Eat Out Eat Well

mindful eating

No, I Don’t Want A Piece Of Pie

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Have you ever said, “No, I don’t care for any” to seconds or “No, thank you” to dessert – but your host or dinner companion just won’t give up?

“You’ve gotta try it, it’s great, “ or “Oh, come on, just a little taste,” or “Have just a little more.” It goes on and on and on and you want to scream, “No, and I mean, No.”

Unfortunately, many of us cave in to the pressure – because the food really does look tempting and your willpower and commitment has been eroded — or because we just want the annoying beseeching to go away.  It can be aggravating – maybe infuriating – and at times embarrassing — when they keep pressuring you to have a taste, or take some more, or, worse yet, shove their forks in your face.

Why Do They Do It?

Who knows what motivates people who pressure you and won’t give up.  Maybe it’s their own guilt about what they’ve eaten and they want company while they wallow in the “I shouldn’t of had that.”

Maybe it’s a reflection of their fear that if you lose weight you’ll look so much better than they do and you’ll also show them up as self-perceived “dietary failures.”

Or, maybe, like some of my relatives, they’re just programmed to push your buttons along with pushing you to taste and eat.

What You Can Do

There are a few ways to handle these saboteurs/relatives/frenemies. One is to take the high road and explain that you’re satisfied with what and how much you’ve already eaten since you’re trying to watch your weight and eat clean. If they persist you can try saying again that you’re comfortably full and really don’t want more food. If they keep at it stare them down and ask why the heck they care so much about what you eat.

Now, that may “piss” someone off so you might try to still be firm but a little more gentle without hurting someone’s feelings.  Although – being polite and gentle hasn’t worked so far and they’re hurting yours . . .

Using the health card almost always works.  Claiming you’re on a diet usually doesn’t. It’s hard to argue or persist with the pressure when you say that your doctor told you that you had to watch your cholesterol or that you have a food allergy.  There are excellent times when little white lies that harm no one and potentially save your waistline and your relationships are the best solution.

Then again, to shut someone up you could always take the food, take one little nibble, keep smiling, and leave it on the nearest table or toss it in the garbage on a stroll toward the rest room.

How Many Calories Are In A “Mindless Bite”?

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Are your pants feeling a bit tight and you can’t figure out why?

It’s those mindless bites that will get you.  Each one of those “shove it in your mouth without thinking about it” bites is worth about 25 calories.  Do the math.  If you have four mindless bites a day above and beyond your daily calorie needs that 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).

Do You Do Any Of These?

  • Snag a piece of candy from the bowl on someone’s desk
  • Scoop the last bit of leftovers from the pot into your mouth
  • Taste the cookie dough batter then lick the beaters
  • Finish the crust off of your kid’s grilled cheese sandwich
  • Sample the bar food while having a drink
  • Taste the free “want to try” foods when you’re shopping
  • Have “just a taste” of your friend’s or spouse’s dessert
  • Eat the freebie cookies or candy that come with the check in restaurants

Twenty-five

Ouch!  Each bite adds up to — on average — 25 calories (sometimes more, sometimes less).

Be aware of what you’re eating – especially when you’re not really eating.  Most of us don’t have a clue how many calories – or even bites – we’ve shoved into our mouths at times other than meals.  Unfortunately, all of those calories that we eat when we’re not eating meals not only count but add up to those pounds gained — and you can’t figure out why you gained them.

What To Do

Keep track of when and where you’re most likely to indulge in the mindless bites you shove down the hatch while you’re walking, talking, socializing, working, and driving.

The most effective method is to try to write down what you eat.  That may be a pain but might serve as a real “heads-up” because a written record is hard to deny.  If you don’t want to write it down (I must admit I have trouble doing that) at least be aware of your mindless bites – and decide if you want to eliminate, control, or include them in your daily calories.

Awareness is a good thing — especially if it makes your jeans fit better.

