Hi guys, Kris from Custom Fitness here, your personal trainer in Amarillo. The holiday haven’t arrived just yet, but overeating is already ramping up. It seems every year that holidays are our excuse to go ahead and overeat; “Well I have to celebrate!” Are you overeating regularly? Today I have 4 tips to help you avoid daily overeating as well as during the holidays. If you have questions about today’s blog or would like further information about your nutritional needs, give us a call: 806-322-3188.
Tip #1: Make sure to eat your snacks and drink your water
Eating snacks throughout the day will keep your body satisfied (aka not starving) before your next meal arrives. Your body is pretty tricky in that it will use thirst to convince your brain you are hungry. When you are dehydrated, you ignore the body’s signals asking for water. The mind gets fed up and says “okay, you’re actually hungry.” Your ears will perk up and you will saunter to the kitchen. The body knows it can extract water from food, so it gets what it needs but with a lot more calories added onto it. If you remain hydrated, your body won’t have the opportunity to do this. Then you won’t have a desire to consume excess calories just because you were thirsty. Fuel up with snacks and water throughout the day.
Tip #2: Frontload your meals
Say you’re headed out to your favorite restaurant and you’re a little anxious you might overeat while you’re there. I mean, it’s your favorite restaurant for a reason; you have all sorts of food there to tempt you into binging. Frontloading your meal by eating a salad or some veggies approximately 20 minutes before you start eating your entree, will help you avoid going overboard by overeating. You can do this for meals at home too, the key is the timing. This will help your body kickstart the satiation response and you’ll feel a little more full before you dig into the main course.
Don’t let your frontloaded appetizer keep you from eating the things that tempt you; you definitely want to eat a balanced meal. Frontloading should just help you feel “full” or “satisfied” quicker with more nutritious calories .
Tip #3: Savor your meal by using your senses
This is an odd one that not many people have heard of. Overeating stems from our need to “hurry up and eat.” Instead of rushing through the meal, try and describe your food by using all of your senses. How does it feel? How does it smell? What does it look like? (**Pro Life Tip: don’t answer these questions out loud, otherwise your table mates might think you’ve gone crazy). Viewing your food the way a sommelier looks at wine, will help you slow down your eating and allow you to savor the food experience instead of just gulping down what’s in front of you. Once you hit a certain point, your brain will signal your body that it is full. That point in time is much more distinct when you eat slower. If you keep eating after this signal, well, then it is a conscious choice to overeat. Using your senses can be a great tool.
Americans are constantly on the go and due to our busy lifestyles we just guzzle whatever we have on our plate. This is a strong case for the obesity epidemic. I use this with my kids, too, to teach them how to enjoy their food. We find words to describe what their sense are telling them. They develop a stronger vocabulary at the same time they are learning to eat slower.
Tip #4: Set your fork down between bites
You can also savor your meal by chewing thoroughly and setting your fork down in between bites. Long before I was a personal trainer in Amarillo, my grandfather used to count the number of times he chewed something before he swallowed. He refused to swallow any food until he had met his chewing threshold. 25 times to be exact. He was from a time when he didn’t need to gulp down his food to run off to the next errand. If counting the number of times you chew doesn’t sound enticing, try laying your fork down as you chew. This is a conscious decision to pause rather than keep shoveling it in once you swallow. This paces your eating at a rate where you can enjoy while giving your brain the time to let you know when it is full.
These tips you can use at any meal you eat. Apply them now, so when the holidays come around you already have a habit in place to combat the “have to celebrate” mindset and savor. People typically overeat during the holidays because it’s foods we don’t normally have throughout the year, often times made by a relative who knocks that recipe out of the park. Instead of piling up your plate, with these once-a-year treats, sit down and savor your portions to get the most out of it. Your ability to describe them in the moment will stay with you until next year, I promise.
Our final Down Size session of 2017 is upon us. We begin today, October 30th. It is a 6 week program where we provide a customized program to you where you can lose up to 2 pant sizes. We also work with you on a nutrition by teaching you how to make healthier, non-overeating, choices when you eat real food. We will be your accountability buddy and work with you every step of the way. If you end up losing 15 inches throughout the 6 weeks, you will receive 100% of your money back. That’s a win-win! If you’d like more information, give us a call at the studio. We keep all of our programs limited to 20 participants to keep the service personalized. We want to know who you are and what you want out of Down Size. We want to work with you on the goals you have in mind. Custom Fitness isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. Everything we do is tailored to you and your needs.
If Down Size isn’t in the works for you this year, we’d still love to see if we can help propel you towards your goals before the holidays. We offer fitness, nutrition, and lifestyle modification from a team of fitness professionals. If you have something in mind, we’d love to bring you in for a consultation and see if we are the right fit for one another. You can reach our team at 806-322-3188 or by e-mail at info@customfitness.biz. At Custom Fitness, we are YOUR personal trainer in Amarillo. Have a great day!