Need to eat less? It sounds so easy, but in reality, it can be pretty tough. If you are used to oversized meals, snacking in the evenings or enjoying plenty of calorific drinks, you can quickly feel like you aren’t eating enough when you drop it down. It’s super easy to sneak some sweets or an extra portion, too…If you really need to eat less, here are some great tricks to try. They really work!
Compare plates from five years ago to today, and they’ll look like saucers. Our plates just keep getting bigger, and we are increasing our portions to match. Ditch your big plates in favor of a smaller one, and you’ll eat less naturally. If you need extra motivation, try grabbing a cute children’s plate and eating off that. You’ll find that you miraculously feel fuller when you’ve cleared a plate, even if you’ve eaten a lot less than normal.
If you eat on your own or while watching TV, you are much more likely to overeat. Eating with friends or family, though, has the opposite effect. As you’ll be talking, interacting and listening, you’ll eat more slowly and engage with other people. Food becomes secondary, and you’ll consume less overall. Give yourself even better odds by putting healthy foods on the table, such as salad or vegetables, rather than bowls full of tempting chips.
Recording what you eat is really valuable when you are trying to lose weight. It’ll show you where you slip up, and when your danger zones happen! Go retro and use a lovely notebook, or try using an app such as MyFitnessPal, which will automatically calculate your nutrition levels so you can see how good your diet is.
Everyone has heard that you need to drink more when you are trying to lose weight. Far too many people confuse hunger and thirst signals, and that can lead to piling on the pounds. Don’t wait until you feel hungry to drink. Keep bottles of water next to you, and drink them frequently. You’ll find you snack a lot less.
Chew slowly. Really taste and enjoy your food. It sounds simple, but when you gulp food down, you eat it way before your body can tell you that it’s full. Savour it, and you’ll enjoy eating a lot more, and find that you eat much less. Take small bites of food, try not to be rushed, and chew each mouthful. Really taste the ingredients. You’ll be glad you did.
Can’t resist popcorn with a film, or Skittles while watching TV? Ban food from the room. To eat, you need to go and sit in the kitchen. Mindlessly eating while watching TV is a big reason why people overeat, and it can be a hard habit to kick. Just a few weeks of banning food outside of the kitchen can kick the habit, and refresh your eating habits as well as your body.
Don’t want to eat it? Don’t buy it. From crisps to biscuits and chocolate, a lot of snacky foods have become shopping-list essentials, and it doesn’t do us any good. Make it easier for yourself by banning bad foods. That way, you’ll naturally eat less – because more isn’t here to eat. If you do really crave something, walk down to get just one. Walking to the shop and back will offset some of the snack, at least.
Learning to eat less can be really hard work. It’s an ingrained habit, and it takes time and a whole lot of effort. Take these tips on board, though, and you’ll soon be feeling more successful. Have you got a tip on eating less? I’d love to hear it!