FitSugar

Smarter Eats: Don't Fill Your Whole Plate

FitSugar — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 10:00:10 PDT

While researching what diet trends emerged during the 1960s (aka the Mad Men era), I was struck with how portion size has steadily increased over the last 50 years. Almost all of the dinner plates I spotted in vintage ads, cookbooks, and commercials were the size of a modern-day appetizer or salad plate. Our grandmothers were eating off of dinner plates that were roughly two inches smaller in diameter than the ones that sit in our own cabinets. And while two inches might not seem like a lot, it equals about 30 percent more food!

The thing is, you probably don't need that extra food. In Mindless Eating ($10), author Dr. Brian Wansink explores, in part, the psychology of dinner plates. He was able to prove with some pretty convincing data and research that food intake is greatly affected by the size of the plates and bowls we use. We've been taught to clean our plates, and often finish our food before that "full feeling" even has a chance to reach us.

The next time you've made a meal, put less on your plate. Or, even better, buy smaller plates. Look for dinner plates that range somewhere between eight and 10 inches - chances are, you'll still feel satisfied once your plate is clean. And if you're looking for some guidance or online support, join the Small Plate Movement, whose goal is to help people reduce their portion sizes, while also being mindful of eating habits.

Diet Tip: CSI Might Make You Eat More

FitSugar — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:00:00 PDT

Eating in front of the TV has never been a good idea; people tend to overeat since they are not paying attention to the simple act of eating. Distracted by the on-screen drama, they just keep putting food in their mouths. Mindless eating generally means eating more. New research out of the US and Europe indicates that morbid images from TV shows may add to this problem since they inspire overeating as well. Images and ideas from grisly crime shows evoke death-related thoughts, which inspire a heightened sense of awareness and mortality. To diminish uncomfortable thoughts about the end of life and our place in the universe, people tend to eat. And they don't just eat, they overeat to escape.

Next time you're watching CSI, keep the chips in the kitchen at an out-of-comfort range.

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Diet Tip: Keep Wrappers in Sight

FitSugar — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 07:30:00 PST

If you have an affinity for candy like I do, and you find that you chow down on candy without even knowing it, you may want to keep all those wrappers around as you eat. Recent research has found that having a visual reminder of how much we eat, keeps us honest and keeps us eating less. We see the empty wrappers piling up and register that it may be time to stop. So instead of throwing the wrappers in the trash can immediately keep them around for a visual cue to stop mindless eating.

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Minutes to a Healthier You . . .

FitSugar — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 13:30:00 PST

It's not only the eight hours of sleep you get, or the 60 minutes you spend at the gym that help you become the healthiest you can be, but the little things that only take a few minutes, even seconds.

The best way to break the cycle of mindless eating is to stop before you eat. So before you scarf down that plate full of Oreos, take five seconds to stop and ask yourself whether you are really hungry or not. You may find out that, yes indeed, it's Oreos that you need but chances are that you're just thirsty, or bored, or stressed. Five seconds could be the difference between you eating or not eating 500 mindless calories.

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Diet Tip: Don't Eat in the Car

FitSugar — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:00:00 PST

If you have a long commute to and from work, you may be tempted to eat in the car. Mindless eating can really lead to overeating but especially if you're eating in the car. If you typically stop at fast-food places and scarf it down on the way home, wait until you get home to eat or, better yet, don't stop at all and cook for yourself at home. Before you know it, you'll break the habit of eating in the car and be able to enjoy your calories elsewhere (hopefully at a dinner table).

Fit's Tip: To avoid the tempting glow of the fast-food signs, keep a healthy snack in your glove compartment for when your tummy starts to rumble.

Want more? Be sure to check out all my great diet tips.

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Diet Tip: Keep Phone Chats Out of the Kitchen

FitSugar — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 07:30:00 PST

After hanging up from a marathon phone session with my sister a few days ago, I realized that I had somehow polished off two slices of leftover pizza, some bread and hummus and several handfuls of gummy bears - all right before dinner. Ever since then, I have decided that I should no longer talk on the phone in the kitchen.

Talking on the phone in the kitchen can lead to overeating because not only are we distracted but we're also surrounded by food, a lethal combination for someone who watches what she eats. So if you've found that you tend to eat mindlessly while talking on the phone, think about following my lead and moving your phone conversations to another room.

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Yet Another Study Confirms: Eating Mindlessly Means Eating More

FitSugar — Fri, 18 May 2007 02:30:00 PDT

Let's start with the moral of the tale, seeing is believing. If you could see the quantities of food you were consuming you would probably stop before you overindulged. Especially when you consider the fact that the stomach takes about 20 minutes of eating to register a sense of feeling full.

