Everyone you talk to seems to have dozens of tips on losing weight. Some are good common sense tips, but some seem to come out of left field. Even people who can’t seem to successfully lose weight and keep it off, seem happy to offer up tips and advice to other people. That’s a pretty good indication that many of us know the best advice and tips on losing weight, but we just don’t follow them very well. Here are some tips which, if you use them in your daily journey toward losing weight, can help you.
Use smaller plates. This is one of those tips on losing weight that often makes people roll their eyes. It has nothing to do with eating or exercise, but it really does trick your mind into thinking you’re eating more food. A smaller plate will look fuller than a large plate if they have the same amount of food on them. You might even naturally put less food on the smaller plate, to keep it from looking so loaded down. It’s a mental trick, but you should try it because it works for many people.
Eat slowly. This is one of the oldest and most popular tips on losing weight. Have you ever watched a speed-eating contest? Imagine someone eating the same amount of food as the winner, but imagine them eating it slowly. The champion may have scarfed down 20 pies in very little time. Could you actually sit down with a fork and slowly eat 20 pies? It’s not likely.
The speed eater ate so fast, his body didn’t even have time to scream, “STOP, I’M FULL!” And if it had, he was only focused on putting more and more food in, just as we are when we’re “starving” and we gulp down our food. Eat slowly and you’ll reach a pleasant feeling of fullness rather than the one that means you’ve eaten too much too fast.
Watch your portion sizes. If fried chicken is your favorite, you might start out with 2 or 3 pieces on your plate. Try grabbing one small piece instead, and filling up on salad or green veggies to replace those missing pieces of chicken. Try to keep a portion of food about the size of your fist. Those mashed potatoes that you don’t want to give up? Still eat them, but stop after one small portion, instead of piling a mountain on your plate.
Don’t clear your plate. Of all the tips on losing weight, this one is often the hardest. As children we were taught not to turn down food because other people were starving. We might have even gotten punished for “wasting food” and forced to eat it.
You’re not starving, and you can’t send that food to those who are, so do yourself a favor and don’t eat it. To avoid the guilt of wasting food, use another one of the good tips on losing weight and simply start out with less food on your plate next time.