Best Diet Ever: Don't multi-task while eating
photo by sculpture_grrrl
Of all the tips and tricks mentioned in the Best Diet Ever series, this is as easy and pain-free as it gets: When you are eating, don't do anything else that may distract you. What I mean by this is don't eat while you are busy doing work, or while sitting in front of the TV, or driving, etc. Anything that distracts you from eating tends to distract you from feeling when you've had enough to eat. How many times have you sat down in front of the boob tube with a bag of potato chips, planning to "eat a few", only to reach down 30 minutes later into an empty bag?
Now I'm not saying to ignore your family and lock yourself in a closet when you eat, either. Having a conversation while eating may distract you a bit but it also causes you to eat slower, giving your body time to signal that you've had enough food. Eating slowly and mindfully allows your body time to process what you've eaten and enjoy the taste of your food.
If you must eat while on the run, or while doing something else, try to eat a measured amount. Don't grab the family size bag of chips, look for something that is packaged in an individual serving like a granola bar. Even a small bag of chips is better than grazing for an hour in a large bag.
Do you often eat while watching TV, browsing the internet, sitting in front of the computer, etc?
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4 comments:
I still have the habit of eating while watching tv. Now I portion out what I am going to eat. It helps me prevent overeating from being distracted.
The only benefit for eating in front of the tv except for just pleasure is that sometimes it slows me down. If I am setting at the table the food is right there so you can just plow through it and eat too much.
Sitting at the tv I eat slower so it kind of gives the impression that I ate more because it took me longer.
Snacking in front of the tv is another story. If I am eating a snack it should be like at the movie theater with large servings.
Distracted eating is one of my biggest problems. I've been trying to work on it, but no real success yet.
Eartha has the right idea. If you can't seem to kick the habit, then try to minimize the damage by controlling the portions.
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