A recent study, published in the journal Perceptual and Motor Skills, illustrates this point brilliantly. A group of 52 graduate students (17 men and 35 women) were told they were being treated to "all you can eat chicken wings" while watching the Super Bowl. The waitresses were instructed to clear the dirty plates from only half of the tables. And...you guessed it; the folks at the tables that were cleared regularly ate more. On an average grad students at the clean tables ate 28% more wings than the grad students sitting at tables littered with chicken wing remains. So, I repeat once again, seeing is believing.

Fit's Tip: Don't eat directly from the bag of chips. Place a reasonable size portion in a bowl and snack from that. When the bowl is empty you know you have consumed a serving, instead of accidentally finishing off the entire bag.

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Mindless Eating Explained

FitSugar — Thu, 03 May 2007 02:00:00 PDT

A lot of us have the tendency to overeat. One of the major culprits is plate size. We tend to eat more than we should when eating off a big plate rather than a smaller plate. Brian Wansink author of Mindless Eating explains that fifty years ago, when Americans were a lot skinnier, plates were considerably smaller. Large plates and bowls lead to over eating for the same reason giant popcorn buckets do: they make portions look smaller. Short, wide drinking glasses have a similar effect. The New York Times recently ran an article on this very concept and Dr. Wansink, which showed the image on the right that, illustrates how our minds cannot decipher portion sizes properly.

Fit's Tip: If you feel like you're guilty of overeating, you may want to take a good look at your plate size. Try switching to the smaller plates in your set for a week and see where that gets you. This image makes me a believer and I bet you'd eat less for that week.

For a real challenge,

read more The purpose of The National Mindless Eating Challenge is to get support from Dr. Wansink directly. When you join the challenge they will ask you questions about yourself, your goals, and your lifestyle. Based on your answers they will then suggest small changes to your home or behavior that are most relevant. You will also then be given a Mindless Eating Daily checklist to keep track of your progress. They'll periodically check in on your progress (through email). At the end of the month, they'll ask you how things went and they'll suggest some new changes to consider for the next month, oh and it's FREE. It's like free food counseling. Interested? Then start the challenge here or buy the book ($15.75) from Amazon.com.

5 Ways to Make Moving a Habit

Leta Shy — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:52:25 PST

We all should take time to relax, but sometimes we don't realize just exactly how sedentary our lives can be. Even if you devote an hour to exercise most days, if you're not moving a lot the rest of the time, you can be doing more harm than good. So start making moving a habit with these five tips.

Keep track: One of the best ways to encourage yourself to move is to get a fitness monitor that tracks your steps. You don't have to invest a lot - while more sophisticated trackers (like these five fitness monitors) track your steps as well as your exercise (some can also distinguish between walking on flat ground and when you're going up steps), you can buy a basic pedometer for just a few dollars.
Try a one-minute move: Whether you're folding laundry or watching TV, multitask by building muscle while you work. Take a one-minute break to dance around or do squats, lunges, or planks, and you'll raise your heartbeat as well as your energy levels.

Read on for three more ways to making moving a habit.

Get a Grip on Indulgences With Trainer Gunnar Peterson's Tips

Leta Shy — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:55:48 PST

Indulgences can get the best of us at any turn. Whether it's a co-worker's plate of cookies or a strong desire to skip a workout in favor of happy hour, it can be hard to stick with a routine when you notice temptations left and right. We recently spoke with celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson, the man behind some of the curviest bodies in Hollywood, who offered these tips on how to get a grip when we're craving unhealthy food or have skipped a workout.

Have a healthy outlook: Most people have an indulgence or two that leaves them weak in the knees (even Gunnar's got one: "Peanut butter is death for me. I would shank my grandmother in the neck for a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup," he jokes). Instead of banning your favorite junk food from your diet completely, make healthy choices most of the time, but allow yourself some leeway in all aspects of your healthy lifestyle. "Just try and make the right choices most of the time," Gunnar says. "If you make them all the time then you're just flat out boring and then you become a weird fitness zealot, and at the end of the day nobody wants to be around you."

Get out of the kitchen: If the kitchen table is your go-to spot for paying bills or finishing up work in the evening, you may find that just being around all that food can lead to mindless snacking. As Gunnar jokes, "If all bachelor parties were held in movie theaters there would be a lot less bad stuff that happens at bachelor parties." Take temptation out of the equation by getting out of the kitchen after you're done eating for the night.

Read on for more of Gunnar's healthy living tips.