True Facts for the Healthy Family

PERSONAL CONTROL GUIDE -CHANGING YOU’RE EATING HABITS PART ONE Most overweight people have specific eating habits which could be improved upon. Since these are “habits” it is easy to ignore them and gradually put on some extra pounds. Over weight individuals frequently feel that they are eating like anybody else, and they are amazed when they notice they have gained weight. What usually happens though is that these people are no longer even conscious of how these poor eating habits cause them to over eat. It is very important that you become more aware of how you are eating so you can change these habits. Since this is so critical, this topic will be divided into two weekly guides. Make sure you refer to these suggestions frequently, because it will take a good deal of time and effort on your part to unlearn those old habits and build new ones. SLOW DOWN YOUR EATING There are several problems associated with eating quickly. One problem is that, by eating fast, your food does not have time to settle in your stomach and signal that you have eaten enough. You therefore eat more than you normally would if you were eating more slowly and giving your food time to digest. Another disadvantage with eating too quickly is that you don’t have a chance to savor your food. You again end up eating larger quantities of food to get the same satisfaction, which could be derived from a much smaller quantity. This can be done in a variety of ways. CHEW YOUR FOOD WELL Many people do not even seem to chew their food. It is difficult to understand how somebody can enjoy their food when it is almost swallowed whole. You will find eating a much more pleasurable experience if you chew your food thoroughly and become more aware and sensitive to the taste of it. Also never take another mouthful while you still have food in your mouth. Chew what is in your mouth and swallow it before taking any more. You will eat less and enjoy more. TAKE SMALLER BITES Research has shown that overweight individuals tend to take larger mouthfuls of foot than thin people. A person may not even be aware of doing this. By taking larger mouthfuls of food, however, it is easy to consume larger amounts of food that you are aware. You will find that it is much easier to limit yourself if you cut food into smaller pieces and take smaller portion in each mouthful. Again, you will find how satisfying relatively small quantities of food can be.