Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Take the Effort Out of Eating Less

Whenever you start a diet, it not only takes a lot of physical energy since you usually start an exercise program as well, but it takes mental energy to plan meals and make an effort to NOT eat the things you know you shouldn't. It can be hard, and quite often diets go down the drain because of a lapse in your judgment.
According to Brian Wansink, PhD., author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think, we can eat less without even realizing it. Here is how!
1. Serve meals on nine- to ten-inch plates. Any smaller and you'll be going back for seconds; larger, and you'll pile on more to begin with.
2. Take the serving bowls off the table! The only exception: the ones containing vegetables.
3. Drink from a skinny glass. Your mind perceives height more readily than width, so you'll think you had more.
4. Choose a small serving spoon: In one Cornell study, participants ate 11 percent less ice cream when they used a petite scoop.
5. Control your environment—if the room in which you eat is too bright and loud, or too dark and quiet, you'll tend to eat more because you become overstimulated or linger too long at the table.

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