How many times have you heard someone blame their slow metabolism for their weight gain or lack of weightloss? Or you complain about the mom who can eat anything and still stay thin while we can’t even get near bread for fear of adding another inch to our hips. We sigh and chalk it up to a slow metabolism and feel doomed to eating raw carrots and broccoli to keep our weight in check or eat the bread and ignore our thunder thighs.
Don’t despair you can make small changes in your diet that are simple to do that will rev up your metabolism and keep your weight in check!
Drink more water
Water helps with the digestion of our foods and the hydration of our skin. We often mistake our thirst for hunger pangs. So the next time you think you’re hungry but not for certain drink a glass of water first then wait ten minutes if you still feel hungry then eat. Either way you will have drank some wholesome delicious water that will aid you in burning more calories, plumping you’re skin so wrinkles will be less visible and filling you up so you will eat less.
Eat slower
As moms we are often on warp speed. When we sit down to eat we rush through our meals because we have a schedule to meet, kids that need to get bathed, another errand to run or homework that needs to be completed.
There is a hormone that we produce when we eat that takes about twenty minutes to reach our brain and tells us we are full. When we eat so quickly we don’t give our body a chance to do this, so we typically overeat. When you slow down your eating, and savor your food, not only will you eat less but you will feel better rather than bloated and uncomfortable.
Eat five to six meals a day
I know this sounds like a lot to plan and do. But take a look at it this way, we all eat breakfast, lunch and dinner (or we should) so that’s three meals out of the way then add some snacks between your meals and now you’re up to five to six meals. Your three main meals will need to be smaller than what you typically eat. Space your meals & snacks so you’re eating every three to four hours. If you go beyond four hours between meals studies show you will overeat at your next meals because you’re so hungry. Keep the snacks simple, such as fruits, a cheese stick, raisins, a small handful of nuts, yogurt or a few crackers.
Eat the Japanese Way
There is a Japanese saying, “Hara Hachi Bume” which means eat 80% of what you need. In Japanese culture it’s considered bad manners to eat until you’re full. Isn’t that amazing? They don’t understand why we would eat even want to eat until we are full. To adapt this to our society, I would cancel your membership to the Clean Plate club and join me and adopt a new habit the “leave twenty percent on my plate” club. Then pack up what’s left and have it for a snack! So no food goes to waste and you have a snack ready to go!
Follow Michi!