Written by Dr. Ed Marshall - http://dredmarshall.com/

I’m not overweight these days, though I used to be about 25 pounds too heavy. Those were the days when I ate for all sorts of wrong reasons, mainly stress and boredom.

If you’ve read my Guide for Overweight, you know there’s only one legitimate reason to take a bite of anything: body hunger that forces you to eat. It’s the only reason why a lifetime slim person ever eats. And, even then, the food has to be what that person is in the mood for, and it has to taste as good as expect-ed. Otherwise, there is no second bite, unless there is no way to get anything better to end the hunger.

Well, I’ve finally learned to eat that way, and that’s how I lost those four pounds, even though I didn’t really need to.  The trip lasted 24 days. Many times I couldn’t get my favorite foods, and often, when I could get them they didn’t taste as good I wanted. At least the taste was not what I really like.  So, I’d eat what I had to, to get rid of most of the hunger.  Sure, the cruise ship had blueberry muffins, a favorite of mine, on Deck 11, the buffet deck. But, they just weren’t that good.  You had to search for the blueberries, and the rest was mediocre.  They had pizza, another favorite of mine, but again, not that good.  The crust was thick, fluffy, and flavorless, rather than thin, crispy, and tasty.

While I was on board, I noticed many overweight people with plates filled with buffet food. After all, it was all pre-paid, all you can eat, as on all the cruise ships. I guess for those folks, real body hunger wasn’t required, nor did the food have to be exactly what they like best.

In the dining room, the food was better, but way too fancy for me. I like simple, straight-forward food. It was the french fries on Deck 11 that saved me from serious weight loss. They were crispy, the way I like my fries.You combine eating ONLY for body hunger that forces you to eat, with real pickiness, and you are “doomed” to becoming and staying a normal weight person for the rest of your life. You won’t be able to gain any weight, regardless of the richness of the foods you choose to eat. In fact, I eat ice cream, cookies, candy, fries, nuts, pizza, and the like, in addition to “healthy” foods, on a regular basis, just like the naturally slim folks I’ve learned to imitate, and I simply can’t gain weight, unless I eat for the wrong reasons.

If you have a weight problem, get into the habit of always asking yourself two questions: Is this the food I really want out of all the foods that I could get? And, why am I taking this next bite if it’s not for obvious, definite stomach/body hunger?

Bon appetit!