Many of us have been to those restaurants where your serving size could feed a family of four. You have heard this before, but nevertheless we will repeat it. You don’t have to eat everything on your plate.
If you prefer not to measure, weigh, or purchase expensive weight loss plans, these easy to follow tips should be helpful. It may come as a shock, but here are ways to lose weight without feeling starved.
Tip #1 – Eat a Piece of Ripe Fruit Before Each Meal
Healthy, low calorie, and it will satisfy you before you begin a meal. Vary the kinds of fruit in order to keep yourself from becoming bored of certain flavors.
Tip #2 – Eat Slowly
This is such an easy strategy to follow. It takes 20 minutes for your brain to give you the message that you are full. How many of us are already finished with our meal long before the end of those 20 minutes?
Create an atmosphere while having dinner. Dim the lights, listen to soft music, and put down your fork between bites. You will be amazed how long it will take to eat now. Remember, no one is going to take it away.
Tip #3 – Use Smaller Plates
No one said you had to use a dinner plate for dinner. Sometimes a salad plate will satisfy your hunger, and it will surely keep your portion size smaller.
Tip #4 – Have Soup Before a Meal
Soups can fill you up so you need much less food afterward. The goal is to eat fewer calories, and a 2007 study concluded that having soup before eating lunch reduced the person’s total calorie intake by 20%. The best choices would be soups with vegetables or clear broths.
Tip #5 – Drink a Full Glass of Water Before Your Meal
Do this approximately one half hour prior to eating. Not only does water fill you up, but many times we may feel hungry when we are actually dehydrated. Bottom line: drink more water.
Tip #6 – Design Your Plate
Fill ½ of your plate with vegetables and leafy greens. Then, the other ½ can be equal portions of carbs, fats, and protein.
Tip #7 Drink from a Tall Glass
If you want to indulge in an adult beverage from time to time, choose a glass that is both tall and thin. It seems like more liquid than it really is. Drink it slowly and add lots of ice to savor your drink while still sticking to your diet.
Tip #8 – Never Snack from the Bag or Box
How tempting is it to grab that bag of chips and sit in front of the TV? Yes, it’s tempting, but don’t do it! It’s impossible to know how many you are eating, so it could possibly ruin all your good habits for the week.
Instead, note the number of servings and divide up the bag by that many, and then place the contents in individual baggies. If you want less calories, make more baggies. Then make sure you don’t cheat by consuming more than one at a time.
Tip #9 – Ask for an Extra Take Home Container When Eating Out
If you do end up in one of these restaurants that loads up your plate, instead of asking for one container to take home the rest of your meal, ask for two. If you enjoyed the entree, then you can create your own portion in each container and enjoy it later.
Tip #10 – Survey the Buffet
Another interesting study was done at Cornell University. It proved that most people will choose the first several items at a buffet, which many times have the most calories and fat. Instead of starting at the front of a buffet, take a stroll and check out all the items. Then take your plate and pick and choose what’s best for you. Don’t forget to maybe choose a smaller plate so that you can avoid overeating.
Tip #11 – Wear a Belt
It is easy to overeat when you are wearing loose and flowing clothing. Create a physical reminder of how much you’ve eaten by wearing belts, jackets with buttons, or more form fitting clothing. This doesn’t mean you have to constrict your waist, just force yourself to notice if your clothing is becoming tighter as you eat.
Tip #12 – Don’t Starve Yourself
There is no need to feel deprived, hungry all the time, or get depressed because of your diet. You can reduce calories and drop pounds by trying some of these tips, and you might even find that it could become a healthy way to eat for the rest of your life.
Contact South Florida Center for Weight Loss Balloons if you continue to have problems with portion control.
As always if you have any further questions, please contact our center.