Losing Weight the National Geographic Way... (why the animals are smarter than us)

[craigharper.com]

I love wild-life documentaries.
I love watching those amazing creatures in their habitat, doing what they do.
Well, perhaps not the tearing-each-other-to-pieces part.. but all the other stuff.
Well, nearly all the other stuff.

Not so long ago, I was watching a doco and it dawned on me that there ain't too many chubby animals in the wild.
Apart from animals which are genetically pre-disposed to have more fat for protection or survival (Bears, Penguins, Seals, Craigs), your typical animal in the wild is in pretty handy shape.
You might say Buffed. Lean. Ripped. Rock-hard.

A few years ago I went on safari in Africa and while I saw thousands of animals, the only fatties I saw were the hippos.... but who's gonna tell them?
Not me.

Interestingly, it's only when us very clever humans get involved with animals (i.e. feeding our domestic pets) that we start to see the rolls appear. My friend has a labrador that's about the size of a Hyundai..... she's like a three-door hatch with blond hair (the dog, not my friend).

Anyway, I started to think; how come these 'dumb' animals who don't have the magnificent education and brain-power that we humans do, don't have access to all those great diet books and that cutting-edge research (whatever that means) and certainly haven't read any of my blog (no internet access)... how come they're.... never fat?
None of them.
Not one.

Well the obvious answer is going to be that they run around all day trying not to get eaten by something with bigger, sharper teeth than theirs.
Sure, we know that.
They obviously have great exercise programs.... not to mention their incidental and occupational activity levels (you should try being a full-time hunter; huge calorie burner).

But, what about their diet?
How do they know when to eat?
How do they know when it's dinner time?
How do they know how much to eat.... especially when there's not a clever human around to tell them.

Well, I kept searching as any good scientist and researcher would, and here's what I found:
Hang on; you best sit down.
This is big.

They eat when they need food.
And when they don't need food, they don't eat.

Imagine that; not eating unless you actually NEED food.
Crazy.
That's never gonna catch on with humans.

Apparently, animals have this weird ability to discern a phenomenon called 'hunger'.
When they sense it, they eat.

A little scientific I know, but hang in there with me.

Legend has it that thousands of years ago, we humans had this special ability also.

Okay, should I stop the sarcasm now?
Oh alright.. but it's so much fun.. and I'm so good at it.

These days it seems that we are so dis-connected from what should be our natural instincts, so resistant to our body's physiological indicators, so programmed to eat certain foods, in certain amounts, at certain times, and so out of touch with what our body actually needs ... that some of us are rapidly heading towards a future of obesity, poor health and shorter-than-necessary life expectancies.

If only we would learn to listen to our body.
If only we would realise that it's much smarter than us (the cerebral us).

There's a school of thought that teaches human bodies don't actually need set meals, set eating times, set micro and macro-nutrient intakes. This classroom teaches that daily nutritional requirements not only vary from person to person, but that they vary for the same person, from day to day. Some very smart people teach that eating instinctively, that is, in accordance with what our body is telling us, is optimal for health, function, appearance and longevity.

Imagine that.
No diets.
No set anything.
Just a series of signals and responses.
Clever.

Over the next month or so, you and I (if you stay with me) are going to explore the concept of instinctive eating, and in the near future I am going to conduct a strict 28 day research project on myself. I will document my results at the conclusion and tell you what I've learned.

I have considered the possibility of making this a group effort if some of you may be interested in joining me. If there's significant interest we can explore it... otherwise I will fly solo. I will be posting my instinctive eating guidelines and rules in the next week, so you may want to peruse them before you make any decision on the 28 day extravaganza..

Anyway, it might be fun.
If you are interested, or you have any, thoughts, ideas or suggestions, click on the comments thingy at the bottom of this article and share with us all.

Craig Harper
john@craigharper.com.au
motivational speaker, motivation, inspiration, success, personal development,

[joelyle]

I think we are also conditioned to believe we need a set amount of sleep. I usually hold off eating breakfast until I am truly hungry. The same can not be said for lunch and dinner. Yes, I will commit to eating when hungry (and not out of boredom or based on clock time).
Something tells me: when I start to eat less: I will sleep less...

take care.

