Healthy eating can please both your palate and your eyeTake two minutes toward losing weight? Ridiculous you may say, but taking small steps consistently can lead to bigger changes. Any one of these tips will start you down the path to becoming slim. Combining them on an ongoing consistent basis becomes a more powerful catalyst toward change. Most of the following steps only take a few minutes. Each focus is on one aspect of preparing food, analyzing our emotions, or serving and eating our food. You can try just one and see how it makes a difference in your life or try several depending on the amount of time and energy your schedule allows. Experiment and discover what works best for you and your lifestyle. Feedback is welcome so we can all learn from each other's experience.
- Switch to a smaller plate. We used to eat of 9 inch plates and now some plates measure up to 12 inches. If you do math, you will find that just increasing the plate radius by 3 inches, almost doubles the space on your place from 63.6 square inches to 113 square inches. (Can you tell I used to be an engineer?) Smaller plates make a huge difference when it comes to portion control.
- When tempted to eat between meals, take two minutes to think about what caused you to want to eat. I noticed that when I was reading a novel and I could see the main character getting into a stressful spot, it would affect me too and I would want to take a break from the book to eat a snack. I started to apply that insight to other instances in my life and noticed when I was in conflict with a coworker, bored or frustrated or dealing with my finances, I would have more cravings. Paying attention is the first step in curbing emotional eating.
- Keep a food and emotional diary. When having a craving, take a snapshot of the snack and label the photo with the emotion that inspired the craving. Review the foods and emotions you've eaten at the end of the day. Studies have found that tracking our food leads to greater awareness of what we actually eat.
- Drink a non-sweetened (natural or artificial) beverage before eating a snack or meal. Sometimes we mistake thirst for hunger so have a drink first and see if the hunger goes away. As we age, we have a more difficult time distinguishing between the two. The acupuncture points for thirst and hunger are right next to each other on the ear where it attaches to the front of the head. Their proximity is another indication of how closely they are related. If you have difficulty processing your food or a weak digestive system, wait a while before eating as the liquid will dilute your stomach acids.
- This tip takes longer than two minutes. The remembering part is quick but the execution is 7 minutes long. Cravings generally last 7 minutes so if you can sweat out the 7 minutes without caving in, the craving will usually pass.
- My friend, Donna Stellhorn, passed this tip along to me. Take two minutes to change your password to a positive affirmation like, IwillenjoyHealthyf00d, or Iamhappytoeatf00dsthataregood4me, or achievingthinness1biteatatime. Every time you type your password in, you will be accentuating the positive energy creating positive change.
- Show gratitude for the plants and animals that have died so that we might have the wonderful food on our plate. This slows us down and allows us to appreciate the bounty before us. It also puts us in a good mood so we are not filling emotionally empty spaces with food because when we are emotionally full, we need less food.
- Enjoy your food while you are eating it. Put the book down, turn the computer or television off and just concentrate solely on the food. Notice the taste, texture and sensation you have while eating your food. Chew each bite thoroughly. Study after study shows that eating slower allows our brain to catch up with our stomach and recognize when we are full.
The great part of blogging about all these tips is reminding myself of them so I can practice what I preach. If you'd like more information, click here.
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