The 8-Hour Diet (27 page)

1
⁄
8
tsp chili powder
+
1
⁄
8
tsp cayenne pepper
+
salt
+
1 cup whole unpeeled almonds

116
CALORIES   
11
G FAT   
2
G SAT. FAT   
20
MG SODIUM   
2
G FIBER

FOR CURRIED CASHEWS

1 tsp curry powder
+
1 cup unsalted cashews

111
CALORIES   
9
G FAT   
2
G SAT. FAT   
3
MG SODIUM   
1
G FIBER

FOR FIVE-SPICE PEANUTS

½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder
+
1 cup salted peanuts

120
CALORIES   
11
G FAT   
2
G SAT. FAT   
11
MG SODIUM   
1
G FIBER

FOR COCOA PECANS

½ Tbsp cocoa powder
+
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
+
2 Tbsp sugar
+
1 cup pecan halves

128
CALORIES   
12
G FAT   
2
G SAT. FAT   
150
MG SODIUM   
1
G FIBER

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Heat 1 tablespoon butter and the appropriate spices in a small saucepan. Stir in the nuts, then spread them on a baking sheet. Roast for 10 to 12 minutes, until very fragrant and warm, but not overly toasted.

It might not be the healthiest way to eat an egg (that honor would go to boiling or poaching), but in terms of snacks and finger foods, it’s hard to beat this Southern speciality.

4
SERVINGS

8 eggs

¼ cup olive oil mayonnaise

½ Tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp canned chipotle pepper

Salt and black pepper to taste

Paprika (preferably the smoked Spanish-style paprika called pimenton
*
)

2 strips bacon, cooked and finely crumbled

Bring a pot or large saucepan of water to a full boil. Carefully lower the eggs into the water and cook for 8 minutes. Drain and immediately place in a bowl of ice water. When the eggs have cooled, peel them while still in the water (the water helps the shell slide off).

Cut the eggs in half and scoop out the yolks. Combine the yolks with the mayo, mustard, chipotle, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Stir to combine thoroughly. Scoop the mixture into a sealable plastic bag, pushing it all the way into one corner. Cut a small hole in the corner. Squeeze to pipe the yolk mixture back into the whites. Top each with a sprinkle of paprika and a bit of crumbled bacon.

215
CALORIES

18
G FAT

5
G SAT. FAT

472
MG SODIUM

0
G FIBER

*
Spanish-style paprika adds more than just a visual pop: It brings a smoky note to the eggs that reinforces the smoke from the bacon and the chipotle.

A
s a health editor and former fat kid, I have tried dozens of diets.

Now, don’t label me some sort of fad follower. I know from more than 20 years of health and fitness research that most diets work in the short term, but almost all fail in the long term, because they rely for the most part on willpower and gimmicks. Still, it’s always
been important to understand what the latest trends are, even while holding onto my healthy skepticism.

I’ve gone low carb, low fat, gluten free, meat free, even solid-food free. If there were a nothing-but-blueberry-pie diet out there, I would have turned into that kid from Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory by now. Which is part of the reason I’m so excited about the 8-Hour Diet: It’s the first diet plan ever devised in which you don’t have to give up anything.

In fact, I have never appreciated food more—or indulged as freely in it—as I do now. Partly it’s because the 8-Hour Diet allows me to eat whatever I want, as much as I want. I can seek out the creamiest ice cream, the juiciest steaks, the tangiest barbecue ribs, the cheesiest mac & cheese. I eat the food I love, I love the food I eat, and I eat as much as I want.

Something else happened when I began to eat according to the principles of the 8-Hour Diet. The food I ate tasted better. I was no longer grazing mindlessly; instead, I was eating mindfully. I focused on choosing food I really wanted to eat and enjoying each meal and snack. It was like going from listening to a scratchy transistor radio to having digital surround sound.

