5 Simple Tricks to Eat Less
You know what it is like: we don’t really want to eat that much and in the end the plate is empty, we’ve had more and feel totally bloated. But there are tricks we can use to prevent this – and some of them are very surprising!
Iron discipline probably works for very few of us: We can plan to take smaller portions and less help in the future, but in most cases this only works for a few days and afterwards you are back in the old routine.
So let’s trick our heads and use small but effective tricks – because there are a few tricks that automatically cause us to eat less!
Trick 1: Conscious eating
It sounds so banal and natural, but it really is a very important point: When you eat, eat! That’s all you eat!
Various studies have shown that we eat all the less if we consciously consume our food and concentrate on the activity of eating. This also means: television off, sit at the table sensibly and do not be distracted! Because: If we lie down on the sofa and scoop our dinner into us while watching the latest episode “Grey’s Anatomy”, we won’t even notice how much we eat …
Trick 2: Choosing the right plate
Experts have proven in studies that we eat less when we eat from smaller plates. Sounds fun, right? But it’s true. All our brain knows is “full plate!” – and we eat it up. But a full big plate means much more food than a full small plate.
The colour of the plate also plays a role: it should stand out clearly from the food on it, then our brain can process the eating progress better. Researchers have also found that red plates slow us down when we eat – because they remind our brain of stop signs!
By the way, using smaller spoons for eating can also help: If we use the tea spoon instead of the tablespoon, we are also forced to eat more slowly and consciously.
Trick 3: Eating more slowly
If you want to eat less, you should eat more slowly! The reason behind this is quite simple: when we eat something, it doesn’t land directly in our stomach, but is still on the way for a while. This means that we cannot even notice in time that we are full if we just shovel everything into us.
But if we eat slowly, our body has time to process everything and then signal our brain when we are full. Therefore: calmly put down your knife and fork, chew slowly and swallow consciously. You will be surprised how quickly a feeling of fullness sets in!
Trick 4: Out of sight, out of mind
Various experiments have shown that unfortunately we tend to eat more when it is easy for us. If an open bar of chocolate is lying on our desk, we are much more likely to grab it than if the same bar is still lying closed in the drawer.
Translated to our food, this means that the pots with the food are better left in the kitchen. If we leave them on the dining table – within easy reach, so to speak – there is a much higher risk that we will have a second helping after the first portion.
Trick 5: Hanging a mirror
This trick sounds crazy at first and also a bit creepy, but: It helps to hang a mirror in the dining room or over the dining table. Again, the reason is our brain: We tend to eat less when we can see ourselves while eating. Because: We look at ourselves from the outside and enjoy not only subjectively.