How To Reduce Eating Unhealthy Food At Home?
No amount of exercise can make up for the number of calories we consume. Therefore, not being able to maintain a healthy lifestyle is mostly because of overeating. In this article we’ll discuss one simple (first) step to reduce your overeating.
Do you find yourself in the next examples?
- Sometimes I have a feeling I can eat all day long.
- Sometimes I eat even though I’m not hungry.
- Sometimes I just reach for snacks, because they are on the table.
- Sometimes I watch YouTube videos while eating, which makes me eat way more than I intended to.
- Sometimes I eat because I’m bored.
- Sometimes I open the fridge, because it’s on my way out of the kitchen.
I’m sure you did. You are just as guilty as I am.
A simple step to cut overeating is to eat at the table
Studies have shown that eating anywhere else than at the table increases our chances of overeating dramatically. We tend to subconsciously become involved in some activity, such as watching a movie, so we reach for a snack. Because we’re not paying attention to the amount we are eating, we tend to overeat.
Trust me, it’s harder than it sounds. I’m so used to eating in the living room or other places over the house that I must mentally and physically prepare to eat at the table.
Are you standing in front of an open fridge about to take a bite? Don’t. Put it on a plate and sit down. You can only eat at the table.
It’s so difficult because you need to do one more thing: eat.
Just eat.
This means you can’t do anything else but eat. Phone? No way. Reading something? No.
You can only look at the food and eat the food.
This is the first step to achive mindful eating. Good job.
The best part: you can still eat anything you want
Yeah, you want that sweet chocolate? You can eat it. Just go to that table and eat it there. Even though you can eat whatever you want, you’ll eat less.
Sounds crazy right? The reason is that you will think about it twice. On one hand yes, you can eat it, but on the other hand you’ll have to get up from the couch and walk to the table. Your brain will not like it and this will help you realize that you don’t need it.
What if you aren’t home?
You can use the same technique. At work — eat only in the cafeteria. After work — bring food home, don’t eat it in the car. Far away from home — sit down at the park.
Try it out and let me know what were the largest obstacles or discomforts of eating just at the table?
Oh McDonalds. I love and hate you.