspoons of sugar per sandwich!

There's added sugar in everything these days, including our vegetables, which are being hybridized to be sweeter. I bought a package of celery the other day and look what it says on the bag:

And that "occasional sushi meal" I mentioned? I can't give myself the two points for "no sugar" on days I eat sushi. Sushi rice (and "sushi" is the rice, not the fish) is made with vinegar...and sugar. You have to be careful with this stuff—it's a minefield out there.

Now I gotta go walk. It's not that it's good for me and I need the exercise, it's just that I need the point.

Mike

*This is not advice that I'm a big fan of when it's generalized—I take a dim view of those mindless "persistence" exhortations that are perennially so popular. There are many things you shouldn't persist at—most notably those things at which you consistently fail, or for which you obviously have no aptitude. But addiction recovery is one area where persistence really is the right idea.

**Popcorn is only healthy if it's not cooked in oil and is unsalted. Otherwise it's pretty fattening.

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Lior: "Here's the merciless version. (SMBC is very funny and very, very intelligent.)"

John Daw: "Hey Mike, Prius owners did not coin the term Hypermiling. It came from a guy name Wayne Gerdes. He was getting upwards of 60 MPG with his stock Honda Accord by driving a certain way to maximize mileage. He dubbed it hypermiling. You can use this strategy with any vehicle. Hope all is well."

David M: "I suggest you also keep a second sheet of paper (or an app) that tracks each day you 'succeed.' The pressure to have a successful day goes up substantially when you've done it, say, 11 straight days. I use a Apple (Watch) app called 'Streaks' to keep track of whether I have done my daily push ups. I'm currently on my longest streak of 294 straight days!"

Comments

[David Jolley]

Peanut butter and bread can both be easily made at home without added sugar.

[Kirk Tuck]

Ezekiel brand 7 grain bread is low in the glycemic index category and contains absolutely no added sugars. Approved by Rip Esselstyn and his Engine 2 diet. Neither Trader Joe's Organic peanut butter nor Laura Scudder's Organic peanut butter contain any added sugars AT ALL and are widely available. Each of those peanut butters has less than 2g of sugar per serving and the only ingredients in those peanut butters are peanuts and sea salt. While Rip's Engine 2 diet eschews peanut butter because of the naturally occurring oils I think that's a very minor part of the equation. Choose your bread and peanut butters wisely and you will avoid any big glycemic load or sugar infusion. There are lots of heathy breads if you don't choose the ones with processed or refined flours. Unsprouted grain breads are a great source of fiber and even protein. It's not as hard as your brain is making it out to be. And, yes!!!! The WALK. Should be mandatory for everyone, everyday, if they are able.

[David Dyer-Bennet]

Hypermiling predates the Prius -- and is a bit of a hate-magnet since it leads to people blocking lanes on the freeway a lot.

[Ranjit Grover]

Mike,
All rice are not the same.
Essentially there are two types of edible rice grains.
1) Unboiled "raw" white rice and 2) "double boiled" red rice.
The unboiled rice is, I suppose, what you get there. We, here in the southern end of India (Kerala) mostly use double boiled rice.
Immediately after the harvest the rice grains are boiled in the evening and left over night in the hot vessel. The next day it is again boiled and then sun dried before husking.
The original idea was to make the rice grains hard enough to resist breakage during husking. Broken rice fetches a lower price in the market.
The other benefits of boiled, hard rice are 1) It has more fiber, because of retained bran. It actually looks dark, rusty and almost black sometimes. 2) It retains more of proteins from the bran. 3) Boiled rice is less easily digested and makes one less hungry. 4) It has a nutty flavor.
In the rest of India, this boiled rice is not popular because it involves more labor to produce it.
Double boiled rice has very low glycemic index and is the best grain for diabetics. The worst rice is the best tasting "Basmathy" rice, usually used on special occasions.
Ranjit Grover India

[Scott]

"The last one, 'soup made,' is just because I need to keep up with the chore of making my homemade soups for the evenings—when I don't have any on hand, I have nothing convenient to eat in the evenings, and for me that's a big failure point."