Nine Food Tips For Excellent Holiday Eating Without The Pudge

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What’s your plan? That sounds clinical — but it doesn’t have to be. It could be your saving grace.  Think about how you want to handle yourself in the face of food, family, eggnog, and pecan pie.  Nothing is engraved in stone but if you have an idea about what you want to do and how to do it you’ll be far less likely to nibble and nosh all day and night. You’re the one in charge of what goes into your mouth.

1. Make simple swaps in the food you prepare and the food you choose at parties and in restaurants. Reduce the amount of fat and calories in holiday food where you can by doing things like using skim milk instead of whole milk, applesauce in place of oil, or two-thirds or one-half of the sugar called for in a recipe. Make a horse trade or a deal with yourself that might have you avoiding the breadbasket or a pre-dinner drink if you are going to have dessert.

2. Beware of food landmines.  It’s so easy to be fooled by fatty sauces and dressings on innocent looking vegetables. Vegetables are great.  Veggies smothered with butter, cheese, croutons, and/or bacon are loaded with calories.

3. Let this be your mantra:  no seconds. Choose your food, fill your plate, and that’s it.  Keep a running account in your head of how many hors d’ oeuvre you’ve eaten or how many cookies.  Those calories are loaded in fat and add up very quickly. Keep away from spreads of food at home, at the office, or at your Mom’s house to help limit nibbling and noshing.

4. Stop eating before you’re full.  If you keep eating until your stomach finally feels full you’ll likely end up feeling stuffed when you do stop eating.  It takes a little time for your brain to catch up and realize your stomach is full. A lot of eating is done with your eyes and your eyes love to tell you to try this and to try that. Work on eating a larger portion of fruit and veggies and less of the densely caloric foods like pastas swimming in oil and cheese.

5. Use a fork and knife, a teaspoon rather that a tablespoon. Chew your food instead of wolfing it down.  If you have to work at eating your food – cutting with a knife for instance – you’ll eat more mindfully than if you pick food up with your fingers and pop it into your mouth. Before you eat drink some water, a no- or low-calorie beverage, or some clear soup. The liquids fill up your stomach and leave less room for the high calorie stuff. If you know you’re going to eat treats, pick one – and only one – portion controlled treat to eat each day.  Pick it ahead of time and commit to your choice so you don’t find yourself wavering in the face of temptation.

6. Plan ahead, commit to your plan, and don’t go to a party or dinner feeling ravenous. Before you go eat a small healthy snack that‘s around 150 calories with some protein and fiber like some fat free yogurt and fruit, a portion controlled serving of nuts, a small piece of cheese and fruit, or a spoonful of peanut butter with a couple of whole grain crackers. Have a no-cal or low-cal drink like water, tea, or coffee with it, too.  When you get to the party or dinner you won’t be starving and less likely to attack the hors d’oeuvres or the breadbasket.

7. Choose your food wisely.  If you can, pick lean proteins like fish, poultry, and the least fatty cuts of pork, beef, and lamb that are grilled or broiled, not fried or sautéed. Load up on vegetables – preferably ones that are not smothered in cheese or dripping with oil. Eat your turkey without the skin. You can save around 200 calories at dessert by leaving the piecrust sitting on the plate.

8. Leave the breadbasket at the other end of the table.  If you absolutely must have bread, go easy or without butter or oil.  One teeny pat of butter has 36 calories, a tablespoon has 102 and 99% of them is from fat.  A tablespoon of oil has about 120 calories.  Would you rather have the oil or butter or a cookie for dessert or another glass of wine? Which calories will be more satisfying?

9. Keep the number of drinks under control and watch the mixers.  Certain drinks are much higher in calories than others.  There are a couple of hundred calories difference between a glass of wine or beer and eggnog. Calorie free drinks would be better yet – even if you alternate them with your alcoholic beverages you still cut your alcohol calories in half.  Liquid calories really add up and they don’t fill you up.  Try planning ahead of time how many drinks you’ll have – and then adjusting your menu choices accordingly.

