Eating is never considered as an involuntary action. Hence, we should be able to control our eating, right? But, that is never an easy task for many of us. So, what we have to do is trick our minds. In this way, we will be able to control our eating. You just need to trick your mind that you are full and that you don’t need to eat more. Interesting ain’t it? Here are some of the ways in which you could trick your mind to control your eating.
Chew gum in the grocery store.
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You must have read in most of the articles that you should not go for shopping when you are feeling hungry. Another way in which you can fight that urge of buying those ‘unhealthy foods’, is by popping in a piece of sugarless chewing gum before you head down for the shopping. According to two studies, people felt less hungry and had lighter junk-food cravings, while chewing gum. Consequently, the people purchased lesser high-calorie snack foods, such as chips, and brought home extra healthy options, such as vegetables.
Serve yourself healthy stuff first.
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Another best way to put your eating under control is by loading your plate with healthiest items first, while choosing from a cafeteria or when you’re having a meal at home. A study shows that diners at buffets tend to take larger portions of the first few foods they notice. Therefore, you need to think before you begin stacking up your plate. Dish up whole grains or veggies before fattier meats and sides.
Buy your lunch with cash.
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You tend to buy more junk foods and desserts when you pay using the card rather than cash. Something about giving over cold hard cash makes people halt. Researchers observed that when high schoolers were advised to use cash to pay for less-healthy foods such as cookies, they thought twice about it, and often took the healthier fare.
Turn off TV cooking shows.
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Most of us, when we see food on TV, it tempts us to snack. However, this will not do good to you, especially if you are on a diet and planning to lose weight. Research shows that people on diets consume more candy while watching shows that are food-related food-related than when they watch food-free programming.
Use blue plates.
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Blue plates? Really? Yes, believe it or not, the colour of your plates might create a difference in how much food you serve yourself. Research shows that the more the food combines in with the plate colour, the more food you’re likely to take. Therefore consider using plates in a different colour.
Use smaller bowls and plates.
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Bigger the dish, the more you eat. It is true that the size of your plate and utensils provide your brain signals about how much you’re actually supposed to eat. In one of the researches, people at a Chinese buffet who got a big plate served themselves 52 percent more food, and consumed 45% more, than those with smaller plates.
Hit the pause button before giving in to a craving.
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You will fell out of control when you eat because you’re tired, bored, or tense. You need to try to delay the desire to have food. Try to do something else for around five to ten minutes when a craving hits. Then you can check if you still have that urge to eat. The odds are that you might have lost atleast some of those temptations.
Keep unhealthy snacks out of sight.
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If you have candy and junk food in your house, just keep them somewhere you won’t be able to see them. This might help you eat less and thus control your eating. When office workers placed chocolates on their desks, they ate around 48 percent more than when the candies were 6 feet beyond. If they keep the chocolates in their desk drawers, they will consume 25 percent less than if the sweet stuff was kept on their desks.
Always order the “small.”
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A large container can urge you to consume more food, even if it doesn’t taste great or you’re full. In one of the studies, moviegoers were provided free popcorn in either medium or large tubs. Few of them were fresh and delicious, and some were stale. They noticed that people who were given the fresh stuff in big containers ate about 45% greater than those who received it in medium tubs. Even those individuals who got stale popcorn in large containers consumed about 33 percent more than those with medium tubs of it.
Eat slowly, and drink water.
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You need to take smaller bites rather than one big bite and then chew your food slowly. Try to take a little more time between forkfuls. Moreover, you should drink water while you have food. The research shows that these simple actions are essential if you want to cut back on the calories and still feel full.
