TIPS FOR MINDFUL EATING AND
REDUCING THE QUANTITY OF FOOD YOU EAT
- You do not need to eat 3 meals a day and 2 snacks. Listen to your body and eat when you FEEL hungry. It will probably differ day to day and depend on the amount of exercise and activities you have during the day.
- A lot of times you think you are hungry and it could be that you are just thirsty. It will also fill up your stomach, which may prevent you from over eating.
- This will help slow down your eating.
- If you can do not work on your computer, watch TV, read a magazine or newspaper. Just sit and focus on eating and enjoying the pleasure of the meal. Meals shared with other people are also great and conversation with people at the table will slow down your eating as well.
- Eating foods separately makes them more filling and satisfying and also fills you up faster. For instance if you eat cheese and crackers, eat the cheese and crackers separately.
- The longer you take to chew and taste your food, the more quickly you will feel satisfied.
- It is fine to get seconds if you indeed are still hungry. However takes on average about 20 minutes to feel satisfied and so if you wait you may find that you no longer want seconds are you may be craving something else.
- Advice from a model: eat what you really want first. If you like the frosting on the cake best, just eat the frosting and don’t force yourself to eat the cake part first.
- Make sure you like what you eat and don’t waste calories or time eating something that does not taste good. You are not a garbage can.
- I find that if I indulge my cravings I will eat less. A lot of times people try to substitute something they think they “should” eat. Inevitably, they still have the craving and eat what they craved in addition to the substitute!
- It is important that you never eat when you are upset.