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Six Simple Ways To Never Overeat Again

Six Simple Ways To Never Overeat Again

By Emily Abbate, FITBIE.com (TNS)

Overeating is one of those mindless things you almost always regret. Pending the environment, it can be caused by a number of things, ranging from good food being around, to eat all at once (i.e. chips), to your lack of preparation for a meal with friends. One thing we can all agree on? Life, and our stomachs, are much better when we reel it in and keep our eating habits in check. Check out these six ways to squash overeating, adapted from The Better Man Project.

1. Preload. Going out for dinner? A half-hour before you leave, eat a 200-calorie snack that contains at least 15 grams of protein. With a gut full of satiating protein and fewer hunger hormones circulating, you’ll consume fewer calories at the restaurant. Two good snack choices: a whey protein shake, or an apple with string cheese (contains satiating fiber and fat, too).

2. Stop before your tank is full. Picture a gas gauge in your belly. “E” means you’re ravenous and “F” represents a full tank. Aim to stay between half and three-quarters of a tank by eating before you feel famished and stopping when you’re satisfied, not stuffed, said Matt Lawson, M.A., a weight-loss coach for iBehaviorCoach.

3. Chew on it. You’ve heard this one before: Chew each bite 40 times. Well, there’s science behind it. In one study, men who chomped that many times per bite ate 12 percent less than those who chewed 12 times. Researchers believe chewing longer before swallowing speeds the release of gut hormones linked to feeling satisfied.

4. Eat like a restaurant critic. Take time to note the texture, flavor and smell of your food. Think about where it came from, the source. Saying to yourself, “Wow, this grass-fed rib eye from Wyoming is juicy,” can create a vivid meal memory that keeps you feeling fuller longer, a U.K. study found. (Note: That line works best when you’re actually eating a grass-fed rib eye from Wyoming.) And eating mindfully automatically will slow you down if you typically shove your food into your mouth.

5. Plan your grocery trips. Hungry shoppers really do load their carts with more high-calorie options, a study in JAMA Internal Medicine reports. The best time to shop is after breakfast on a weekend, said Anita Mirchandani, R.D., a New York City dietitian. If that’s not a good time for you, preload before you go. Also, studies show that going to the grocery store with a list will reduce the likelihood that you will purchase high-calorie foods that catch your eye.

6. Buy new dinnerware. The average U.S. plate has been enlarged by 23 percent in the last century. No wonder our waistlines have ballooned! The fix: Eat from plates with wide or colored rims. They make small portions seem larger because the plate looks more filled, according to research in the International Journal of Obesity.

Photo: Alysa via Flickr

Three Ways To Take Your Walking Workout To The Next Level

Three Ways To Take Your Walking Workout To The Next Level

From FITBIE.com (TNS)

More of a stroller than a sprinter? You’re still getting a solid workout. Study after study confirms that being active throughout your day is an effective way to stay slim, and realage.com, which offers a test that assesses your “real” age in terms of how your body is aging, claims that taking at least 10,000 steps a day is the equivalent of subtracting 4.6 years from your chronological age for women and 4.1 for men.

What’s more, logging lots of steps may improve your diet choices: A recent German study found that taking a walk can even stop sugar cravings.

But while a regular walking routine is a great way to stay in shape, nearly all fitness experts agree that mixing up your workout is crucial if you want to keep seeing results in the mirror and on the scale. An obvious way to increase your aerobic activity and challenge your body in new ways? Pick up the pace.

Want to take your walking workout to the next level? Follow this advice from celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak, author of 5 Pounds.

  • Brisk walking, meaning a speed of about 4 miles an hour, clearly burns more calories and increases oxygen intake more than a 2-miles-an-hour stroll. Gradually build up your speed by increasing the pace for a minute or two, reverting to your accustomed rate for 5 minutes, and so on. Over time, increase the length of the faster-walking periods until you’re maintaining that rate overall. Compared with jogging, faster walking is easier on the hips and knees and diminishes the risk of injury.
  • Jogging isn’t the best choice for everyone. Unlike brisk walking and running, which are more horizontal in nature and therefore not as likely to jar your torso, jogging involves moving your body up and down, which taxes your joints more. For some people, if done too long or too often, it can lead to injury. On the other hand, if you like to jog, be sure to wear shoes that give you the right support. If you’re a runner, feel free to continue and/or blend it with walking.
  • Short bursts of fast running burn the most calories of all these activities. Research shows that a combination of sprinting and walking is even more effective than jogging. Like walking, sprinting is more likely to encourage good posture than jogging. Sprint interval training is a subcategory of high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which alternates low-intensity (walking or jogging) and high-intensity (sprinting) aerobic activity. As you get stronger and fitter, you can try a single 30-second burst a day, then two bursts a day, and finally three a day. Then you can increase the bursts to 45 seconds and later 60 seconds long. Always warm up before sprinting by taking a short walk or run. Again, listen to your body.

(c)2015 Fitbie.com, Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

Photo: Jeffrey via Flickr