[Cron]

You might interested in this article about earlier coverage by National Geographic on this subject:
Before Wisdom » Blog Archive » Why so fat?

No magical answers. Portions got larger, people eat more, and are less active.

[WanderingOak]

I have noticed 'natural eating' tendancies in some domestic animals as well. My cat, for example, will leave her dish with food in it when she is full. I keep her food in a 10 lb hopper, and I'm sure that if I left the hatch open, she would just take a nibble when she's hungry and leave the rest. However, I have had dogs that would scarf down the whole hopper of food in one sitting (and then deal with 10 lbs of constipation afterwards). I've heard tell that wolves, in the wild, do the same- feast or famine.

[Andrew Brunelle]

I don't think it's just our eating habits, but our lifestyles. If I have to go to work for eight hours where I know I won't eat for at least the first three, I may eat something before to safeguard against hunger. It is nearly impossible in today's society to eat only when hungry because with jobs, there is hardly ever a chance to eat in the eight hour period or whatever, except for one half hour to hour period, one where we'll overeat to keep us going until the work day is over. So maybe I should look into quitting my job... The job also conditions the opposite of our instincts anyway. IF I was just sitting around at home all day, which would not necessarily be a bad thing, then I could definitely buy into this instinctive eating, as I know it is the way we are supposed to eat, but the new way of living we've come to has totally changed how and when we eat. It's a shame, and I'm looking to completely uproot this way of thinking in my life in hopes that others will do the same, and then we can all eat instinctively.

[Brendon Colby]

What an interesting concept to just listen to one's body! Thanks for posting that as a reminder to me!

[Ibanez]

It's not just eating habits it's physical activity. I read the average 3 yr old gets 10hrs of sitting time(sleep, eating, etc.) and 10hrs of physical activity. I hardly think adults get 1 hr of physical activity a day. The older we get the less we do.

But there is a point when you're eating to stuff yourself.

[WanderingOak]

I just observed un-natural eating behavior in myself this afternoon. I had just finished lunch, and thought I was full, when I came across a departmental potluck that my office was mistakedly left off the invitation list for. My supervisor practically got me in a head-lock and dragged me in to the feed-trough. I couldn't leave without a plate of food, desert and eggnog. If I had been thinking, I would have put the food in my lunch-bucket and have it for dinner tonight. Unfortunately, the feast/famine instinct kicked in and the next thing I knew, I was completely stuffed with two empty plates and an empty nog-tankard in front of me. I am probably going to skip dinner tonight, and can only hope that I will be able to stay awake for my drive home without grabbing a Latte along the way. At least we only have this once a year.

[mattsonn]

Good luck on your experiment of 'instinctive eating.' What effects will you be looking for to determine if there's a change?

Interesting blog, by the way. I just saw it for the first time, and read the article on exercise addiction. You were a runner! I was too, until I screwed up my feet/ankles as well.

[joelyle]

I have been conscious of eating when hungry, for the past few days. I think most eating is out of boredom. I know when when I am enthusiastic about something: I will skip a meal. Maybe I should focus on nourishment instead of hunger? When I have fasted (sometimes for days): my clarity improves.

For me eating is more based in pleasure than hunger; I want to change this.

Happy New Year!

[Dharma]

We, humans, traded our instinct for a free-will consciousness. We are not driven by the same things that drive the animal world. We don't have natural instincts. We get to choose when and what to eat and then get to see the results. We do ignore the body's consciousness all the time. If we paid attention to it we would be slimmer, age less, and never get sick.

[Jaben]

The most important difference between the human diet and that of all non-domesticated animals is humans destroy the majority of the nutrition in the food they consume through cooking and processing. Read this article - Living and Raw Foods: Is cooked food good for us?

[joelyle]

great info...
I laughed at the author's name: TC Fry

Originally Posted by Jaben

The most important difference between the human diet and that of all non-domesticated animals is humans destroy the majority of the nutrition in the food they consume through cooking and processing. Read this article - Living and Raw Foods: Is cooked food good for us?