One Olive at a Time: A Paradigm Shift in Budgeting and Eating Patterns by Joy Sypher
In 1987 American Airlines removed one olive from their salads and saved themselves $40,000 a year.
At first glance, this may not seem like a significant amount. After all, $40,000 in 1987 is equivalent to about $111,000 today. However, the impact of this decision reverberated throughout the budgeting community, sparking a revolution in how we perceive saving money.
In the early 90's, the idea emerged that one change to your household spending pattern could result in significantly less money leaving your checking account or that you could save money simply by not spending it. It could be as simple as reducing how much laundry detergent you used until you noticed the clothes were no longer getting clean. It could be as simple as not washing your hair one day a week, thereby not using one day's worth of hair product. It was easy to look at fast-food and declare "make your own or eat at home", but now there was a changing mentality of "don't use it in the first place".
Financial gurus have long advised that to save more money you have to earn more. Now we had proof that to save money all we had to do was not spend it.
Let's shift our focus away from finances for a moment. This isn't just about dollars and cents; it's about habits and choices. Just as we have spending patterns, we also have eating patterns. And sometimes, our old habits can influence us in ways we don't even realize.
Take, for example, the concept of "eating less fat." Our minds may equate this with reducing our intake by one olive, thinking that fat equals calories and cutting down on fat will lead to weight loss. Similarly, we might believe that to save more calories, we need to burn more through exercise—a mentality of "earning more to save more." However, these notions often clash with modern dietary approaches like the ketogenic diet, where fat is embraced rather than shunned.
Sometimes my old diet brain will try to influence my eating patterns. My old diet brain wants to reduce my intake by 1 olive, which is represented by eating less fat, fat is high in calories.
My old diet brain wants me to exercise more so that I have a larger calorie deficit. Earn more calories so I can save more calories.
My old diet brain just doesn't understand Keto.
Challenge: I want to fast until 12 noon. I currently eat a full breakfast, or wake up hungry, or need to take my morning prescriptions with food, or can't give up cream and sugar in my coffee. Let's start by reducing one olive.
Humans evolved on fasting. Our ancestors worked in the fields or completed chores before sitting down to eat. Eating 3 meals a day and eating breakfast in general is a new invention to sell more product. You don't need to eat first thing in the morning.
If you wake up hungry try eating more fat with your last meal. Increasing your protein and fats at your last meal may reduce your hunger first thing in the morning and allow for a delayed start to your eating window.
I need to take my morning prescriptions with food. I reached out to my doctor and as long as I take my prescriptions with food, I can delay that by several hours. Check with your doctor. You may be able to take with bone broth or on an empty stomach.
I understand those that cannot give up cream and sweetener in their coffee. I used to use powdered creamer AND add sugar. I fought for 55 years against drinking my coffee black. I now enjoy my first cup of the day as plain hot black coffee.
Another option: drink hot water. Plain hot water can have some of the same emotional properties as coffee. Even if we delay consuming calories and protein by 30-60 minutes after waking, we are gaining benefit to our health.
One olive at a time and by incorporating multiple options we can reach our goals.
Written by Joy Sypher
Published April 20th, 2024
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