Maybe that’s why eating the 8-Hour Diet way has been popular with the great minds of the last many millennia. The scientific evidence for this diet is new, but wiser men than me have been following a similar type of eating for eons. The Big Four of religion—Moses, Jesus, Buddha, and Muhammad—all practiced and promoted fasting, and chances are they knew a thing or two more than we do. And while I’m not recommending 40 days and nights in the desert (at least not until they open a decent Starbucks in the Sinai), the health benefits of giving your body a longer break between meals are undeniable. Smart people through history, from Socrates to Hippocrates to Gandhi, found strength in skipping meals.

And they weren’t doing it so they could get six-pack abs. “Fasting is known to be associated with psychological effects—peace and tranquillity,” says Ron Evans, PhD, the researcher from the Salk Institute. “In fact, crime rates decrease during Ramadan [the Islamic fasting month].” He attributes this tranquil effect to “better stabilization of blood glucose during fasting.”

James B. Johnson, MD, at Louisiana State University, has tested hundreds of patients who fast every other day. “Alternate-day dieters describe an improvement in mood,” he says. “They often describe this feeling as wired, euphoric, like being in love, or like the Energizer Bunny.”

So add to a leaner body and a longer life the delicious side effect of tranquillity and lower stress. And as long as you do your best to eat your 8-Hour Powerfoods each day, you’ll know you’re maximizing your nutritional intake, so both your mind and your body can function at their highest levels while keeping you in peak health.

That said, there are a lot of reasons for eating that go beyond simple nutrition. We eat to celebrate. We eat to mourn. We eat because we want comfort. We eat because we’re bored. We eat because we’re worried whether Iron Man, Thor, and the Hulk can stop the evil forces of Loki. And sometimes we eat just because it’s there.

In fact, if there’s one small hitch in the 8-Hour Diet, it’s the fact that we all have the tendency to pick up food mindlessly and put it in our mouths. And let’s get real, Moses: It’s a lot easier to fast when you’re up on a desert mountain with a Burning Bush than it is when you’re down at the county mall with a Bob’s Big Boy.

Fortunately, there’s plenty of room for cheating in this plan. Following the plan just 3 days a week will work wonders on your belly. But on those days when you’re trying to stick to the principles of the 8-Hour Diet, it helps to have some stamina-strengthening strategies, especially when the sweet scent of Cinnabon sends its fragrant aromas up your nose.

To help you repel the need to nosh, I tapped the genius brain trusts at
Men’s Health, Women’s Health,
and
Prevention
magazines for the very best, scientifically proven techniques for winning the mind-over-munchies battle. And it turns out there’s a ton of research on the subject. These tips were so ingenious and so useful to me as I followed this program that I resolved to offer them to you, as well.

My purpose here isn’t to weigh you down with 100 new items for your to-do list. Nobody, including me, uses all of these strategies. (I do have my favorites, though; especially tips 2, 7, 12, 21, 41, 57, 91, 95 to 97, and 100. Which do you like best?) But when Betsy in Accounting brings in a doughnut tray to the office tomorrow morning, or when Jon Stewart’s punch lines are punctuated by pizza ads tomorrow night, don’t let it get to you. Look here instead.

This list can help you in two ways.

FIRST: Distraction always works.
Have you ever sat through a speech and noticed, as the speaker drones on and the air goes out of the room, more and more people in the audience suddenly feel the need to cough? Is it because people have allergic reactions to public presentations? No, it’s boredom. When the mind has nothing to occupy it, the body takes over, trying to make things interesting. It’s one of the reasons we eat when we’re bored. If you can divert your mind from focusing on food, you win the battle every time.

SECOND: It helps to keep your mouth busy.
Often the solution for wanting something to eat is having something to drink. The same area of the brain that controls hunger—the hypothalamus—also controls thirst. So if you’re feeling a tickle to eat, start by just drinking instead. Peppermint tea. Black tea. Ice water with lemon. Iced tea. Sparkling water with crushed mint leaves. The quaffing possibilities are endless, but what you need to know now is this: If you’re tempted to sup, you can often sip just as happily.

