Mindless eating is one of the biggest obstacles to losing weight. Eating healthy foods or fewer calories requires some effort and planning as opportunities to overeat are everywhere.
Restaurants offer savory foods with lots of calories. Your work environment may have a snack station or a continuous parade of pastries, donuts or snack foods. Your house may have a pantry full of cookies, chips and your freezer may have pints of delicious ice cream. And events, parties or other gatherings have an endless supply of high calorie food items.
You are surrounded by opportunities to eat foods that will break your diet or lead to weight gain. If you eat without planning or when your stomach takes over the brain, the calorie adding possibilities are limitless.
Your house is rife with mindless over-eating possibilities. Television is not the same without a bowl of potato chips. And it's less expensive to buy the big bag so you eat until you are passed full. Cooking is a great time to graze as you are hungry and the food smells good. Besides, what type of cook doesn't sample the food? You can eat your fill before sitting down for dinner.
The bread or chip basket at a restaurant invites you to eat while you wait for the main course. Better yet, your server is quick to refill it. While you are still famished you order an appetizer and the largest meal. By the time the entree arrives you are full but who wants to waste food so you do your best to finish it.
You waited too long between meals and now you could "eat like a horse." Fast food restaurants await and since you're extra hungry, why not super-size it? You devour the food before you realize half of the amount would have satisfied you.
Parties and events are great for mindless eating as you hover around the food to mingle with other guests and nimble on the appetizers. They may offer some nutritional alternatives but cheese, bread and dips are better and, even if you eat the vegetables, you dip them in Ranch dressing wasting a healthy eating opportunity.
It is easy to eat without regard to the calories if you turn off your brain and eat or let your empty stomach dictate your food choices. But you don't have to be a victim to mindless eating.
Six Opportunities to Plan and Lose Weight.
1- Don't wait until you are hungry to decide what you are going to eat. Plan your meals before you have to eat.
2- Eat and then shop for food. Have you noticed how good the snack aisle looks when you are starving? Go shopping when you are full and have a list of healthy foods you want to buy. Don't leave the shopping to your empty stomach or expect to have a cart full of chips, cookies and ice cream.
3- Eat before going to parties or gatherings. If you nibble out of habit or nervousness, find the healthiest snack to eat and limit the fattening dips.
4- Remove unhealthy foods from your pantry. You may have a mutiny at your house but can't eat what you don't have. And use whole grain, whole fruit and vegetables as snacks.
5- Carry healthy snacks with you to avoid hunger pains and the need to binge on any food you can find. A small healthy snack will alleviate hunger and help you avoid ordering more food than you need.
6- Think about savoring your food and eat more slowly. Chewing your food will aid in digestion and allow your stomach to report to your brain that you have had enough.
Gregg Ghelfi is founder and contributor to http://fitinthemiddle.com.
Fit in the Middle is dedicated to providing information and resources
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I agree planning is the key to losing weight and sticking to a diet. Its the old saying you plan to succeed or you can not plan and fail.
ReplyDeleteHowever the best way to not feel hungry is to eat nutritious foods that your body is craving. Once its had enough it will tell you and there will be no need to go into overeating
That's right
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