It may sound too good to be true, but you can trick yourself into eating less. Drop pounds effortlessly with these five stay-slim strategies.
"The amount of food on a plate—whether it's one helping or
four—is what most people consider a 'normal' serving,"
says Jim Painter, Ph.D., R.D., a food psychologist at Eastern
Illinois University. His recommendation: Downsize your dishes.
"If you have a visual cue that tells you to stop before you
get stuffed, you'll eat less but feel just as
satisfied."
2. SAY NO TO CRIME
You may want to record the latest episode of CSI or 24 so you can
watch it after you finish dinner. "TV shows that
feature murders or medical emergencies tend to remind us of our own
mortality," says Dirk Smeesters, Ph.D., an associate professor
of marketing at Erasmus University in the Netherlands. "On a
subconscious level, this can make some people feel a little
depressed or upset—which can then trigger them to eat more food
than they normally would."
3. GIVE YOUR FORK A REST
Chowing down like it's an extreme sport can seriously up your
calorie count, according to a new study from the University of
Rhode Island. Researchers found that women with a body mass index
of 22 (the middle of the "normal" range) who took 20
additional minutes to dine ate 10 percent less food and felt more
satisfied than those who finished faster. "It takes about 20
minutes for your brain to register that you're full," says
lead researcher Ana M. Andrade. Pile a little less onto your fork
and put it down between bites. Then every five minutes or so,
reassess whether you're still hungry.
Go to Shape.com for more ways to lose weight without dieting.
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