How often should you eat?
In order to decide how often to eat, determine your goal. Committing to a meal plan works best when there’s something behind it to drive you. So what’s your goal? Maybe you want to work on getting rid of sugar cravings, make sure you’re getting enough greens, or try to develop healthier eating habits to get in better shape. You might even just be sick of spending so much time in the kitchen and looking for a better plan. For others, the motivation comes down to making all of their food decisions ahead of time. That way, they are less likely to stunt their progress by making impulsive unhealthy decisions.
Weight Loss Hack #1: Meal planning and preparation
Your goal should be to keep your meals balanced, so you should split them all up into food groups: protein, produce, and carbs (a starch). You should even split up snacks too. Thinking about your meals in three food groups forces reminds you to make sure every meal you eat is nutritionally balanced. By that you also get to plan how often to eat. Always eat a perfectly healthy meal, and get a full eight hours of sleep. So before you plan your meals for the week, check your calendar to see what you have going on. This will be a huge help in determining exactly how much to buy at the grocery store. If you don’t have any plans set in stone, but you’re someone who lives for spontaneity, go ahead and mark nights that you’re likely to go out after work and eat with friends or coworkers.
Weight Loss Hack #2: How do you know when it’s too much?
If too often you are tempted to eat by foods around you, you could be overeating. The closer we are situated to food that’s in our line of vision, the more likely we are to actually eat it. If we do not face away from food that might tempt us when we’re not hungry, we may be more likely to listen to cues from our eyes rather than our guts. If you eat while watching television, know that it is linked to poor food choices and overeating. Getting sucked into the latest program or scandal can bring on mindless eating — making it easy to lose track of just how many time you’ve eaten something. It’s not just the mindlessness of watching television that’ll get us. Commercials for unhealthy foods and drinks may increase our desire for low-nutrient junk, fast food, and sugary beverages.
Giving in to your cravings, can also make you eat often than you should. If you acknowledge those cravings instead of pushing them away completely, you will definitely eat more often. Forbidding a food may only make it more attractive. Still want more of that chocolate cake after a couple of bites.
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