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Eating Healthy.
A Lesson in Eating—the Right Way!
It probably comes to you as
naturally as breathing—the art of eating. However, you might
never have been taught to eat well. This is critically important
because, unless you learn to eat well, you may never master the art of
dieting. In our society, certain inappropriate eating habits have
become routinely. By attacking these habits, you can increase the
likelihood that you will actually lose weight.
To begin with, it is
important that you learn to eat slowly. At first, this might be
quite a challenge. We have been conditioned to live in a fast
food world. We rush meals in order to have time to run to soccer
practice, to a piano recital, or to school and work. We think
that rushing saves us time—but such a routine can easily backfire,
leaving us with unwanted pounds. Studies have shown that at least
10 minutes is required before the brain receives the message that the
stomach is full.
This means that you could be
eating long after you are actually satiated. Your meal—whether
it’s in the morning, afternoon, or evening—should last at least ten
minutes. Train yourself to lengthen your meal by engaging in
conversation, resting your fork between courses, chewing slowly, and
drinking plenty of water between courses. You should also wait at
least ten minutes after your main meal before deciding if you need
dessert. Within that period of time, you may discover that you
weren’t really hungry after all.
Another trick is to place serving
dishes on the counter and leave them there. As a result, you’ll
actually have to get up out of your seat in order to get more
food. You may decide that it’s not worth the bother. Or you
may find that you discover that you need no more food between
courses. Also, do not eat directly from an ice cream carton,
tortilla chip bag, or cracker box. Otherwise, you could find
yourself easily overeating.
You should always eat at the
table. This prevents you from trying to engage in multi-tasking,
such as surfing the ‘Net, watching television, or flipping through
magazines while you eat. At the table, you’ll be forced to
concentrate on how much food you are putting into your mouth. If
you eat anywhere else, you may lose track of how much food you’re
consuming.
Abandon the idea that you
must clean your plate. It is simply not true. Research has
shown that more than half of adults insist on cleaning their plates,
even when they are already full. This means that you are
overeating simply out of politeness. Such a habit only serves to
add unwanted pounds. Instead of cleaning your plate, try eating
only that portion of food that makes you feel full. You’ll be
healthier and happier that way.
Do not keep food in plain
view during the day. If the cookie jar is open or the pretzel bag
is out on the table, you’ll have a tremendous urge to eat, even if you
are not hungry. After a meal, put your food away in the
refrigerator, inside your cupboard, or in the Lazy Susan. This
way, you’ll actually have to do some work to get at food before you
consume it.
If you happen to
overeat, don’t spend a great deal of time sulking. Accept your
mistake and move on. If you’ve veered off course, take corrective
action and forget about it. Otherwise, you could find yourself
eating out of frustration, or going off your diet entirely. It’s
better to sabotage a single meal than a lifetime’s worth of
meals.
You may be self-conscious at
first as you attempt to change your eating habits. Realize that
your bad habits did not start overnight, so it will take some time to
correct them. While it may seem an arduous task initially, it is
well worth the effort. You’ll quickly find that your new eating
habits have helped you to lose unwanted weight. Granted, such
techniques as hiding your food and eating more slowly will not in
themselves cause you to lose weight, but they will help you to curb
your overeating over the long run. And you’ll be a better person
for it.
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