This list is built on proven appetite science, along with sneaky psychological tricks, that can see you through the most alluring temptations. To change your waistline, just learn to change the subject. And suddenly, it will be all about how you look and not about what you eat. It’s time to take charge of both.

1
WATCH A FUNNY YOUTUBE VIDEO.
Scientists in Brazil say that laughter may really be the best medicine—activating your “happy hormone” serotonin could reduce appetite.

2
THAT UPCOMING PROJECT DEADLINE YOU’VE BEEN PUTTING OFF?
Git ’r done. When procrastinators grow anxious or bored, they’re more likely to give in to their impulses (like feeding a growling stomach) to improve their mood, according to a study published in the
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

3
MAKE A PLAN TO KNOCK OUT HUNGER.
Dutch researchers report that dieters who wrote a list of “if-then” statements were more successful in attaining goals. For example: “If I get hungry at noon, then I’ll spend my lunch hour at the gym.”

4
WHEN A CRAVING STRIKES, MAKE A FIST.
In a study published in the
Journal of Consumer Research,
people who tightened their muscles (regardless of which ones) while trying to exert self-control in their food choices were better able to overcome temptations. Our mind-body connection associates firm muscles with firm willpower.

5
IMAGINE YOURSELF BITING INTO A BIG, JUICY BURGER.
A Carnegie Mellon University study found that simply visualizing yourself eating a certain food kick-starts a psychological effect called
habituation
—and your motivation to actually eat the food decreases.

6
WHEN THE THREAT OF MUNCHIES REARS ITS UGLY HEAD, CALL YOUR MOM.
Hearing a supportive, familiar voice prompts the brain to release oxytocin, a stress-fighting, mood-elevating hormone, according to a study from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Reducing stress is linked to increases in your satiety hormone, leptin.

7
THROW AWAY YOUR DESKTOP SNACKS AND AVOID THE CAFETERIA.
The sight and smell of food can cause the body to experience hunger, whether or not you actually have an appetite.

8
JUST BREATHE.
Deep breathing can stimulate the production of insulin, which lowers blood sugar levels. While you’re slowly inhaling and exhaling, repeat a short phrase or song lyric to yourself to help stay focused.

9
COVER YOUR DESK WITH A BLACK TABLECLOTH DURING THE DAY OR CHANGE YOUR COMPUTER BACKGROUND TO BLACK.
According to the book
Prescription for Nutritional Healing,
the color black may naturally suppress your appetite. Violet works as well—but we’ll leave that one up to you.

10
READ A THRILLER.
Getting caught up in a good story will distract you from thoughts of food.

11
FLIP THROUGH OLD PHOTO ALBUMS—PREFERABLY, ONES OF YOU AT YOUR PHYSICAL PEAK THAT BRING TO MIND HAPPIER TIMES.
Not only will this give you a weight-loss goal, but researchers from the University of Southampton found that feeling nostalgic increases self-regard, social bonds, and positive feelings—all things that will leave you psychologically primed for 8-Hour Diet success.

12
WORK ON YOUR KILL/DEATH RATIO.
Stanford researchers found that playing video games stimulates the brain’s reward system—the part of the brain that might long for the excitement normally provided by food.

13
KEEP AN 8-HOUR DIET JOURNAL.
Like a food journal, sans food. Make detailed notes about your thoughts, feelings, and physical reactions, then reread them to reflect on your experience, lock in success strategies, and marvel at your progress.

14
FIND YOUR MANTRA.
If you’re tempted to break your food schedule, remind yourself why you started this plan in the first place and repeat that thought over to yourself until the temptation subsides.

15
WHEN YOU START TO FEEL A FOOD CRAVING, HIT THE STOPWATCH ON YOUR CELL PHONE.
Record the time it takes for your crave to fade, and use it to count down your next pang.