Lots of people tried this way of life, and almost as many fell in love with its simplicity and effectiveness.

And, in 2008 I heard from a lot of people following Eat Stop Eat…

Almost 10,000 emails about Eat Stop Eat, and over 1,000 comments on this blog.

From all of these emails and comments, what I find the most interesting is the number one complaint I get about the Eat Stop Eat lifestyle:

“Do I really have to drink my coffee black??”

This is the biggest push back I get.

I tell people not to eat for 24 hours, to only go to the gym to build muscle, to avoid OCE eating, to avoid doing cardio (unless they enjoy it) and to drink calorie-free beverages like water and black coffee during their fasts…and it’s the black coffee that get people all riled up!

Go Figure.

Interestingly this causes me to ask the following question:

“If it is the caffeine in coffee that we are addicted to…why do we seem to be much more addicted to the cream and sugar than the actual caffeine?”

If the recommendation in Eat Stop Eat was to drink decaf coffee, and that you could have cream and sugar..I doubt anyone would complain.

So here’s my message for today. You are allowed to have vices…we all have them (mine are coffee and ice cream).

We are also allowed to have quirks (I drink apple juice out of a cappuccino cup every morning..it makes me feel sophisticated).

The important thing is to recognize the true reason behind our vices and our quirks and to make sure they don’t lead to overeating.

Eat in a way that you enjoy..but be honest with yourself about the reasons behind your vices and quirks.

This one simple step can help you identify the little things in  your life that cause you to overeat.

BP

I have spent almost all of my morning answering e-mail questions that did nothing but reaffirm my belief that obsessive compulsive eating is continuing to dig its claws into the North American “healthy lifestyle” (the opposite of what I suggest in Eat Stop Eat).

I received two different emails about two very famous fitness personalities. One was promoting drinking ice-water to lose weight, and the other was spreading the “if you don’t eat every couple hours you will cause your body to burn lean muscle” misinformation.

Ugh.

As if these emails weren’t depressing enough, I then switched to answering questions like “Will switching from normal tea to green tea help me lose weight for the summer?” [no] and “Can I drink Fruit Smoothies while I am fasting if they are made from organic fruit?” [no again].

Honestly, it’s 9 AM and I feel like I need a drink.

So, it’s time to talk booze.

I like alcohol. (And yes, it actually is the fourth macronutrient- Protein, Carbohydrates, Fats and Alchohol)

I like the fourth macronutrient because unlike it’s three siblings very few people choose their drink based on it’s perceived health value. For the most part, alcohol has not been influenced by obsessive compulsive eating.

People like what they like because of taste, branding, the ‘image’ it portrays, or some combination of the three (except for those people who drink red wine for the antioxidants).

I drink scotch for the taste. It has nothing to do with a media push about how scotch can cure diabetes, or improve my anti-oxidant status. Just pure, simple taste.

Sometimes I feel like drinking a smoky glass of Laphroig, other days it is the Balvenie that catches me. I can assure you, I have never once thought “I should have a glass of scotch today to improve my health”.

It is an occasional treat, and like all treats, I do it for the taste.

When it comes to beer I’m very picky. I like Guinness, Caffreys and Innis and Gunn (I highly recommend you try Innis and Gunn, especially if you like scotch). Again, this has nothing to do with anything other than taste preferences.

As odd as it may be, alcohol and to a lesser extent chocolate and coffee are some of the few remaining “foods” that haven’t slowly been turned into “nutrition”. (although, I fear coffee and chocolate are quickly falling to the dark side).

More of a rant than anything else, but I can assure you of one thing – It will be a cold day in hell before any Scotch Distiller starts putting green tea extract or caffeine into their product!!

That being said, it is interesting to note that small amounts of alcohol (the occasional drink) is associated with reduced levels of markers of chronic inflamamtion liek IL-6, CRP and leptin.

Considering the chronic inflammations is associated with a whole host of long term life threatening diseases (including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer) and maybe more people SHOULD consider alcohol for it’s health benefits.

The fourth macronutrient – health benefits without becoming ‘nutrition’

BP

PS- In case you were wondering, drinking ice-water will not make you lose weight, and eating every three hours has nothing to do with preserving your muscle mass. If you want to learn why, then you should read about the benefits of flexible intermittent fasting.