6 ways to stop overeating and lose weight

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Why do people gain weight? Research clearly shows that most of us eat too much. Also the reason is the wrong products and lack of physical activity. Is there a way to get in shape and still enjoy life? Interesting answers to this question can be found in the field of psychology.

In this article, we will focus on one aspect – food. Researcher Brian Wansink realized that we eat for many reasons, but usually not because of hunger: “Each of us eats more because of what surrounds him. We eat a lot, not because of hunger, but because of family and friends, packages and plates, names and numbers, labels and lighting, shapes and smells, irritability and vascular function. This list is almost endless because it is invisible." We are all slaves of context. We eat because friends are nearby, because the food is free, because it is affordable, because it is delicious. This has nothing to do with hunger.

But there is good news: with the help of manipulations with the outside world, we can lose extra pounds without even noticing it. What do we have to do? Here are six ways Brian Wansink suggests.

 

1. Change what is visible

You don't have to throw all your food in the trash. But you need to make sure that this food is not everywhere, and does not constantly catch your eye during the day.

Out of sight, out of mind. If there is candy or cake on your table, you will have to make a heroic effort not to touch it. It may be easy to resist at first, but the poisonous thought will grow. An easy solution is to hide the dish in a place where it will be less eye-catching.

Wansink studied how plump and thin people behave in buffets. Fat people sat toward the buffet three times more often than thin people. Those who sat facing food ate much more.

So, you hid food away from sin. What's next?

 

2. Change what's available

Make eating too much food a problem. Prepare a minimum of food, use small plates, make sure you cross an entire room to get a refill.

Remember the people at the buffet? Fat people, on average, sat 16 meters closer to the kitchen than skinny people. Do not work in the kitchen, do not take food for the workplace.

6 ways to stop overeating and lose weight

Designed by Freepik

 

3. Plan ahead

Skinny visitors to the event noticed the buffet with their eyes, but did not immediately approach it. They planned their actions and what they would eat. 71% of them walked around the table, examined what was on it. Only after they got acquainted with the contents, they took the plates and began to serve the food. Well-fed people behaved completely differently. They didn't have a plan, they acted unconsciously. They immediately went to the table and put everything that happened to be nearby.

It's also proven by science (and personal experience) that going to the store when you're hungry is a very bad idea. The amount of money we spend on groceries at such a moment doubles. Moreover, we buy exactly bad, unhealthy food when we are hungry. Apparently, we associate it with the rapid satisfaction of hunger.

If something distracts us while eating, then we also eat more. Watching a movie or TV show is especially harmful here. We simply forget what and how much we eat. If you are unconscious about food consumption, then eat more.

Reading food labels can be more effective than charging. One study found that people who read labels and didn't exercise gained less weight than those who didn't read labels and exercise. Again, it's about awareness. When we read information, our focus shifts to food (rather than a movie or thoughts about work).

 

4. Slow down

Well-fed people chewed their food an average of 12 times before swallowing it. Skinny people did it 15 times. Studies have shown that eating slowly creates the effect of satiety much sooner. The signal usually arrives in 15–20 minutes. How much you eat during this time depends, among other things, on how often you chew.

 

5. Variety often hurts

One of the reasons we overeat is because we want to try everything. Give people three options for meals and they will eat 25% more than if there was only one meal.

There should not be more than two items on your plate. Lack of variety makes you eat less.

Take a look in your refrigerator: how much food is in it? Can they be shortened?

So you've reduced the variety. But food isn't the only thing that influences how much you eat. Equally important is the environment.

 

6. Be mindful of who you eat with

How much you eat also depends on the people around you. Dine with friends? You will probably eat twice as much as usual. The larger the group of people at one table, the more food will be consumed.

If you dine with fat friends, you will eat more. If the waiter is plump, you will eat more. Are you a woman and have lunch with a man? You will eat less and healthier food.

6 ways to stop overeating and lose weight

Designed by Freepik

 

Observe yourself as often as possible. Notice your behavior patterns and why you are eating more than you need. Mindfulness is always the first step to correcting any habit.

We wish you good luck!

Source: 4brain.ru