Are you having a bit of trouble getting your pants to close – or maybe it’s difficult to zip up your jacket?
In part you can blame those mindless bites – those “shove it in your mouth without thinking about it” bites. Oh come on, most of us — at one time or another — have:
- Snagged some candy from the bowl on a co-worker’s desk
- Made the last bit of leftovers from the pot disappear into our mouths
- Spooned up generous samples of cookie dough batter and followed that up with licking the beaters
- Finished the crust off of a kid’s grilled cheese sandwich
- Sampled handfuls of bar food while having a drink
- Liberally sampled the free “want to try” foods while shopping
- Had “just a taste” of a friend’s or partner’s dessert
- Gobbled up the freebie cookies or candy that arrives with the restaurant check.
The Twenty-Five
Here’s the big problem. Each of those mindless bites adds up to — on average — 25 calories (sometimes more, sometimes less). And, because they’re mindless, unless you religiously write down each oneas soon as you eat it, you forget about it and its calories. Since mindless bites are quick pops into your mouth, you don’t even have a chance to savor them and they probably don’t even register as food.
Do the math. If those bites average out at about 25 calories, four mindless bites a day above and beyond your daily calorie needs means possibly gaining slightly less than a pound a month (it takes 3500 calories to gain a pound — and yes, you need a deficit of 3500 calories to lose a pound). Ouch!
What To Do
So, be aware of what you’re eating – especially when you’re not really eating a meal. Start keeping track of when and where you’re most likely to indulge in mindless bites. You’d be surprised at how much you shove down your hatch while you’re walking, talking, socializing, working, watching games, and driving.
Awareness is the first step but writing down what you eat – as soon as you eat it – presents you with a record that’s hard to refute.
This article is part of the 30 day series of blog posts called: 30 Easy Tips for Looser Pants and Excellent Energy.
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