Eat Out Eat Well

mindless eating

Do You Eat Chips and Cookies Straight from the Package?

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Pile of potato chipsIt shouldn’t come as a surprise that the size of the package your food comes in influences how much you’ll eat. The larger the package, the more you tend to eat from it.

And, if you’re eating from the bag while you watch TV or work on the computer, it’s likely that as you mindlessly move your hand from bag to mouth you don’t realize how much you’re eating or whether you’re full of not.  So you probably just keep eating until you get to the bottom of the bag – and then eat all of the crumbs, too.

  • It’s easier to stay away from chips and cookies if the bag isn’t in your line of sight – out of sight, out of mind.
  • If you do buy jumbo size packages because they’re cheaper, put the excess somewhere inconvenient so you’ll have to work to get at it –like the basement, garage, or a high shelf that you need a stepstool to access. If you have to work to get the food it might take some of the desire out of it.
  • Don’t eat straight from the package.  Divide up the contents of one large package into several smaller portions. Put your portion in a bowl, on a plate, or even on a napkin. Count out your chips, crackers, and pretzels or only eat from a single portion size bag.
  • Who can stop when there’s an open bag of salty, crunchy food right in front of you? It’s amazingly easy to just keep until the bag is empty. A dive to the bottom of a 9 ounce bag of chips (without dip) is 1,260 calories. One serving, about 15 chips, is 140 calories.
  • And, leave the broken pieces of cookies or chips in the bag.  Remarkably, pieces of cookies and broken chips have calories, too!

Brunch: Is It Lunch Or Breakfast – And Do you End Up Eating Both?

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brunch-calories-graphicDo you have trouble keeping the calories in check at a brunch or a buffet? It’s pretty darn hard with all of that tempting food staring you in the face. It’s even harder when there’s both tempting food and you’re with lots of friends having a good time — a classic recipe for mindless (over)eating.

A sit down brunch is a little easier to control than a buffet.  At least you’re ordering something specific and not subjected to the myriad of delectable choices at a buffet.

You still have to deal with overflowing bread and pastry baskets and multiple mimosas or bloody marys – but the best bet is to make a deal with yourself ahead of time about how many drinks and how many baked goods you will allow yourself to have.  Ahead of time is key – staring at freshly baked muffins while you decide what not to eat makes a reasoned decision pretty difficult!

Here’s Some Tips For Handling A Buffet/Brunch:

  • Choose a seat that puts your back to the buffet table or kitchen spread and preferably some distance away. How long can you sit and stare at those sticky buns without wanting one?  Not having them in your line of sight helps to keep your mind out of the “I’ve got to have it” mode.
  • Distance helps, too.  Having to get up and walk past lots of people, many of whom you know, with a plate filled to the brim can serve as a “seconds” and “thirds” deterrent.
  • Before putting any food on your plate, just cruise the buffet eyeballing all of the choices and decide what you’ll have before you start filling your plate.  Make trade-offs:  a sticky-bun and coffee instead of a couple of drinks and a second slice of toast . . .
  • What’s going to energize you and what are you going to eat the rest of the day? If you think you can eat at 11AM and have no food until the next day, bad decision.  By late afternoon you’ll probably be so hungry that you’ll head for pizza or a cheeseburger while promising yourself you’ll get back on track the next day.
  • Have a good meal that will fill you up, keep your blood sugar at a nice level, and tastes good so you don’t feel deprived. What does that mean?  Some protein and some complex carbs.  Easy on the fat and simple carbs.
  • Put your food on a smaller rather than larger plate (look for the smaller plates near the salad/fruit section) and you’ll fill up your plate and your stomach with fewer calories.
  • If you decide you really will feel totally deprived if you don’t indulge in one of those delicious baked goods, try to choose one without loads of thick buttery crumbs on top, cut it in half and be satisfied with that amount.  Put it on a separate small plate that you can easily push away from you.  Keeping it on your main plate means you’ll be nibbling at it the entire time.
  • Enforce the no seconds rule:  take what you want the first time, eat it and enjoy it, and stay away from reloads.
  • If you indulge, don’t beat yourself up – keep the 80/20 rule in mind.  Eat well 80% of the time and 20% of the time allow for some indulgences. Total deprivation never works and leaves you vulnerable to a major “raid the fridge” or “hit the bakery” attack.  Instead, plan ahead, know you’re going to indulge, choose carefully, and enjoy your choices – without going overboard.

Is It Your Head Or Your Stomach That’s Saying “Feed Me”?

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headache“I’ve got to have a donut—the kind with chocolate icing and sprinkles.”  “I really, really want some crispy, salty French fries and a strawberry shake.”  But, are you really hungry or is it your head that’s yapping at you?

Your head can be very proficient at ringing the mindless eating bell. It’s often the culprit when you find yourself eating even though your body isn’t physically hungry. For instance, it’s not unusual to eat in response to a learned behavior. Does your head tell your body to eat everyday at noontime — whether or not your body actually needs food?

What’s Head Hunger?

Head hunger comes on suddenly. Does this sound familiar: you’re not hungry – and then all of a sudden you absolutely must have a candy bar or a slice of pizza, or a warm and gooey chocolate chip cookie.

Head hunger might appear as a craving, or when you find yourself mindlessly munching, or when you eat in response to triggers – and you’ve not stopped for a second to ask yourself if you’re really hungry (or maybe you have and decided to ignore the answer).

Head hunger can happen at any time — with no physical symptoms — and might be triggered by time cues and sensory triggers, like smell, taste, or texture.  Obsessing about food, certain habits (like watching TV, working on the computer, or driving), and emotional or personal triggers can all make you think that you’re hungry when you really aren’t.

What Does A Growling Stomach Mean?

