As a good old red blooded, testosterone filled, tough guy I was sitting around reading Women's Health yesterday. Luckily it was in the privacy of my own home. They had a shocking stat from the CDC. 80 percent of the people who lost weight and kept it off had one thing in common. They ate less. Crazy, I know! Then they had a list of ways to help eat less. Many of these sound familiar if you have been to my nutrition seminar, so you know these are good tips. But there are some I had not thought of. Here they are:
Turn off the tube-Researchers have found that you eat 300 calories more if you eat while watching TV. Makes sense, you get distracted and just start mowing through your meal. I can't tell you how many times I will be screaming at Snooki that that man is bad for her, oh I mean yelling at football, and look down and my food will be gone. I won't even remember eating it.
Slow down-Research has also shown you will eat 10 percent less calories per meal if you simple breathe in between bites. Remember when I told you it takes about 20 minutes for your brain to tell you that you are full? Turns out I was actually right.
Serve snacks in a dish-Never straight out of the box or bag. If you're like me, you're too lazy to go back across the room to get more food. Just take out a reasonable portion and put the rest away.
Visualize a hearty meal-This one was a new one to me. They recommend visualizing a big meal (like a big steak) when you get hungry. If it is not appetizing, chances are you are just thirsty or bored.
Get a change of scenery-Australian researchers found that eating Vegemite can decrease your will to live by 67%. Oh, they also found that visual distractions can rally curb your appetite too. Next time you're really hungry and it's not a meal or snack time, go for a walk (preferably not to the fridge). Sometimes that little distraction is enough to break out of the craving.