A slow cooker or an Instant Pot is great for soup (the Instant Pot is also a slow cooker). With a slow cooker, you just put in the ingredients in the morning and turn it on. It is done by the evening.

With an Instant Pot, you can make soup very quickly in the evening. It cooks beans/peas/lentils/legumes very fast at high pressure. You can also make a big batch of beans/peas etc. in the Instant Pot and use it over the next few days to make a quick soup (you can freeze potions to make it last even longer).

There are lots of cruelty-free (vegan) cookbooks for slow cookers and Instant Pots available.

[Yes I'm a big fan of the Instant Pot. I use it about 3-4 times a week, including for all my soups. --Mike]

[c.d.embrey]

Mike said: I survived my confinement by eating quick meals of peanut butter sandwiches ... 8-0

The crunchy I eat is 3% sugar—no-big-deal as I don't have a sweet-tooth (just the opposite). BTW there is sugarless-peanut-butter available, here's some crunchy https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006045OH4/ref=sspa_dk_detail_3?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B006045OH4&pd_rd_w=MSS7u&pf_rd_p=45a72. Non-GMO, Gluten Free, Vegan Friendly and Kosher. No preservatives or sugars added.

Sugar-free-bread is sorta an oymoron. Yeast is a living bacteria commonly used in baking that makes dough rise through the process of fermentation. For fermentation to occur yeast requires fuel in the form of sugar. The yeast reaction varies depending upon the type of sugar you use https://www.leaf.tv/articles/the-effect-of-different-sugars-on-yeast/

What I really h8t is BBQ sauce that is chock-full of sugar. I find it uneatable. When BBQ is the entree, I eat crunchy on rye bread.

My vexation is corn. One of my sons was allergic to corn. Unfortunately corn starch and corn sweetener seem to be in everything. I spent a lot of time reading food labels, when he was young.

[John Ironside]

Mike, you'd find this easier in the UK. Checking with Sainsbury's, a mid-sized, mid market store, I easily found peanut butter with ingredients 'Roasted Peanuts 100%', 3 g of naturally occurring sugar per 100. And sliced wholemeal (=wholewheat) bread with 1.1g of naturally occurring sugar per slice. Nether had any added sugar or sugar substitutes.

[Barry Reid]

There's a nice, simple, app called Streaks which can help with 'Gamefying' life. Set a task + frequency and it will tell you how long your 'streak' of completing the task is.

[Dan Khong]

If I'm allowed one food addiction, it will be two soft boiled eggs (some people call it half-boiled eggs) + a dash of soy sauce and pepper.

I can eat this everyday for the rest of my life.

[Kenneth G Voigt]

Off-topic:I like nutrition off-topics.

[Mike Ferron]

I am on a recent fresh "live" food diet. No not live animals but food that still has some life to it.

Lots of raw fruit and veggies, in the form of salads and smoothies. Add in 2 eggs a day and a bit of chicken, a slice or 2 of the best bread I can find and a handful of nuts and that's it. Many of us have consumed a lot of "dead" food in the form of highly processed junk. (How does a body repair itself on such low rent food?) I've not been eating red meat lately and so far I feel pretty good for 64.

[Clay Olmstead]

Nothing but peanuts and salt here:

OK, you have to stir it up before you use it (I store mine upside down), but getting no sugar is worth the effort.

[Barry Margolius]

Just in case you don't know, it's pretty easy to get "all natural" peanut butter which has no added sugar. I actually think it tastes better, although way back in my memory (I switched many years ago) is the thought that it took me a couple of weeks to begin liking it better.

The only downsides are cost and separation: it tends to separate into oils and solids if you store it for a long time. Amazon sells a clever device to help you mix it, and, for me, I mix it once when I first open the jar, and it stays mixed until I finish it.

[Peter Croft]

I finally had success at giving up the ciggies in 1988 after 22 years of smoking and many, many attempts. I agree, it was persistence that finally did it, but I added the element of fear. I changed my mind; by that I mean I convinced myself that I hated smoking and that it really was doing me harm. I also convinced myself that there was no choice, I had to stop.

