Calorie in/calorie out is not the only thing that you should be worrying about, however, it is still a foundation of healthy eating habits.
One of the way to monitor portion size is counting calories. If anybody is good at it, this may be the most effective way of monitoring the consumption size. It is great method to understand detail of what and how much food we are eating. Down side is even with amount of work that is required, calorie counting is never accurate and usually off by at least 30%. This is because calories in food can change based on the preparation. Even when you eat potatoes, calorie that your body will be absorbing will be different from baked potatoes to mashed.
Another way of monitoring portion size is creating a 3 eating habits.
Eating slow
80% full
Eat when hungry
Eating Slow
We live in very busy age where everything is on the go and every second counts. Because of that we have tendency to eat fast or rushed to finish a meal. Eating fast has strong correlation with over eating. By teaching yourself to eat slow by chewing more and actually being mindful about what you are eating will prevent from over eating. Satiation kicks in after 15-20 min so you should strive for taking at least 20 min for your meal time. Try checking how long you are spending on each meal.
80% Full
This will be continuation from eating slow. By eating slow, you will know how much your body is receiving to avoid over eating. Ideally 80% full would be good place to stop. How do we know 80% full? After you are done with meal, you should be able to move around without feeling like pregnant. Using smaller plate can also help determine 80% full.
Eat when hungry
We are determining when to eat, not by hunger but more by the daily schedule. When you wake up in the morning, lets say 6 am, are you really hungry? Are you really hungry when lunch time comes in at work? If you are not feeling the hunger, don't force yourself to eat. You will not harm yourself by being hungry for few hours.
These 3 skills does require practice but once you learn, portion control will become a lot easier. Start practicing 1 habit skill per week then add on the other.
Kota Shimada
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