Photo by Lesly Juarez on Unsplashc
Mindful eating is what helps you take more control of your eating habits. It allows you to be in the moment and aware of your food choices and your surroundings to help avoid over-eating and any other poor dietary choices. If you’re guilty of plopping in front of the TV with a bag of chips and then minutes later scraping the bottom of the bag, mindful eating is for you. One of the best techniques for weight loss, the one that has helped our clients the most, is to be mindful of your hunger level. The more mindful you are of your hunger and your own needs, the more you will find it natural and easier to just say “no, thank you”. In the upcoming CogniDiet Book, we dedicate a whole chapter to mindful eating (pre-order the book today!), but you can get started with the 7 tips below. These will help you save 300 to 500 calories a day!
1. Wait 10min before you go for second helpings. Are you still hungry?
2. Swap out your dinner plate and to eat on something smaller
3. Does it make a difference if the serving dishes are left in the kitchen vs. on the table?
4. When you’re dining at a restaurant, skip the bread basket and get any extra food out of your view immediately (back to the kitchen, doggy bag etc.).
5. When you get takeout, take the time to transfer the food out of the container (think Chinese) and eat it on a reasonably sized plate.
6. When there is a gigantic pizza at the office, try a half slice to start instead of 2.
7. When you prepare your lunch for the office, create single portions instead of bringing in a large container for the week.
What do you do to eat mindfully? We’d love to hear your experiences of what made a difference.