Let’s face it, dieting is hard. Hard to follow, hard to stick to, hard to enjoy life while on one. This is probably why so many people fail at diets, because they can suck. What if we re-framed the dieting mentality toward healthy living and better nutrition without sacrificing all our favorite foods or compromising taste? What if instead of saying foods are bad and off limits, we practice more mindful eating practices that help us enjoy some foods that are deemed less healthy? What if we decided to go back to the basics and nurture a better relationship with food so that we could stay on track and lose weight?
In learning anything… a sport, an art, an instrument, etc, it’s always best to master the basics, build on them, and then modify them to fit your personal style. Sometimes, you hit a slump and it’s usually helpful to go back to the basics to get your rhythm back. Mastering the art of healthy eating and exercise is no different. So, Let’s get started!
Using the hunger scale
Intuitive eating is the concept of eating when hungry, stopping when full, and relying on natural hunger and fullness cues to decide when to eat and when to stop. In using the Hunger Scale you want to start eating before reaching 3 and stop eating before 6. By avoiding dropping below 3 you avoid the risk of being so ravenous that you over eat or make poor food choices. By stopping before you get to 7 you are reducing over consumption of calories and the chance of losing the ability to detect fullness over time. Before eating ask yourself where do you fall on the scale, if it’s not around 3-4 identify if you are wanting to eat for another reason besides hunger and try to redirect that desire. Take at least 20 minutes to eat your meals with minimal distractions. By slowing down meal times and setting your fork down between bites you can allow the fullness cues to trigger before you have eaten too much food pushing you past 6.
Mastering portion sizes
Use your hand as a general guide for appropriate portion sizes. See the picture below.
Don’t drink your calories
Beverages are the worst offenders when it comes to trying to shed pounds. They do not produce the same feeling of fullness you get from chewing food, and they often are loaded with a lot of sugar and carbohydrates. I am not just talking about the obvious sodas and Frappucinos, even juices, alcoholic drinks, teas and smoothies can all add unwanted pounds. Read nutrition labels for all drinks, look at the sugar grams and total calories, and remember artificial sweeteners come with their own host of problems too. If you must drink alcohol avoid sugary mixers and pick drier wines or lighter beers.
Ask if the calories are worth it
Savor the foods you love in smaller portions and pass on the less satisfying sweets and snacks. Before eating something not-so-healthy ask if it’s worth the calories. If it is, enjoy it, savor it, and pass on other items that you are less excited about. Take a bite of something and if isn’t that great toss it.
Flip the ingredients
Enhance the healthier foods and reduce the less healthy foods so you don’t have to completely omit the forbidden foods from your diet. Here are some examples: instead of having a burrito wrapped in a large flour tortilla have a burrito bowl, instead of having a bowl of ice cream with some strawberries on top, have some strawberries topped with a spoonful of ice cream, instead of having steak and potatoes with a side of spinach, have a spinach salad with some chunks of potato and slices of steak.
Add more fruits and vegetables
Aim to have a serving of fruit or vegetable every time you eat a meal or snack. Add them to items you already eat like sandwiches, soups, yogurt, eggs, rice, etc. Have veggies and fruit that are ready to eat or can be quickly prepared. If you don’t have time to chop your own fruit and veggies buy them pre-chopped, spiralized, or riced so you are more likely to use them as a snack or when preparing your meals.
Ask yourself if you are already putting these practices in place. If not, let’s get back to the basics and start incorporating these techniques in your everyday eating practices before trying out the next diet trend. Because no one enjoys dieting, so let’s find ways to still enjoy the food we love in small doses and still lose weight and feel better.
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