More and more research is coming out revealing how effective mindful eating is for losing weight and maintaining weight loss. And the great thing about mindful eating is it isn’t about dieting, restriction and depravation. It’s about being in the moment when you eat, savouring the flavours of your food and enjoying eating.
A big factor that leads us to over eat or choose unhealthy foods is we feel rushed. We feel like we don’t have time to think about food, we don’t have time to take time to eat and so we gobble down whatever is easiest in the quickest time possible.
As a result we don’t get any real satisfaction from the meal or the taste of the food so we crave more. However you can short circuit this vicious cycle here’s how…
7 simple diet free tricks to lose weight
1. Chew Your Food Slowly
Eating your food slowly gets you in the moment of eating. When you take time to chew, smell and taste the food you’re eating you enjoy it more and you feel more satisfied. When you’re satisfied you don’t want more. It’s such an easy way to eat less.
And there are physical benefits too. When you chew your food well it’s easier to digest. The better digested your food the more nutrients you absorb. The more nutrients (not calories) you absorb the more energetic and healthier you feel.
2. Keep A Food Diary
That’s a food diary not a calorie/diet diary.
Note down what you ate, why you ate it, how it made you feel and how hungry you were (1: not hungry – 10: ravenous). To eat mindfully and change your relationship to the food you need to connect with the food you eat.
Writing it down and seeing it on paper allows you to do this and you’ll identify what influences your food choices. For example, you might notice that whenever your hunger is a 10 you eat something unhealthy. Whereas when it’s less than five you choose healthy options.
So using this one of the diet-free tricks to lose weight makes you aware to eat regularly and not allow yourself to get to a 10 out of 10 for hunger.
3. Identify What You Are Hungry For
Not questioning yourself about why you’re feeling hungry leads to mindless snacking. If you allow yourself to eat every time the thought “I’m hungry” pops into your head then you’re going to end up eating way too much.
So another of my diet-free tricks to lose weight is when you get the thought “I’m hungry” ask yourself…
“Why am I hungry?”
Usually, it’s not because you’re due for a meal. It’s because you feel tired, bored, stressed or upset.
If this is the case food isn’t what you need. You might need to go and get some fresh air or a glass of water or do something enjoyable that’s not eating or call someone to talk to.
4. Ask Yourself Where Did Your Meal Come From And Give Gratitude For Your Meal
Most cultures have a tradition for giving thanks for the meal that’s about to be eaten. The value of this one of my diet free tips for losing weight isn’t just a spiritual one. Taking a minute or so to feel grateful about how lucky we are to have food on our plate just slows you down and connects you with what you’re about to eat.
Another benefit of taking a few moments to contemplate the food in front of you is you become aware of what it’s made from. What ingredients have been used? How fresh or processed is the meal?
When you don’t think about the food in front of you it makes it easier to convince yourself that something unhealthy is okay.
5. Give Yourself 30 Minutes To Eat
This one of my diet-free tricks to lose weight might seem like a long time to set aside to eat but that is the point. In general, we eat too way too fast and finish our meals before our brain gets the signal we’ve eaten. That signal takes 20 minutes.
So if you finish your meal within that time you’ll still feel hungry and be tempted to go for seconds. Or you’ll eat a larger serve than you need.
By giving yourself longer to eat turns off your hunger switch which ensures you eat less. A good example of this is when you go out to eat at a restaurant. When you arrive you feel hungry so you order an entrée and a main. The entrée comes out first, you eat it and then you have to wait for your main.
By the time your main meal comes you now don’t feel that hungry and think to yourself “I should have ordered less.” So when you’re out try ordering an entrée and an entrée size meal for your main.
6. Invest In Kitchenware
A left field one of my diet free tricks to lose weight but if you’re going to immerse yourself in the act of eating then make it a truly amazing experience. Get yourself ambiance enhancing dinnerware.
Eating off beautiful plates with delicate cutlery makes a meal a truly pleasurable experience. And as I keep mentioning the more immersed you are in the experience of eating the more satisfied you’ll feel and the less you’ll eat.
7. Drink A Glass of Water After Dinner
Drinking more water is a sure-fire way to help you eat less because many people mistake thirst for hunger. So they eat instead of drink. By consciously making yourself drink more water you’ll avoid this problem.
An extension of this one of my diet-free tricks to lose weight is to also make sure you drink a big glass of water about an hour after finishing your meal. Studies have shown that when people do this it stops their after-dinner snacking.
So there you have it. 7 simple diet-free tricks to lose weight you can try right now to control your hunger, cut down your intake and help you slim down.
However, if you’ve been struggling with your weight and you think there are more factors affecting your weight than what you eat, like…
- Hormone imbalances
- Sluggish thyroid function
- Too much stress, now or in the past
- Lack of willpower and discipline
- Self-sabotaging habits and thoughts
Then contact us to find out more about how our naturopathic and hypnotherapy programs boost your metabolism, rebalances your hormones and reprograms your mind.
Call Happy & Healthy Wellbeing Centre now on 02 9524 2471 or email info@healthyremedies.com.au
And if you aren’t local that’s okay because we offer online consulting too.
