Mindless Eating – How to Avoid it and Lose Weight in the Process

It’s not always about the calories. Or the fat content.  Or the number of carbs.  Sometimes it doesn’t matter whether your sandwich is on white or whole wheat, even using coupons to buy your food,  or if you drink your coffee with sugar or Splenda.  Losing weight isn’t always about the food – it has a lot to do with the total cooking and eating environment, including the companions we choose to eat with, whether they are family, friends or business associates.

We all make hundreds of food-related decisions each day, many that may subconsciously encourage us to overeat and sabotage any diet plan we may be following.  Dubbed “mindless eating,” by Dr. Brian Wansink, a leading nutritionist and behavioral eating expert, he discovered that environmental cues and eating habits cause people to eat far more than they need, or even realize.  So even though they may be trying to count calories, eliminate bad carbs and avoid fat, the natural surroundings may overwhelm even the best-intentioned dieters.

Wansink identifies at least six different habits that sabotage weight loss and can easily contribute to packing on the pounds.

Large plates – dinner plates are getting larger, and the shape, color and design may influence some people to add more food to the plate than necessary.

Glasses and mugs – short, wide glasses hold more liquid.  It is normal to fill a glass to the rim, so that is what will happen.

Serving bowls and platters – large serving bowls and platters that are filled with food may cause people to serve themselves more than if the same food was offered on smaller plate.

Family style eating – putting platters of food on the table and having everyone help themselves encourages additional helpings, which leads to extra calories.

Eating while watching TV – although TV dinners were made to watch “in front of the TV,” this bad habit continues today.  TV viewers will eat throughout the entire show, even if they are no longer hungry.

Easy access to food – the proximity of candy, chips, salsa, brownies and other goodies makes mindless eating an activity that can happen without even realizing it.

So how can you cut down on mindless eating and cut the calories at the same time? By adjusting your kitchen and eating environment.  Here are ten suggestions to get your started.

Downsize your dinnerware – use the smaller, salad-size plates instead of larger, dinner plates for your meals. Or invest in some reusable divided plates, where there is only enough room for three food choices.

Get smaller glasses – instead of twelve-ounce glasses, try using tall, thin, eight or ten-ounce glasses.  Fill each glass with a few ice cubes, which will displace some of the liquid.

Fill the plates in the kitchen – let the chef measure the servings for all family members and fill the plates in the kitchen.  This will make it more difficult to get seconds or thirds if the food plates are not on the table.

Turn off the TV – mealtime should be family time. Shut off the television and have a conversation.  Not only will this cut down on the mindless eating, it will also extend the meal period, since you can’t eat when you’re talking!

Invest in good measuring tools – know what the perfect food portion is and find kitchen tools that can help serve the right amount.  An ice cream scoop, for instance, is a handy tool for serving just the right mound of rice to go with an Asian dinner.

Take small bites and chew your food twenty times – this may be an old wives’ tale, but it’s true; taking small bites and chewing your food twenty times before swallowing aids in digestion and can be a deterrent for wolfing down something that is not that good for you.

Declutter the kitchen – Clean up the clutter in the kitchen and find a place for all of the extraneous tools and accessories.  A cluttered kitchen can psychologically make people eat more, since it exudes a feeling of frenzy.

Consider your décor – there’s a reason fast food restaurants often paint their walls warm, bright colors.  Research shows that red, yellow and orange colored tables, chairs and walls make people eat faster, which is good for business.  However, you don’t necessarily want your family to eat faster – you want them

Socialize in the family room or dining room – hanging out in the kitchen may be comfortable, but it has too many temptations.

Keep away from all-you-can-eat buffets – although it may be one of life’s great pleasures, all-you-can-eat buffets can torpedo any effort to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Being aware of what we eat, when we eat and why we eat is one of the best ways to being a weight loss or maintenance program.  Just making a few small changes can result in a weight loss of up to 10 pounds in a year.

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