http://loseweightm.com/ Weight Control Pt 2
The average person pays little attention to overeating unless overweight. But among those interested in optimum health, the quantity of food taken in should always be of some concern. While one may cut out refined foods and a lot of animal products, it is still possible to overeat. Here are a number of ways to prevent overeating:
Serve your plate fully with all you intend to eat before you begin eating. Be realistic about it; don’t serve just a few pieces of celery and a few carrot strips. This won’t satisfy all of your needs. You must have generous quantities of leaf proteins, such as from greens, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, or similar vegetables. You will need also some good quality carbohydrate from whole grain breads, potatoes, winter squash, etc. For its vitamin C content, you will need some raw food, such as a salad, a fruit, or a whole cucumber. You may want to have some kind of oil-free spread, including fruit butters, tomato-onion puree, etc. Make your choices, and then fully serve your plate at the beginning of your meal. Nothing else is eaten.
Set aside a small portion of something that is especially enjoyed to leave on the plate as a discipline. Do not allow the compulsion to have a clean plate and empty serving dishes affect your judgment.
Slow your eating pace. Most of us chew at a very fast rate and load the mouth continually, even if something is already in the mouth.
Plan several pauses during the meal. The mother in the family can plan ahead for some special conversation at certain intervals during the meat and other family members can plan to talk of some item that requires attention.
Do not prepare the next bite while the last one is still being chewed. If you have something in your mouth, lay your fork down. Learn to let your hands be still while you are chewing.
There should be no seconds on anything except raw or leafy foods, and especially no seconds on dressings. Even if they contain no free fats, they will add many calories to otherwise very low calorie foods. If there is oil in the dressing, its use can cause you to overeat very quickly, because of the high caloric content of oil.
One should excuse one’s self promptly when finished with the meal. Leave the table, even if it is for only a minute; it can allow the appetite to be satiated. Leaving the table for a period helps one to resist nibbling. Since a clean mouth also discourages nibbling, brush the teeth during this recess from the table.
Always suggest a walk or other mild exercise just after the meal. Do not sit down. Inactivity allows the digestive organs to become congested, the circulation is generally slowed. Fats and sugars build up in the blood, and stomach irritation occurs. Do not put away the food promptly if you cannot resist the temptation to nibble. Allow yourself time to develop a sense of satiety. Leave the house at once for a short walk. Upon returning, your appetite will have quieted. When you eat at restaurants and social gatherings, pre-plan what you will eat to the very last item and then stick to your plan. Choose categories of foods such as “one serving of a green vegetable, one piece of bread, etc.” If you have no plan, you are more likely to overeat. Before going to a social function where you suspect you might overeat, drink 8 to 24 ounces of water from fifteen to thirty minutes before getting around food. Much stuffing at the table is really caused by thirst. To be well-hydrated cuts down on cravings.
Do not look at or think of the food on the table or on other people’s plates toward the end of the meal. Place your mind resolutely on some preplanned subject. If you are a housewife, develop the habit of putting even one-half teaspoonful of leftovers in the refrigerator. Eat nothing more after you have quit eating your meal. If necessary, you may promise yourself that half teaspoonful of food at your next meal. And then give that food to yourself. Eat nothing after 3 pm. Cut down on the number of dishes eaten at one meal, best to use two dishes of simple food with bread and spread. And bear in mind that total vegetarians have less problem with overweight.
