There are a few eating tips I want to discuss including using small dishes and measuring portions, pacing your eating, and the idea of full versus stuffed.  I often hear people say that they hate dieting, hate eliminating specific foods such as sugars or carbohydrates, and want to find a happy medium to avoid gaining weight to stay healthy.  One important way to refrain from elimination diets and dieting in general is to practice self-control through measuring out portions and only allowing yourself to eat a certain amount of each dish, drink, or snack.

For example, rather than allowing yourself to go back for seconds and thirds and so on, allow yourself to eat 1 cup (choose portion amount based on your nutrition goals) of  something. It is important to actually take the time to measure it, because while it may seem inconvenient, in the end, the only person you are cheating by not measuring portions is yourself.  A great example of measuring out portions is placing chips in a bowl or using small bags to make individual packages and snack portions rather  than eating chips and snack foods directly from the bag.

Further, I suggest not eliminating a specific food or food group (unless you have a food allergy) as eliminating specific foods and food groups will make you want that food when you see it.  For example, if you eliminate sugars or sweets, it’s as though you are setting yourself up for failure.  You will want them even more because of how much effort it is taking you to avoid cheating and not eating them.  Not to mention, how unrealistic is it to eliminate sweets and sugars from your diet when you are constantly surrounded by them?  They are in gas stations and restaurants, at parties and potlucks, on coworker’s desks and at family gatherings.  Allow yourself small, bite-size treats and sweets that can cure your sweet teeth without full elimination.  Minimizing sugar and carbohydrate intake such as cake, cookies, pie, potatoes, bread, and pasta versus eliminating these foods can be helpful so you are not consuming an overabundance of calories.  To help, you should measure out your portion and use small plates when serving meals.  With large plates, our eyes are often bigger than our stomachs, BUT once food is on our plate we tend to eat and keep eating until the plate is clean.  Using small plates helps smaller portions fill the plate, lending to less overeating.

Next, it is important to pace your eating throughout the meal so that you aren’t eating too fast, which often leads to going back for seconds, thirds, and so on. Chewing your food slowly and taking the time to enjoy each bite is a great way to help slow down, prevent overeating, and will help you get full faster.

Lastly, I want to discuss the idea of full versus stuffed.  This idea comes down to understanding and knowing your own body and is  something that can truly help you learn to not overeat.  Many people go back for seconds, thirds, fourths, and so on until they are nearly miserable because they have eaten so much.  It is vital to recognize when you are full in order to stop eating.  At that point you should no longer eat because you have reached contentment and therefore if you continue to eat you are eating to eat and not because you are hungry.  Find that sensation so that you stop eating when you are full instead of stuffed.  After all it is better to stop once you reach contentment and satisfaction rather than to eat until you are miserable and have a pain-inducing feeling from eating too much.  What I like to say, is when I am full, it is time to leave the table and start a project or do something else rather than sit at the table.

Next time you eat, consider measuring, pacing, and eating to contentment rather than misery!  Happy HEALTHY eating!

~jj