9 Easy Ways To Eat Less

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As the holiday season goes into full swing, here’s some helpful tips:

  1. Fill your plate once, whether it’s from a buffet or just from the stove top.  That’s it.  No seconds – and double-decking isn’t such a great idea, either.
  2. Use the smallest plates, bowls, and glasses you can to help you feel full even when you’re eating less. The smaller the plate the less food that can go on it. You probably won’t even know the difference because your eyes and brain are registering full plate. According to the CDC, a study looked at how adults reacted to four different portion sizes of macaroni and cheese given to them on different days. The larger the portion, the more people ate, eating 30% more when they were given the largest portion compared to the smallest one, yet they ranked their hunger and fullness similarly after both meals.  Only 45% noticed that there were differences in the size of the portions they were served.  The same optical illusion applies to glasses.  Choose taller ones instead of shorter fat ones to help cut down on liquid calories.
  3. Keep the serving bowls off of the table.  Put food on your plate and then sit down to eat it.  Serve reasonable portions on individual plates instead of helping yourself out of bowls on the table. According to an article in the May 2011 Nutrition Action Healthletter, when serving dishes are left on the table men eat 29% more and women 10% more than if those serving dishes stay on the counter.
  4. Leftovers lead to overeating so make only what you need. If you do cook enough for multiple meals pack up the extras and put them away immediately. Avoid eating the little bits of leftovers in the pots – those calories really add up – as do all of those tastes while you’re cooking and preparing.  Do enough nibbling and tasting and you come close to eating two meals.
  5. Distractions equal mindless eating. Excess calories and the size of the package your food comes in influence how much you eat. The larger the package, the more you tend to eat from it.  If you have a bag of chips in your lap as you watch TV or surf the net you don’t even realize how much you’re eating – and, in many cases, don’t gauge whether you’re full of not – so you keep eating.  If you do watch TV or work at the computer while you’re eating, don’t eat straight from the package.  Divide up the contents of one large package into several smaller portions. Put it in a bowl or on a plate.
  6. Don’t eat off of your kid’s plate, your spouse’s plate, or your friend’s plate.  The calories from someone else’s plate still count – and are oh so easy to forget about.
  7. Hide the stuff that tempts you.  Out of sight, out of mind is really true. We all tend to eat more when it’s right in front of us.  Food we like triggers cravings and eating.  So, keep the veggies in the front of the fridge and the rice pudding in the back.  Get rid of the candy dish and the stash of pop tarts in your desk drawer. If you buy jumbo size packages, put the excess somewhere inconvenient so you’ll have to work to get at it.
  8. Don’t feel obliged to eat out of courtesy – even if you don’t want the food or you’re full – just because you don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings.  Get over it – the calories are going into your mouth, not theirs.  If someone really hounds you about trying something you can always claim an allergy or that you’re eating heart healthy (claiming an upset stomach might buy you an early exit or other guests avoiding you like the plague).
  9. Pick your dining companions carefully. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine seems to indicate that if you’re struggling with your weight, there is a good chance that your friends and family are, too. You also tend to mimic your table companions.  If they eat fast, you eat fast – if they eat a lot, you eat a lot. In his book, Mindless Eating, Brian Wansink, PhD cites a study that shows how strong the tendency is to increase the amount you eat when you eat with others.  Compared to eating alone, you eat on average:
  • 35% more if you eat with one other person
  • 75% more with four at the table
  • 96% more with a group of seven or more.

 

Free Food Is Hard To Resist (And A Caloric Nightmare)

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Morning meeting.  Right in front of you: platter loaded with bagels, danish, and doughnuts parked next to giant coffee urns.  A freebie breakfast and the beginning of a blood sugar roller coaster ride.

No worries if you miss the morning carb fest – if all the platters aren’t picked clean the remnants will surely end up in the snack room next to the birthday cake (it’s always somebody’s birthday) or the leftover cookies from someone’s party the night before.