My long term addiction is sitting at this damn PC. I divide my life into BC - before computer, and AC, after. Before, I used to be active, house renovations, cabinet making, cars, electronics construction. After, my mind is active but almost everything else, including photography, takes second place. Even reading books. As a result, my body is degenerating, my legs are growing weaker.

The answer has to be in the mind again, but it seems to be preoccupied and filled with more interesting stuff all the time.

If I could only make myself walk regularly. But I'll just read that article first... won't take long.

[Bear.]

Wouldn't work for me - but if works for you, go Mike.

[Frank]

Get yourself a bread making machine, Panasonic has a very good one. You can bake your own bread, without added sugar in it, and it is cheaper, you earn your investment back in one year, more or less. And your bread tasts much much better that that sponge-like industrial made bread, yuck.

[mark]

Mike, Have I ever mentioned that, no matter the subject, you are an excellent writer. You know how I know? You hate to walk. I hate to read. But once I start reading your column, I can't stop. Here's wishing you much success in all your endeavors.

[Michael]

Mike I don't think I'd like to live my life according to lists of preplanned meals or do's or don'ts, for most of us life is not a contest/game it's mainly about survival and a little enjoyment now and then.
Monks and nuns in contemplative orders live strictly by the rules laid down by the founders of such orders,have you considered joining, you could have a ball playing mind games and obeying all the rules.
Relax,let go,live life on the wild side Mike before it's too late.

[Tom Stermitxz]

For your peanut-butter fix... Sunbutter is ground sunflower seeds, and tastes better than peanut-butter, although "different" at first. You need to get the organic variety as the regular and natural have the same salt and sugar as peanut butter.

Dip it with an heirloom celery, or use it in smoothies to add depth.

[Chris Goad]

Have a go at learning to do "the farmers walk" I'ts very easy and there are a few versions of it. Look it up on google.You can do in the house when you can't go out. Maybe cut back a bit on all those carbs you're taking in. Older folks like you and I (73) need to get lots of protein and some resistance workouts. I hope you still ride your bike.

'

[Rick Popham]

You have to read the labels, for sure, when you’re buying food that someone else made for you. But you can easily get peanut butter with no sugar added. “Teddy’s” brand is available in my neck of the woods (CT), and a couple of the markets I frequent grind their own peanut/almond/cashew butter right in the store — from real nuts!

It’s almost impossible to get commercially baked bread without high fructose corn syrup these days. A good local baker is a better bet, or, like me, you can skip the bread and shmear your peanut butter on one of those endangered bananas.

[Graeme Scott]

Thanks to Ranjit for the info on red rice flour. I've just bought a load of it to use in gluten free bread ( I'm wheat intolerant ). I bought it in the Asian ( ie Pakistani ) section of the local supermarket but I haven't been able to find out much about it. I'm pleased with it so far.

+1 on Frank's suggestion of a Panasonic bread maker.

Quite a lot of the stuff My Other Half & I eat comes out of the freezer & is reheated in the microwave. But, it's all home cooked stuff: If you're cooking anything ( slow cooked chillies, curry or veg casseroles in our case ) make loads of it & freeze the extra quantity in meal size portions. It's healthy convenient & economical.

Bags of mixed salad leaves are a godsend - a handful on the side of your plate with a little sliced onion & dressing will health up any meal.

Have you tried sprouting seeds? brown or green lentils are particularly good.

I don't do any formal exercise but I walk everywhere ( I hate driving ) & I always seem to end up living up a hill. Carrying shopping home in a rucksack probably gives me an extra workout. While working I'm mostly on my feet - if I have to spend a lot of time sitting at a computer I always feel worse for it.

I wouldn't describe myself as fit or strong ( I drink far too much & I'm a sugar junkie ) but only weigh a few pounds more than I did in my mid twenties ( Am 56 in a couple of weeks ). I'm not on any medications but have to keep an eye on my blood pressure.

I'm a much better cook than I am a photographer.