Personal Development 101
Personal Development 101

Developing wealth in every aspect of life
by Ross Runkel
 

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Week 11 - 3/4 is enough

One change each week. This week: 3/4 is enough.

I'm writing about eating. What I say can be applied to a lot of other things. Use your imagination.

Bigger is better, or so they say.

We live in an age when more is better. We're told to buy the 64-ounce size, the giant size. We're told to biggie size our hamburger order, get the biggie fries. Things are called whoppers.

Even the elegant restaurants produce a plate that contains enough food for two meals.

All of this is a function of the food industry. It's clear they want us to eat more. The more we eat, the more we want to eat, and the more money they make. It's not complicated.

When I look down at my shoes it's obvious that I'm carrying a bit more weight than I need or want. Twenty pounds could go off, and I wouldn't miss it.

The diet industry fuels the flames.

The average bookstore has a huge inventory of "diet" books. There are lots of specialty diets out there, with the authors making all sorts of claims. Lots of these books get bought, and then go on a shelf at home. Some people "go on a diet" for a short while, and then go back to their old ways. So the book-sellers do pretty well. And the food industry doesn't lose much.

Some of the diets, perhaps most, are really just fads. There's a web site devoted to fad diets. They come and go. Most are worthless. Some are harmful. They make money for the inventors and authors. Do they make the world a better place?

Believe-it-or-not, some of the most expensive "weight-loss" companies are really part of the food industry. You buy your food from the weight-loss company. Huh?

What will I do? Smaller is better.

The secret for me is to take in less and be more active. The focus today is taking in less.

It makes no sense to "go on a diet" that involves totally avoiding carbs, or involves pigging out on carbs, or any other normal food.

My change for this week is to reduce my food intake to 3/4 of what it has been.

When I eat out, I take 1/4 of the food and set it aside. (I can take it home for lunch tomorrow.) At home, I take only 3/4 of what I used to take. The objective is to do this across-the-board, and not focus on specific food items that are "fattening."

Water is the big exception. With water, more is usually better.

I'm not a physician and have no special talent regarding nutrition, food, weight-loss, or anything else I've just talked about. I'm just telling you about one small change that I am making. I am not recommending that you do it. I think everyone should check with a doctor before making a significant change in eating.



Ross Runkel, Post Office Box 1031, Salem, Oregon 97308-1031.
Phone 503-399-8028.  Fax 503-566-8844.  email
Ross@LawMemo.Com