6 Lifestyle Tips For The Weight Loss Journey
August 8, 2013Learning A Lifestyle
It's All In Your Mind: Meal Adjustments At Home
Living with weight loss and weight loss surgery is a lifestyle. Following WLS or during diets, you have to watch out not only what you eat, but how much of it. That can be pretty simple at home where you are master of the menu. Here are some hints to help make your diet lifestyle at home more pleasant:
- Use a smaller plate
Your mind is your biggest enemy in adjusting to a new eating plan. To look at a plate that you used to fill with food to find it virtually empty can be disheartening. More than that, it can trigger your brain to convince your body there isn’t enough food for sustenance- causing you to eat more out of a desperation to be satisfied. A simple optical illusion, putting your smaller portion on a smaller plate, can convince your mind (and thereby your body) that there is enough food to sustain it.
- Use baby utensils
This is part optical illusion and part physical memory. Face it, some of the smaller sized portions of food in your new lifestyle you could finish off in two bites. This trick helps your body’s physical memory believe you are eating more because less food fits on the smaller silverware.
- Put your fork down between bites
Slow down. When you take a bite of food, allow yourself time to enjoy it. Putting your fork down between small bites mimics the time it would take you to eat larger bites of food- giving you a chance to enjoy your meal more while convincing your body there is more to enjoy.
- Snack often
Remember when mom got on your case for snacking in between meals? Now you have to! Be sure to make good snacking food choices several times per day.
- Exercise
Wait. What does exercise have to do with meal adjustments? A lot. In addition to toning your body, exercise increases your metabolism and gives off stress-relieving hormones. So you can eat a little more or a little more often, lose weight, and feel better. What a deal!
- Feed Real Hunger instead of “Head Hunger”
When you feel like you need to eat, ask yourself if you actually “feel” hungry or just “think” you’re hungry. Feed the actual hunger, but hold off if hunger is just a passing preoccupation.
 | ABOUT THE AUTHOR Cathy Wilson, PCC, BCC, had RNY surgery in 2001 and lost 147 pounds. Cathy is a regular contributor to the OH Blog and authored the "Mind Matters" column in ObesityHelp Magazine. Cathy is a licensed pilot and loves flying. She is a member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC).Read more articles by Cathy! |
