Have you heard of mindless eating? As the word says it you are eating as if you were a zombie. Eating when you are full and out of boredom because you are not hungry! Yes, you just eat your dinner, cleaned the dishes and sat in front of the TV to watch your favorite reality show. Suddenly, without thinking you are reaching for the bag of potato chips and… voilà! Before you know it, the whole thing is gone! How did that happen? You weren't even hungry?
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Mindless eating is the enemy number one against weight loss, but don't worry help is on its way. Read on, we'll tell you how to stop it!
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Eat fiber with every meal
It's proven, you have to eat foods with fiber so you can feel satisfied after your meals. I'm not talking about feeling full because that won't stop you from going for the chips. Fiber raises your serotonin levels making the food sit in your stomach longer. It will slow your metabolism and your digestion process. Believe me, you won't be able to snack after a high fiber meal.
Eat at the table only!
If you are the type that eats in front of the TV, computer or while the music is blasting on your favorite radio station, it’s time to turn every device off! It’s known that when you eat your meals distracted you eat faster and more food. Most of the time, we go mindlessly to the kitchen and grab more food because the show is not over. Also, it will slow your metabolism and delay the digestion process because your stomach is more in tune with the TV than with your body.
Slow down!
Speed is your worst enemy when you are trying to lose weight because you eat more food. The key to weight loss is eating small amounts of food slowly. By doing that, our stomach's acids work less and more efficient braking foods in small pieces. The slow process will stop us from eating seconds, thirds and snacks because we feel full and satisfied longer. Ideally, we shouldn’t drink any fluids while we eat so our saliva does all the work and that will determine the speed we need to eat and digest properly.
Eat delicious food
Remember that the key word here is satisfaction. Yes, like in the Rolling Stones song! We know that the reason most diets fail is because the food doesn’t taste that good. More and more diet recipes are becoming more tasty, so people can stick to them and see the results. When you eat a delicious meal you are going to eat it slowly because you don’t want it to end. You will feel full and satisfied at the end of the meal and you won’t eat snacks. Trust me, you’ll want to savor the taste as long as possible.
Shrink your portions
Portion control is everything! You heard this before, but somehow you still fill that plate with food. Trust me, you are not alone. Most people fill their plates to the max and eat it all. Eating a huge serving won’t stop you from eating more unless you have a lot of fiber in it. So, either use smaller plates to trick your eye or cut your portions in half so you can lose weight.
Just a fork!
The fork is your tool and your best friend. Never eat with a spoon unless you are having soup. People that tend to eat solids with a spoon will eat twice as much per bite. Simple science right? Use a fork and turn it bottoms up just like the European do so you can eat even less. Piercing your food will only take one item at the time, slowing the pace of your meal, and making it last longer.
Water before meals
You heard this trick before, it’s an oldie but a goodie! Yes, it’s proven, drinking a glass of water before meals will make you full and therefore you’ll eat less during the meal. It also works for after meals, so if you have a snacking problem, drink a glass of the liquid of life before you grab the pretzels. Remember that drinking while eating is not a good idea so save it for before or after the meal!
