Too Much Food
Welcome to Confused To Confident Where We Can Control How Much Food We Eat
Hi all you wonderful women. How many of you ate more food than you would have liked over Thanksgiving, or during any other event for that matter? Pick which statement below best describes WHY you ate more food than your stomach could reasonably hold.
- a) The food was so great I couldn't stop eating it.
- b) We sat around the table chatting and I just kept nibbling the food.
- c) Didn't want the host to think I didn't like the food so I ate everything.
- d) The food was there so I ate it.
More...
Overeating Epidemic
Over 60% of Americans are overweight so over eating is a very real problem. Besides causing all sorts of health issues, being overweight can lead to self-degrading talk and low self-esteem. Here at Confused To Confident we are all about building self-confidence and self-esteem so I’m going to give you a couple of tips to help maintain, or even lose weight during the holidays.
Counter The Quiz
First take a look at the quiz you took above, here are some solutions based on the answer you chose.
If you picked “a” – and kept eating because the food was so good, try asking the host if you could take some home. If it’s a more formal event and asking to take some of the food would be out of place, it’s always polite to praise a dish and ask for the recipe. Knowing you can eat more later can help you stop eating it all in one sitting.
If you picked “b” – and kept nibbling as you sat around chatting, try to move away from the food. You could get up and clear some away from the conversation area if you are with family or friends. Another option is to just pass the food away from you and say you ate enough but can’t stop if it’s sitting in front of you since it’s so good. Very few people are going to argue about moving the food if you compliment them on it.
If “c” was your answer, and you didn’t want to offend the host, just eat tiny bits of each thing. If you take a small tablespoon of each item you can say you had some of everything. This also leaves room for a little larger serving of the food you really like a lot or don’t get often. So it doesn’t look like you are only eating a tiny bite, place the items close together on your plate and fill in void space with your silverware.
If “d” was your answer, try for a little more pre-planning. Make a decision ahead of time on how much you want to eat and stick to it. If there’s a bigger variety than you thought there would be, check out the answer for “c” and take tiny portions.
The idea is to not just keep eating because there is food there. Whether its so as not to offend someone, or because it’s good, or whatever the reason. Stop eating when you are slightly full. The side effects of continuing to eat after you are full, are numerous. Be strong and just say “NO” or probably “No Thank You” would be better.
Other Methods To Prevent Overeating
1. Drink two glasses of water just before you start eating. It not only will make you feel full faster, hence eating less calories, it will make you have to go to the bathroom so you can’t sit at the table nibbling for hours. The key here is to stop eating when you feel full. It’s also important to stay away from the table when you are forced to get up.
2. Do core exercises just before eating. It may not be the greatest for digesting the food you do eat but working out the stomach muscles will make you feel like eating less. It will also help burn some calories before you eat more.
3. Use a dessert plate for dinner and don’t go back for seconds. If the dessert plates are really tiny, then one second helping is okay but make sure you are really still hungry before filling up a second time.
4. If you are hosting have a buffet style meal where everyone helps themselves from the food on a serving counter then, to eat, goes to a table that’s separate from the food. This way you can’t just sit and nibble. If you aren’t hosting but know the host well, suggest this style of serving.
5. Minimize drinking calories. Water is your biggest friend when it comes to consuming less calories. Instead of iced tea or soda, drink water. If water is your friend, alcohol is your enemy. You can eat a lot more pie if you give up a glass of beer. Liquid calories are easy to consume without realizing it. Pay careful attention to how many of your calories you’re drinking.
Please share with us if you have your own great way of cutting down on eating extra food during the holidays by commenting below.
The activity this week is simple, and would be good to put into general practice every week of your life.
Activity - Pay Attention To The Food You Eat
Step 1
Simply pay attention to the food you're eating.
Example:
Notice how big the pile is as you put it on your plate.
Pay attention when you walk buy a nut dish and grab a handful of nuts.
Think about everything you ate in the last 24 hours.
The more you pay attention to the food you are eating, the easier it will be to eat less.
Eat well and enjoy the abundance of extra tasty treats this season but be mindful of what you eat and eat small amounts. Enjoy those holiday parties without regret.