Different Ways To Eat Slimmer – Part 1

Different Ways To Eat Slimmer – strange title, I get it, but stay with me.

The Internet is a rabbit hole of advice on just about anything. The problem is that as you go from one page to another, you’re more likely to become confused and frustrated about your particular issue, than satisfied.

This situation could not be any truer than when you are looking for diet and weight loss advice.

So, I’d like to throw my ten cents worth in, as well. I spend a lot of time reading and writing about nutrition, diet, supplements and exercise. Sometimes, the stuff I find out there makes me laugh – probably to prevent myself from crying…it’s THAT bad.

The tips I have for you today are really simple. Most of them are to do with how you eat, not what you eat. If that sounds weird then it’s because I’m looking at things from another angle. The food we eat is one part of healthy living, but there’s more to eating than that.

Some of what I say will be obvious to you, some of it is what your mother may have told you when you were young. The point is, even if you know all of this, it could be time to start consciously doing it. You might just prevent yourself putting on some unwanted pounds.

Tip #1: Eat Slower and Chew Your Food

Okay, it’s an oldie…but a goodie. There’s actually two parts to this.

1. Eating slowly, i.e. having a conversation and/or just taking your time while you eat gives your digestive system an easier time than when you cram food in. Also, your food hitting your stomach will be registered before you’ve gulped too much down and you will get the full feeling from less. I can eat three servings of anything if I’m racing the clock, but I’ll feel full after one if I take my time.
2. Chewing your food more will help you achieve the eating slowly part above. Apparently chewing 20 times is good enough. That doesn’t mean sit there counting every time, and every type of food is different. The general idea is to almost liquidize your food. This helps release the nutrients and again gives your digestive system an easier ride, not to mention the reduction in stomach cramps.

Hopefully, the weight loss connection is obvious here: less volume = less fat stored.

 Tip #2: Eat Smaller and More Often

Yep, we’re still in cliché town, but if you’re not doing it, ask yourself why. If your excuse is, well, an excuse, then move over 3-meals-a-day person and make room for 6-smaller-meals-a-day person.

Rolls off the tongue, huh! Maybe not. Still, there is plenty of good reasons to eat smaller portions and more often. Some of those reasons are mentioned in Tip #1, and here’s another cracker: eating a lot at once can make your blood sugar spike and induce insulin to come out like a flood, taking all the sugar away – often to fat storage – and then your blood sugar plummets, leaving you feeling like a wet sack on a Sunday.

Keeping your insulin levels on a more even rhythm will keep your energy steady and your fat-storage rate down. You’ll also thank yourself later on in life when you don’t get diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. If you have Type 2, then all these tips are even more relevant.

Don’t wait until you’re really hungry to eat. Feelings of hunger and thirst are signs that you are leaving things too late.

Tip #3: Find a Glycemic Index and go low-medium GI

Now we’re getting technical. There’s loads of printable Glycemic Index charts on the web. Get one and base your diet around it. The Glycemic Index is not just for diabetics. In basic terms, High GI foods refer to foods which spike your blood sugar the quickest. Avoid them as much as possible.

If you were reading Tip #2 then you’ll know that spiking your blood sugar means your insulin partitions it between muscle storage (Glycogen) and fat storage. If your insulin sensitivity is low from long periods of bad dieting or lack of exercise, it will be lazy and put a lot of it in fat because it’s easier. Your body will in-turn keep more fat in the future so it can be used for storage.

Vicious cycle. Don’t give it any more help than it needs. And exercise. High intensity exercise elevates your insulin sensitivity.

Tip #4: Eat as much coloured veg and fruits as you want

But…but..no buts!

Everyone needs carbohydrates people. This ‘zero-carb’ diet stuff borders on the insane. Carbs come in many different shapes and sizes. Sure, if you eat your carbs in the form of refined white pasta and cakes all the time, you’re going to put on weight.

Fruits and veg are carbs, too – they’re also vitamins and fibre and protein and nutrients and lots of other good things. Coloured vegetables though, guys, I’m not talking plates of mashed potato every five minutes.

Get lots of (natural) colour in your diet. Fruit and veg will also fill you up and if you have your trusty Glycemic Index, you’ll know which ones give you more of a steady energy release.

WORD OF WARNING: Fruit juice is a different animal…and not great, I’m afraid. Fruit juice is just the sugar of fruit – without the fibre. And often, the stuff you buy has extra sugar added. Juice is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

That’s it for part 1

While you get your teeth into Part 1 (excuse the pun), I’m going to get on writing Part 2. This is seriously simple but effective stuff.

Call it strategic eating.

Click here to continue reading – part 2