It is important that you determine the appropriate quantities to eat that will keep you full, satisfied and away from overeating.
This blog is part of a seven part series. Read the first five blogs here:
Part I Treating Overeating
Part II How to Reverse the Habit
Part III Food Rehab: Creating Rules
Part IV Food Rehab: Creating Associations
Part V Food Rehab: Planning Eating
There’s several different ways to be aware of exactly how much you are eating. You may weigh and/or measure portions of food. Many of you know you are supposed to eat 3 – 4 ounces, so you weigh out the amount of protein, veggie, etc and put it on your plate. You may count calories and being within specific ranges may help you determine how much to eat at each meal.
Bottom line is that if you choose foods that satisfy and keep you full, you will keep hunger at bay. If you aren’t hungry it’s so much easier to turn down the cupcakes in the kitchen at work, right?
To help you figure out what foods keep you fullest, here are some tips:
Protein is metabolized at 4 calories/ minute so this will keep you full longer
Simple sugars empty from the stomach at 10 calories/ minute so they won’t keep you full for very long
High fiber foods that still have all of their tissues in tact (i.e. brown rice, beans, apples) empty slowly from the stomach, keeping you very full
Fat metabolizes at 2 calories/ minute which is very slow, so fat does keep you full for a very long time. But the body processes the signals of satiety from fat very slowly, so it’s easy to overeat.
I’ve mentioned before that you have to eat foods you enjoy. If you hate the foods you are permitted to eat, you just won’t stick to the diet. But if you know you get to have berries, greek yogurt, hummus, steak and occasional dark chocolate then you are far more likely to stick with it. So make sure you like the things you eat. If you just don’t like plain chicken, find a way to make it yummy!
Rewards are helpful too. Make sure you have them scheduled into your plan. You may schedule 1 – 2 treats each week, or if you do a certain amount of workout minutes you earn a cheat perhaps. Don’t go overboard of course.. these are to keep you on track. A couple of pieces of dark chocolate or maybe a whole banana would be a good treat. As you get away from overeating, triggers lose their power and you can allow those trigger foods back into your diet in limited and controlled portions.
Paying close, conscious attention to the food you are eating can also be helpful. Kessler mentions that if you “pay attention to the pleasures of taste and the experience of eating, food can be an effective way to deepen it’s reward value.” So rather than mowing your brownie treat, you take it slow and really appreciate the taste and texture.. or perhaps enjoy it in two sittings.
So what foods do you know will keep you full? Keep those foods in your repertoire to keep you full to help you avoid giving in to triggers or overeating. Then before you know it, you will be on track for so long and doing so well you can consider introducing treats that were once triggers back into your meal plan!
Read the seventh blog here: Understanding What Triggers Overeating
Your Coach,
Kyra
P.S. Do you decide what to eat ahead of time?
If so, has it helped you? Leave a comment below.