So I guess I’m not the only one who says they’re the best educated and worst behaved on food and exercise?
Someone earlier was asking about tips and tricks to help control eating. Here’s a few ideas that don’t involve actually changing what you eat:
Drink a full glass of water half an hour before each meal. If that’s not possible, at least try to start every meal with water then wait a few minutes before eating anything.
Dining out - convince yourself that it’s not necessary to eat all or even most of what’s on your plate. No more Clean Plate Club! Eating slowly can help with this. Recognize that there is nothing wrong with leaving half the food on the plate. This sometimes can be difficult because the wait staff is convinced that you must not like the food if you’re not finishing it. Time and time again I’ve had to say, “Yes, I liked it and ate as much as I wanted. No, I don’t want something different.” I once read a suggestion to ask for a take out container when the food is served and immediately put half the food in it. Then you won’t even be tempted. If you’re in a hotel or somewhere you can’t safely store the food, throw it out. It’s hard to see food go to waste but better than going to waist .
If you’re on the road and eating in hotel restaurants, ask if they can give you a luncheon sized portion instead of a dinner sized one. Although some of those lunches are pretty big… And don’t think you need to order an entree at every meal - have an appetizer and salad, or a couple of appetizers. A lot of restaurants are trying out the small plate/large plate menus . Or think about having your meals during happy hours if the timing works out, and get a couple of those smaller sized dishes.
One habit I picked up when I had my big weight loss a few years ago was to eat only half the bun when having burgers. I’d lift off the top and usually eat the rest with a fork. It’s not a huge calorie savings but does eliminate a number of carbs and the best part of burgers is inside the bun anyway. I also started weighing dry pasta before cooking and now only eat 3 oz in a dish (shape of pasta doesn’t matter, still 3 oz).
There have been some interesting studies (I know we discussed them on the WLFD thread) about how much visual cues affect eating and lack of awareness of how much you’re eating. One quick tip is to start plating your food on smaller dishes - salad plates instead of dinner plates, smaller cereal bowls instead of larger soup bowls, etc. Also to keep the serving dishes in the kitchen instead of on the table so you become aware of taking seconds.
When DH and I travel, wwe’ve taken to getting one entree and two side dishes (in Europe, many restaurants offer the sides separately). We get salad as one of the sides, and then a soup, more veggies, an interesting grain, or something yummy, but in a small quantity. We then split it. Works out to the right amount of food.
I noticed this trip that there are many more vegetarian options in Europe than even five years ago. Even in Eastern Europe, we had options beside heavy Polish and Hungarian cooking (though we did indulge periodically – eating different foods is part of the attraction of traveling for us).
I use smaller plates at home for my meals, too. The visual cue is helpful.
Another travel tip:
Do you have daily exercise goals? (10,000 steps or whatever)
Bump up your exercise goals for the day by 10-20% to accommodate the additional calories while traveling. No matter where you are you can almost always find a place to walk or run. Hotels, city streets, airports while waiting. If you have the time to seek out the local food scene, you can find the time to explore or exercise by foot!
Also, continue food/calorie logging while traveling. Tracking apps make it “no excuse” to not still keep track - your phone is always with you!
I have a lot of slim friends and in laws and I have noticed that they all eat slower than I do. I need to really work on that. I’m not sure I can give up reading when I eat breakfast and lunch by myself but I have been trying to be more mindful of what I’m eating even while I’m reading. Very flavorful food as someone above mentioned really does help. I have also used the trick of eating open faced sandwiches or burgers when at a restaurant or on vacation. Currently on vacation and have upped my exercise, went for long bike rides yesterday and today!
I pulled the trigger and ordered a peloton bike yesterday. It gets delivered tomorrow. I’m so excited, when I drove with my daughter back to college with her we stopped at Atlanta and went shopping. They had a peloton store in the mall and I was a total fangirl in there. I was so excited and dorky - lol. I’ve been debating back and forth about it and hubby said you use it every day, you spend more than that on less meaningful stuff, just do it. I have a small separate account I use for things for the house, like decorating, presents, etc. So I decided to give myself this gift.
Re: not reading while you’re eating…I know @sabaray posted that so I’m curious…
I can understand not watching tv and shoveling food in…
I can understand plating your food ahead of time and not going back for seconds
But I find if I read while I eat - the paper or a book or whatever - it actually slows me down because I take a bite or two, read, take a bit or two, read - so sometimes I find I don’t finish the plate because I feel full before the plate is empty.
While they’re certainly not the cheapest lunches (or dinners), for when I’m at work, I order chef-prepared pre-cooked/made organic paleo meals from a couple companies, based here on the West Coast, but deliver nationwide. Menus are seasonal. When they arrive, I immediately put the individually-packaged bags/containers into the freezer. Then I’ll microwave them during the week. The portions are reasonable and fill me up and I have a big appetite. However, I probably wouldn’t recommend them for a calorie restriction diets since each meal can range from 400-800 +/- calories.
@abasket, I think the idea is to get you to focus on food. I eat pretty slowly to begin with, so removing that “distraction” is a way of getting me to pay full attention to the meal and the food. The taste, the texture. Do I really like what I’m eating? It’s about more than being full - it’s about enjoying the meal experience.
My kids always grew up with me telling them - “Look at your plate. The more colorful it is, the more likely it’s a healthy plate!” Even today when I cook for them they will kid me and say “Just LOOK at the color on that plate!!!”
abasket - I think not reading is about focusing on your food, your chewing, how satisfied you feel. I now eat pretty slowly. In fact so slowly the hungry wolf men who live here usually end up sitting there watching me while I finish.
We still all joke about the tan thanksgiving’s we had growing up at my uncle’s house. Turkey, gravy, potatoes, creamed onions, turnips. He was outraged at first when my mom started bringing other colored food along - like green.
@eyemamom congrats on pulling the trigger on the bike! My leaderboard name is #caffeinated if you want to follow someone who is generally near the bottom
Yay! That’s great. I haven’t set up my account yet, but I’m going to try and be #amy4thewin. I have no idea where I’ll end up, I have a feeling some people are total monsters. I’m just glad I don’t have a stroke. Which coaches do you mostly use? I like Dennis, Jenn Shermann, Christine and Robin.
I’m still sampling all the different instructors and types of classes but haven’t run across anyone I didn’t like. Mostly doing low impact classes as I’m not yet sufficiently coordinated to come up off the saddle and pedal at the same time! Currently still feeling Ally’s 45 minute class from this morning, yikes!
.
So that person I mentioned was really onto something.
