10 Sneaky Ways to Eat Less
Sometimes, weight loss is just a matter of eating less. Here,
simple tips and tricks to do just that.
One of the simplest ways to control your weight is often one of the hardest: Just
eat less. A study in the journal Obesity found that 38 percent of people who were
obese and actively controlled their portions lost 5 percent or more of their body
weight over the course of two years. Meanwhile, 33 percent of the participants
who didn’t watch their portions packed on 5 percent or more of their body weight.
And it’s not hard to see why: With out-of-control restaurant serving sizes, giant-
sized snack bags, and supermarket “buy one, get one free” specials, most
people don’t even know what one serving is supposed to look like. But because
facing the world armed with a measuring cup and a tiny food scale can take all
the joy out of eating, try these strategies to eat less without even noticing.
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1. Use Smaller Plates and Bowls: It turns out, this classic weight-loss tip really
works. Cornell University researchers Brian Wansink, PhD, and Koert van
Ittersum, PhD, found that when study participants were given identical servings in
different-sized bowls, the participants with the smaller bowls ate less. Going a
step further, the researchers suggest putting healthy foods such as Fruits and
Vegetables on larger plates to encourage consumption and reserving smaller
plates for richer, more fattening choices.
2. Use a Larger Fork: It may sound counterintuitive, but a recent study
published in the Journal of Consumer Research found that using a larger utensil
actually may trick you into eating smaller portions. Enlisting the help of a local
restaurant, a team of researchers looked at whether diners ate more or less
depending on the size of their fork. To their amazement, they discovered that
those using oversized forks actually ate less. Researchers believe that the larger
utensil tricks diners into thinking they are making more progress on their meal
and eating more, though in reality they eat less.
3. Move Healthy Food Up Front: When you walk into your supermarket,
you’re likely to snap up the sale items at the front because they’re the first thing
you see. It turns out this same behavior happens in your home kitchen. Other
research by Wansink shows that we are three times more likely to nab the first
food item we see than the fifth. So if you want to eat more healthfully, move
those fresh fruits and vegetables front and center in your fridge and hide small
portions of goodies in the back.
4. Eat With Your Non-dominant Hand: At one time or another, everyone
goes a little overboard on snacks such as popcorn, pretzels, and chips without
being aware of the serving sizes. But research shows you can stop yourself
simply by switching the hand you normally eat with. When psychologists at the
University of Southern California gave moviegoers bags of stale popcorn, those
who were challenged to snack with their non-dominant hand were more
discriminating — and ate far less overall. They found that participants who used
their dominant hands were simply eating out of habit, without regard to whether
they were hungry or liked the food.
5. Chew Sugarless Gum While Cooking: Diet lore suggests chewing
sugarless gum to curb cravings and eat less, but studies have shown mixed
results. A recent 8-week trial published in the journal Obesity had dieters in one
group chew gum for 90 minutes a day. At the end of the trial, the chewers had
not lost any more weight than the control group, suggesting that chewing gum at
regular intervals did nothing to control appetite. But selectively popping a piece or
two at certain times may help you eat less. Chew gum while you cook dinner to
stop any mindless snacking and sampling of the dishes .
6. Slow Down Your Eating: From the time we were kids, many of us have
been told to slow down when we eat. And for good reason: A study of 3,000
people in the British Medical Journal found that those who reported being fast
eaters had triple the risk of being overweight. When you eat, your brain doesn’t
know for certain that you’re full until it receives a series of messages from
hormones in your gastrointestinal tract. If you continue to shovel in food, you
override these hormonal messages, and before long you can no longer recognize
the signals. Several studies, including a 2010 analysis at the Athens University
Medical School, show that eating more slowly can also help cut calories, and
make dieters feel fuller after smaller portions.
7. Say Nice Things to Yourself: If you are a chronic dieter, you’ve probably
been down on your willpower at one time or another. But such negativity can
feed the cycle of overeating, says Michelle May, MD, author of Eat What You
Love, Love What You Eat. “To change this pattern, begin to use an encouraging,
gentle inner voice and positive self-talk to motivate yourself toward the changes
you want and literally think yourself thin,” she says. Praise yourself for portion
control, and you’ll want to keep up the habit of healthy eating.
8. Make Smart Substitutes: If you crave a steak, you probably think a veggie
burger just won’t do, no matter how many condiments you pile on top. A steak is
a steak, bacon is bacon, and chocolate is chocolate, right? Well, yes and no.
“You can trick your mind into thinking you’re satisfied if you know what healthy
substitutions to make,” says Melissa Dobbins, RD, a spokeswoman for the
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “My whole approach is to eat healthier while
not feeling like you’re giving something up.” Substituting lean filet mignon for
sirloin strip steak, lean Canadian bacon for regular bacon, and more healthful
dark chocolate for milk chocolate are all ways to eat healthier while still
indulging.
9. PracticeMindfulness Eating: Mindful eating is the practice of
contemplating what you are eating and concentrating on how you feel about the
food. When you practice mindful eating, you become aware of food in all its
aspects — not just how it tastes but also how it makes you feel as well as the
sensory experiences it evokes, like the smell, the visual cues, and the texture.
Eating becomes a meditative process. According to a study published in Bariatric
Times, mindful eating can be an effective treatment for obesity.
10. Eat Meals With Men: Although not always practical, this approach is
certainly interesting. A recent study published in the Journal of Applied
Psychology looked at the behavior of college students in a cafeteria and
discovered that when women eat with men, they unconsciously eat fewer
calories — on average 112 fewer — than when they eat with their female friends.
But take heed: This portion control strategy does not work the other way around.
It turns out that when men eat with women instead of other men, they actually eat
more. Researchers say this for the most part aligns with cultural norms: Many
women consciously or subconsciously feel like they have to eat less around men.
And as for guys eating less when they’re out with the guys, researchers report
that unconscious cues could be at play, but more study needs to be done.
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