How To Slow Your Eating Habits To Keep Your Weight In Check
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Apart from the lifestyle you follow and your genes, your eating habits can be blamed for the number you see on the weighing machine when you step on it. Multiple poor eating habits such as wolfing down piles of junk and eating too quickly can lead to weight gain. Such habits might trace their origins back to your childhood and hence, may prove increasingly difficult to shun. However, with persistent effort, you’ll be able to get there in no time. Replacing your bad eating habits in favor of good ones can not only help you shed some kilos but even keep your weight in check in the long run!
So, here are 8 good eating habits you should follow to keep your weight under control:
1. Divide A Single Meal Into Courses
If you go the route of starters, one big meal, and dessert, your weight loss plans will never come to fruition. Hence, instead of having separate courses each time, divide your single meal into different courses so you can prevent yourself from overeating. For example, you could have the veggies and salads in your meal as starters and reserve the meat as the main course. If you’re short on time, spend it on having just the main course and pack up the starters as snacks for in between breaks. However, ensure whatever you pack is healthy and doesn’t add to your calorie count.
2. Eat In Small Bites
Gulping your food down in large bites is not a good idea if you want to keep your weight in check. That’s because when you take large bites, you end up finishing your food way quicker. And when that happens, your brain creates the illusion that you haven’t eaten enough, thereby prompting you to eat more spoonfuls. This is why taking smaller bites is recommended. Since you’ll go slow, your brain will get enough time to signal that you’re full. Despite you eating way lesser than before!
3. Have Fiber-Rich Foods
To control your appetite in order to keep your weight in check, you have to eat foods that make you feel fuller sooner than the rest. Only foods rich in fiber can help you with that as they have that effect on your tummy. Small quantities of fiber-rich foods can satiate your appetite a lot quicker, so you eat lesser not only in one go but also later (1). You see, foods high in fiber also keep you fuller for longer, thereby preventing unhealthy snacking!
4. Chew And Swallow Your Food Properly
As we know, overeating is a major problem that leads to the arrow on the weighing scale rising higher and higher. And overeating happens when you shove one bite after another down your throat, without pause. So, a supremely easy way to keep your kilos under a safe limit is to savor the food you eat. Which means chewing every single, tiny bite thoroughly before you swallow it. That said, don’t use your phone or TV or other gadgets while eating as the distraction may result in you eating more.
5. Eat With Split Second Breaks In The Middle
Well, while chewing every bite before swallowing is good, it might not be enough. Especially if you’re the kind who just can’t resist asking for extra helpings of food you clearly don’t need to feel full. In such cases, it’s better to take a break of a split second between each bite by putting down your fork. The longer you sit at the table with your food, the lesser you’ll eat.
6. Don’t Eat After 9 PM
Might seem like a myth but those who have late dinners are actually more likely to gain weight. The reason is that late night eating promotes binging on unhealthy foods. So, try to skip eating once the clock strikes 9, and just go straight to bed.
7. Cook Your Meals On Your Own
Would you be shocked if we told you takeaway dinners are unhealthy? Or that you’re likely to make an unhealthy choice when ordering food? No, you won’t be. Such foods will naturally lead to weight gain again. If you don’t want that to happen, you should cook your own meals at home. Being mindful of what you eat will help you make healthier choices.
8. Don’t Deprive Yourself Entirely
While it’s important to eat healthy, it’s not wise to deprive yourself of all your favorite food items permanently. Forcing yourself to not even look at foods you love just so you can eat better will lead to stress in the long run. And stress can actually cause weight gain (2). So, intermittently treat yourself to the foods you love.
Every small step you take can help you lose weight, keep your current weight in control, and stay fit and active during the years to come. So, don’t undermine the importance of eating habits, and do what’s right!
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