11 Ways to Help You Eat Less

As children we always wanted to “play” and the farthest thing from our minds was food. My mom had to yell for me 4 or 5 times to get me to come and eat. My mom like all moms had a plan. When you finally did come down to eat, she made sure you were nice and full so you can grow up to be “healthy and strong.” Moms would use many tricks to get us to eat like saying, “It’s impolite to not finish your food” or “do you not like my cooking?” Some moms even use plain old force, like “sit back down and finish your food!” My wonderful mom used guilt as her weapon of choice. “There are starving kids in Africa” she would always tell me. And as a child, what can you say to something like that? I would just put my head down and continue to shovel away. I don’t blame my mom or moms around the country for making us overweight, but overeating has been embedded into us from childhood so here are some tips to help us unlearn what all moms have taught us.

11 Ways to Help you eat Less.

1.Drink a glass of water. Drink a full glass of water and wait 20 minutes before you eat. The brain takes about 20 minutes to register that you have put something in your stomach. The glass of water will not only fill your stomach up so you won’t feel as hungry, but many experts believe the brain cannot distinguish between feeling hungry and feeling thirsty. I know what you’re thinking. I’m not thirsty, I want food! Just try it. Trust me, it works.

2.Eat slower. A number of studies have shown that just by eating slower you will consume fewer calories. It takes our brain about 20 minutes to register that we are full and by consuming our food faster, we continue past the point of realizing that we have eaten enough.

3.Eat a Piece of Fruit. If you are famished, eat a piece of fruit and wait 20 minutes. The piece of fruit won’t stop you from eating, but it has water and fiber to help curb your hunger so you won’t gorge yourself when you finally get to eat. This will help you follow step #2.

4.Fill your plate up with veggies. You want to "Eat from the Rainbow." Pick vibrant colors veggies as they are loaded with nutrients and are low in calories that will “fool” your mind into thinking it is eating a lot by take up a lot of space on your plate. When you go to Souplantation, doesn’t it look like you’re eating a ton of food?

5.Eat lean protein. Lean Protein such as chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, low fat cottage cheese, soy and lean cuts of beef give you a more "satisfied" feeling so you don’t always feel hungry. Oh and it helps you build that ever so important muscle.

6.Eat More Snacks. Remember when mom always said “Stop snacking, you’re going ruin your appetite.” She was right; you are going to ruin your appetite and that’s exactly what we want. You should be snacking throughout the day. This allows your blood sugar levels to never dip too low, which can cause you to overeat. Your snacks should consist mostly of vegetables, fruits and nuts as these will not spike your insulin levels.

7.Replace your unhealthy snacks with veggies, fruit and nuts. Keep fruits, vegetables and nuts cut, cracked or peeled and ready to go at home or work. This is using the concept of “path of least resistance” to your advantage. If you have healthy snacks within your reach, you WILL eat them.

8.Don't eat and watch TV. The TV keeps your mind distracted so you just go through the motion of putting whatever is in front of you in your mouth without realizing you ate too much. This one was very difficult for me at first until I realized that this was the perfect opportunity to strike up a conversation with a friend or significant other.

9.Use smaller plates. Like mom always said, “Finish your plate.” We have been programmed to eat everything on our plate and smaller plates mean smaller meals. NO SECONDS!

10.Eat veggies and fruits first. They are low in calories, filled with water and packed with colon friendly fiber. Fiber is filling so it allows your mind time to catch up to your stomach. If you eat a salad first make sure to use a low calorie dressing OR if you like the full calorie dressing, get the dressing on the side and dip your fork, that way you get the full flavor of the dressing on your tongue and you end up eat half as much dressing.

11.Eat your Calories, don’t drink them. There are many hidden calories in your favorite beverage. Limit your favorite beverage to once or twice a day as it is very easy to drink an additional 200- 400 calories a day in liquids. That equates to an additional 30-60 minutes on the treadmill just to burn off what you drink!

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