Man wearing sweater asleep with mince pies on chest. Photo: Dan Brownsword (Getty).
Eating is one of man’s greatest pastimes. Sometimes we end up mowing down a whole pizza or a couple chili cheeseburgers only to find out the euphoria we experience is soon turned into stomach issues and extended trips to the porcelain throne room. Even worse, we end up paying for it in a much more visible way with widening waistlines.
While we enjoy the process of being bottomless garbage disposals, we end up gaining a ton of weight and all of a sudden flights of stairs become our mortal enemies. As it turns out, there are a few simple steps to keeping your weight in check, and they only involve a little self-control that we’re all capable of.
Want To Control Your Weight? Stop Eating So Damn Fast!
A recent Japanese study monitored 642 men and 441 women, confirming that those who ate quickly over a five-year period were more likely to have waistlines bigger than those who paced themselves. Even more troubling, the same group were 11.6 percent more likely to suffer from metabolic syndrome (heart disease, diabetes and stroke risk factors). That’s one messed up cluster to have in your body, folks.
Kathleen Alleaume, a nutritionist and exercise physiologist, broke down how you can beat the bad eating habits and get control of your health.
The problem with eating too fast is your stomach is much slower than your mouth. When you eat, it takes your stomach’s receptors 15 to 20 minutes to let your brain know it’s full, and in that time, you might be eyeballing a family-sized plate of delicious-looking nachos. Don’t let the nachos control you, guys. Remember, you’re in charge, not them.
h/t kidspot.au.com
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Control Your Weight By Eating Slower
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Don't bite off more than you can chew.
Don't take huge bites of food, no matter how much your buddies at the table are egging you on. It's important to take bites small enough for you to chew. The more you chew, the more your hormones tell your brain you've had enough. This also lets you enjoy the flavors more, and who doesn't want to savor the amazing taste of chicken wings?
Tourist hand feeding carrot to giant turtoise. Photo: Carlos G. Lopez (Getty).
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Switch hands.
Are you right-handed? If so, eating with your left hand is going to do wonders for pacing. When you eat with the off hand, your brain is focusing more on hand-mouth coordination. If you use your dominant hand, you're more likely to keep stuffing food down your throat with reckless abandon and filling up before you know it.
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Put your food on a plate.
This is a visible trick. If you put food on a plate, you know exactly what you're getting into and see the amount you're about to digest. Things like a bag of chips hide the amount your consuming, and before you know it, you've finished all of your Fritos. Make eye contact.
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Ditch distractions.
This is the hardest rule to follow because watching TV while eating dinner is freaking awesome. I'm all about that "Netflix and grill" life. But alas, if you want to reduce the size of your sexy body, step away from the screen because it's distracting enough to keep you from noticing how much you're taking in. Paying close attention to how much you're eating is a good way to keep the waist down. Besides, that next episode of Game of Thrones isn't going anywhere.
Man watching tv and eating junk food. Photo: Paul Harizan (Getty).
