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TwitterMost people know that one of the keys to losing weight is simply to eat less. If you weren't reading carefully, you may have missed I slipped a word in there... simply. For most people, there's really nothing simple to weight loss. This is one of the cases where knowing what to do is only 20% of the battle. It's extremely tough to stay on the wagon. With that in mind here are some tips to help you eat less to lose weight:
- Volumetrics - I used to dismiss this phenomenon as another diet fad. However, one day I looked in my cupboard and saw some microwave popcorn next to a can of peanuts. I realized that I could either have a bag of popcorn, a little less than the size of my head, and only consume 100 calories... or I could go through the 2 ounces of peanuts in about a minute consuming 330 calories.
- Drink Water - Water takes up space in the stomach. I try to have a big glass of water before I even start a meal. This way I've already occupied some stomach space with zero calories.
- Eat Slower - Studies show that it cons the brain 10 minutes to register that it is getting full. By eating slower, you give more time for these signals to be sent. Going back to the bag of popcorn verses the already shelled peanuts, the popcorn takes longer to eat and thus makes me fuller.
- Imagine Eating More - If you just think you are eating more, you may trick your body... at least according to this study.
- Smaller Plates I - With smaller plates you aren't going to be able to physically pack as much food on them.
- Smaller Plates II - Deja vu? Yep. Follow me for a minute on this one. Which one of the orange dots is bigger?
You may be familiar with the optical illusion and answered that they are both the same size. If so, score yourself a point. Now think of the gray circles as the size of the plate. See... same amount
orange dotfood. On a larger plate you think you're not getting enough, but on a smaller plate your mind believes it's getting more to eat than it is.
You can combine one or more of these tips to supercharge weight loss goals.
Image Credit: Daily Cognition
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February 24th, 2011 at 4:41 pm
Have you noticed how huge plates are at restaurants compared to 20 years ago? Even plates and bowls we buy for home use are huge. And what’s supersizing all about? No wonder Americans are so overweight.
February 25th, 2011 at 9:56 am
At restaurants, I immediately ask for a take-home container and put half the food in it… saves money and calories.
February 25th, 2011 at 10:12 am
Same here…every restaurant meal is two meals for me. There’s no way I can eat the amount of food they put on a plate, especially when you factor in appetizers, which are a meal by themselves.
March 1st, 2011 at 3:49 am
[...] 6 Tips to Eat Less and Lose Weight: Volumetrics is the idea that you should simply eat larger volumes of less caloric food. That, combined with drinking a lot of water, would seem to be a pretty solid basis of a diet that ‘tricks’ you into feeling fuller. I just wonder if you can construct a varied diet using that trick. I think drinking seltzer also helps, personally – the gas in it is, of course, non-caloric, and having a lot of fizzy water in your stomach does make you feel quite full. [...]
March 20th, 2011 at 12:58 pm
[...] @ BeBetterNow presents 6 Tips to Eat Less and Lose Weight posted at Be Better Now, saying, “Thank you for your [...]