Physical hunger, or stomach hunger, comes on slowly and usually happens two to four hours after you’ve last eaten. With true physical hunger you might have an empty or growling stomach, lightheadedness, hand tremors, fatigue, or a headache.  It’s your body’s way of telling you that it needs fuel and it’s time to eat.  Depending upon how truly physically hungry you are you can be satisfied with almost anything – unlike the cravings for sugar, salt, fat that frequently ring the head hunger bell.

Calorie Savers

Head hunger will eventually go away if you ignore it.  Your body isn’t telling you it needs food for sustenance. It’s your head talking to you, and sometimes it’s doing so in quite a loud voice.

Try to put off shoving some food into your mouth by distracting yourself and not engaging in conversation with your head hunger.  It usually goes away if you divert your attention.  Often a cup of tea or coffee or a glass of water will do the trick, too.

If your hunger is really screaming at you it might be tough to ignore.  Ask yourself when you last ate.  If it’s been three to four hours you might actually be physically hungry and not just head hungry.  Have something to eat!

This post is a selection from my upcoming book about 50 easy ways to save calories.

Do Football And Food Have Equal Footing On Super Bowl Sunday?

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Did you know that the first Super Bowl was in January 1967?  Although not an official holiday, Super Bowl Sunday certainly has assumed the trappings of one — both in the US and in many expat communities.  The Super Bowl broadcast is the most watched annual television program in the US and Super Bowl Sunday ranks second (Thanksgiving is first) as the day for most food consumption. Over 20 million Americans attend Super Bowl parties and half of all Americans say they would rather go to a Super Bowl party than to a New Year’s Eve party.

Game Time Food Is Everywhere

Think of all the hand to mouth munching on chips, dips, and wings; a swig or two or three; a cookie here and there.  And then there’s the “real food” at halftime – or maybe there was pizza first followed by a selection of subs. By the end of the game do you have a clue about how much – or even what — you have popped into your mouth?

You may – or may not – be riveted to the TV screen rooting hard for your team, but you may also be going along for the ride – happy to be at a party where there’s plenty of food and shouting and enthusiasm – a classic set-up for mindless and distracted eating which often happens when there is no “structure” and a lack planning and when you give into “head hunger” as opposed to actual physical hunger.

Regardless of how or how much you eat, it’s amazing how food has become associated with the day — from tailgating to the food for the game – and how inescapable the assault is on your senses from the TV, online and print advertising, and from the markets and bars trying to tantalize you with their “food for the game.”.  Many people just give in to the notion of eating all through the game – with an attitude of “it’s Super Bowl and I’m going to eat what I want” and they don’t give a hoot about quantity, quality, or calories.

That’s fine if that’s your choice.  Some lighter eating days before and after will probably take care of the extra calories. But, if you don’t want to overeat or eat overly caloric food there are plenty of good and tasty choices.  You can do just fine if you have a plan and don’t get sidetracked by the array of very caloric and usually very fatty foods.

Check back:  the next two posts will have some fascinating Super Bowl food facts and some alternative lighter calorie choices for your game day pleasure.

Can You Deal With One Fantastic Holiday Treat A Day?

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Peppermint candy and holiday chocolates at the receptionist’s desk.  Candy canes at the dry cleaners.  A rotating selection of Christmas cookies on just about everyone’s desk.  Happy holiday food gifts from grateful clients. Your neighbor’s specialty pie. And that doesn’t include the fantastic spreads at holiday parties and family events!

It’s All So Tempting

It‘s incredibly difficult not to nibble your way through the day when you have all of these treats tempting you at every turn. How many times do your senses need to be assaulted by the sight of sparkly cookies and the holiday scent of eggnog or spiced roasted nuts before your hand reaches out and the treat is popped into your mouth?

Be Realistic

It’s the holidays and even though some of these treats are a week’s worth of calories, by depriving yourself of them you’re denying yourself the tradition of celebrating with food.

Make the distinction between mindful indulgence in the spirit of celebration as opposed to mindless indulgence in the spirit of trying to taste everything or to soothe your psyche by eating.  The first is part of the nurturing, sharing, and communal spirit of eating, the latter is an element of emotional and over eating.

Nix The Restrictive Thinking

Creating a restrictive mentality by denying yourself a treat that’s always been part of your holiday celebration means it’s just a matter of time until you start an eating fest that only ends when there’s no more left to taste. Think of this:  what would it be like to swear that you won’t eat a single Christmas cookie when those cookies have been a part of your Christmas since you were a little kid and you baked them with your Mom?

Pick One – And Make It Special

You know that you are going to indulge.  Pick your treat, limit it to one, and enjoy it. To help control the temptation, decide early in the day what your treat will be and stick with your decision. If you wait until later in the day when all the food is right in front of you and you’re hungry and tired, you’ll find that your resolve is not quite as strong!

Just remember that the added treats are added calories – on top of what your body already needs.  And, those treats are often forgotten calories – until you try to snap your jeans.  So remember to figure the treats into the overall scheme of things.

Of course, if you don’t want to indulge on any given day – no one is forcing you.  In the world of caloric checks and balances, that’s money in the band.

Make an informed choice, too.  Being informed doesn’t deprive you of deliciousness, but does arm you with an element of control.  If you know the calorie count of certain foods, you can make the best choice.  For instance, perhaps you enjoy both wine and eggnog.  If you know that one cup of eggnog has around 343 calories and 19 grams of fat and a five ounce glass of red wine has around 125 calories and no fat – which would you choose?

For more hints and tips about holiday eating get my book,  The Sensible Holiday Eating Guide: How To Enjoy Your Favorite Foods Without Gaining Weight, available from Amazon for your kindle or kindle reader.