Costco on the weekend.  There are at least three tables manned by people offering you samples of hot pizza, luscious cheesecake, or tooth-picked pigs ‘n blankets.   Just the right size to quickly and neatly pop into your mouth – especially when you circle back for seconds.

Errands. Stops at the cleaners, the tailors, the veterinarian, the hair salon.  On the desk or counter:  giant bowls piled high with freebie candy.  You can dig deep for the kind you like – Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, mini Snickers, Tootsie Roll pops.  You name it — it’s usually there for the taking.

Party or wedding.  How do you escape the platters of salami, cheese, mini quiches, and then the desserts covered with icing, whipped cream, and powdered sugar?

What’s The Problem With Free Food?

Not a thing if you don’t care about calories, nutrition, and how you’ll feel after an overload of sugar, fat, and salt.  Tons of “starving” students and young (and not so young) adults have chowed down on ample quantities of free food.  Here’s the question:  are full bellies with no impact on the wallet ultimately the best choice?

Occasional dips into free food are probably not going to hurt anyone in reasonable health.  But, on a consistent basis, there is certainly a downside to your health.  There could me a more immediate concern, too.  A whole bunch of non-nutritious (junk, processed, and high calorie) food eaten right before a time when intense concentration and focus is necessary (translation:  exams and presentations) could certainly have a negative impact.

Why Do We Find Free Food So Attractive?

Most of us find it pretty darn hard to ignore “free food,” the food that’s just there for the taking. It’s everywhere – and we’ve become accustomed to valuing cheap calories.  Think about it:  when was the last time you resisted the peanuts, pretzels, or popcorn sitting on the bar counter?  What about the breadbasket – that’s usually free, too.

We don’t have to eat any of this stuff.  But we do.  Why?  Some of us have trouble passing up a giveaway regardless of what it is.  Some see it as a way to save money – despite possible negative health consequences.  And a lot of us use “free” as an excuse or sanction to eat or overeat sweet, salty, fatty junk food.

And the calories?  Free doesn’t mean calorie free.  But it’s all too easy to forget about those calories you popped in your mouth as you snagged candy here and tasted a cookie there.  Yikes.  You could eat a day’s worth of calories cruising through a couple of markets and food stores.

Before The Freebies Land In Your Mouth

How about creating your own mental checklist that, with practice, can help you figure out whether or not it’s worth it to indulge.  Even f you decide to go for it and taste the salami, butter cookies, and cheese cake, at least you’ll have made a mindful decision rather than mindlessly shoving food in your mouth.

Ask yourself:  Is the food you’re so willing to pop in your mouth . . .

  • fresh and tasty, with some nutrition?  It might be if you’re at a wedding or an event, but the odds go down if it’s food handed out at the supermarket or grabbed out of a large bowl at the cleaners.
  • clean?  How many fingers have been in the bowl of peanuts or have grabbed pieces of cheese or cookies off of an open platter?
  • something you really want – or are you eating it just because it’s there?
  • loaded with fat, sugar, and salt that adds up to mega calories?  Every calorie counts whether it’s popped in your mouth and gone in the blink of an eye or savored more slowly and eaten with utensils off of a plate.

Choices, Choices

Just because food is free doesn’t mean you have to eat it. No one is forcing you.  Beware of the cascading effect:  if you let yourself sample the candy, pizza, cheesecake, popcorn, or cookies, perhaps you’re giving yourself permission to continue to overindulge in food you probably don’t want to/shouldn’t be eating.

Highly caloric, sugary, and fatty foods can act as the key to opening the flood gates that cause you to continue to indulge for the rest of the day (weekend/week). Loading up on simple sugars – the kind found in candy, cookies, cake, and many processed foods – causes your blood sugar level to spike and then to drop –leaving you hungry very quickly and pretty darn cranky — and isn’t great for your waistline, either.