What Am I Eating?

Ask yourself “Will what I am about to put in my mouth bring me nutrients, energy and health?“. The answer will be yes for fruits, vegetables, nuts, and lean meats. The answer will be know for foods high in sugar or simple carbohydrates, foods that are highly processed, and foods that are high in unhealthy fats.

If the answer is not to the above question, take a break and a breath, calmly ask yourself “Do I really want add this to my body”. Many times you will realize that you don’t.

Why Am I Eating

Eating because you feel hungry, and because you are enjoying the taste of healthy foods is the perfect reason to eat. Eating because you feel like it will bring you energy and health are great reasons as well.

However, may time, when binging, the reason is something completely different. It is a whole different mode of eating. You are probably not very engaged in what you are eating, or how it tastes. More likely, you will be semi-unconsciously shoving food down your throat as fast as you can, to relieve some discomfort. I call it desperation eating. You are desperate to relieve some stress or discoformt you fell (anxiety, exhaustion, etc), the the act of shoveling is soothing. It is however, not healthy.

Every time you are about to eat, ask yourself, am I eating because it fits into my healthy meal structure, or am I eating because I am feeling stressed or some other form of discomfort. If it is the latter, step back, try to relax, and tell yourself that the sort term relief that you might feel when binging will come at a cost that is not work paying, your long term health.

When Am I Eating

I strive to eat on a regular pattern of 5 meals per day. Breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, and dinner. If you are eating outside of the planned meals, chances are you binge or comfort eating. Anytime you are eating outside of your planned mean schedule, it should be a warning sign that you are not eating for the right reasons.

How Much Am I Eating

Eating health portions is a key to weight loss. Even when eating the healthiest of feeds, if you eat too much you will not lose weight (or may gain). One very healthy person I knew told me that his rule of thumb was “Eat about half as much as you think you want”. This may be a bit on the extreme side, but it is not a bad rule of thumb to keep in mind when you are dishing up.

As you fill your plate, take pride in the fact that you are setting yourself up with healthy portions, but not more than that. This will pay huge dividends as you go.