80%

No, "80%" does not refer to the percentage of Aak posts... although that might be accurate.*

I've neglected to mention another part of my overall strategy in this program of eating and exercise: the 80% rule.

Somebody told me that it's an old Chinese saying that you should only eat until you're 80% full. I happen to know that the Chinese have gone through some low-rice times in their day, so I take this adage to be the wisdom of the poor. I also thought it made sense because, long ago, someone told me that you don't really feel food in your stomach until 20 minutes after you swallow it.

Now I think there's another reason that the 80% rule works: it prepares you for hunger.

When I gorge myself, I find I get sharp pangs of hunger just a few hours later. This might be psychological. But it might be that my stomach stretched during the meal and then feels really empty afterward. If I stuff myself at dinner, I'm more likely to have a large late-night snack.

Whereas if I only eat to 80% capacity, I still feel a little (20%, for the math-unsavvy) hungry. Since I stay a little hungry afterwards, I can deal with being hungrier later.

Does that make any sense? Is there science behind this idea? I wonder.

Today's Meals

Breakfast: hard-boiled egg with menmi*, bowl of Puffins with skim milk

Lunch: more than I probably needed of Japanese curry (chicken, celery, carrots, potatoes, jalepeno peppers, green pepper, and curry sauce) over white rice

Dinner: big salad w/half an avocado and red wine vinegrette like yesterday, small bowl of white rice with a little plum/sesame flavoring on top.

Today's Exercise

Biked SS-UMD via roads (35min)

Biked on campus to bookstore (10min)

Biked UMD-SS via trail (45min)

*UPDATE: 58% of Hatandcoat posts are by Aak. 87% of Districted posts are by me, too. Hatandcoat has posted 33% of all posts, when you combine the two.

**Menmi is a soy-sauce-derived noodle base. It is more flavorful than soy sauce. It is delicious! I like it on udon, soba, natto, rice, just about anything you'd normally put soy sauce on.