5 of the Simplest Ways to Eat Less

June 5th, 2013, Comments

eating 250x212 5 of the Simplest Ways to Eat LessWhy make it harder than it has to be? If you are trying to lose weight, your head is probably way too full of information and “rules” and plans that make you tired and unmotivated just thinking about them – and you’re not alone.

Research shows that most women have the motivation and willpower to stay on a “diet” for less than 3 weeks (19 days, to be exact). No surprise there, but you know what’s worse? Another study, of women in the United Kingdom, found that over the course of a lifetime, the average woman spends 31 years on a diet.

What a path to unhappiness! There’s a much easier, peaceful, and more joyful way to stop overeating and take control of your weight—simple steps that transform the way and the amount that you eat, and leave you feeling better in the process.  Paying attention to the head game of weight loss and inserting some easy pro-active strategies can lead to a big difference in the number on your scale.

Here are five simple ways you can start eating less today:

1) Stop multitasking when you eat. We all do it. Eating at our desks has become the new power lunch. Unfortunately, it’s probably increasing your pant size as well. The research is clear. When we focus solely on eating (no multitasking, no TV, no reading, no Facebook), we eat less and we feel more satisfied with what we have eaten. If food is an important part of your life, shouldn’t you be giving yourself permission to experience it fully and to savor it?  If you are still unconvinced that you can sacrifice the time to stop working and eat, know that research also shows that strategic work breaks actually improve your productivity and focus.

2) Serve yourself. It’s simple advice, but advice we all tend to resist. When we serve ourselves (don’t put the serving dishes on the table) and actually measure portions, we eat less. In the world of restaurant mega-servings and giant plates, our own idea of a serving can quickly become skewed. Pull out your measuring cups and give yourself a quick and easy reality test.

3) Choose your dinnerware. Speaking of giant plates….Size does matter. Researcher Brian Wansink found that, on average, downsizing from a 12-inch to a 10-inch dinner plate results in an average of 22% fewer calories being served. Even better, it seems that this difference is not drastic enough to trigger a counteracting response (sometimes when we cut back we tend to compensate by eating more of something else—this is not the case here). If a typical dinner has 800 calories, a smaller plate would lead to a weight loss of around 18 lbs. per year for an average size adult.  Interested?

4) Sleep. This one is so critical it should probably be step number one. Inadequate sleep causes weight gain. Period. If you aren’t getting enough sleep you will feel hungrier. You’ll crave more carbs. Over time, subsisting on too little sleep even affects metabolism. Getting 7 ½ hours of sleep a night is one of the best things you can do to stop overeating and feel better. Period.

5) Veggies first. Change up your routine to find easy ways to fill up on the nutritious, high fiber, low calorie stuff first. and In our house we make kale chips eat them while we cook dinner or we put out a plate of raw veggies and hummus to munch on while we grill. Try serving and eating your salad before you serve yourself the rest of your meal or eating a piece of fruit shortly before you go to lunch.

Do you have a non-deprivation based tip for taking control of overeating? Share your wealth by leaving a comment below.

Take good care,

Melissa 5 of the Simplest Ways to Eat Less

Time to Say Goodbye

May 29th, 2013, Comments

All good things must come to an end.

I’ve made the tough decision to retire two of my most popular and well-tested programs, in order to be able to offer some new resources in the months ahead.

web image vervante 244x300 Time to Say GoodbyeThe Emotional Eating Toolbox™ and its companion, the Take Action Series, are going out of production in the next few weeks – this is the last time these programs will be available. Forever.

The Emotional Eating Toolbox™ is my step-by-step, self-guided plan for taking control of emotional eating – one day at a time. The Take Action Series takes things deeper with six downloadable training modules designed to show you how to get to the heart of your struggles with food and make changes that last.

Both programs will show you how to:

  • Stop restarting that diet and learn the real path to lasting success. Gain a diet-free life so you can really (finally!) lose weight.
  • Discover how to reward yourself, comfort yourself, and cope with feelings like frustration, hurt, and sadness without turning to food.
  • Uncover the key to your overeating—how to identify it and what to do about it.
  • Find out how to break free from food obsession, guilt, and shame with compassion and curiosity
  • Gain a step-by-step process to take control of overeating, emotional eating, and cravings and become peaceful with food.

Because one size definitely does not fit all, you get to choose the approach and the option that’s right for you. The 28 Day program, a 6 week deeper dive (with accountability and lots of extra resources and training), or all-of-the-above plus three private coaching calls with me to really fine tune and establish a better way of coping with food and saying goodbye to emotional eating.

I’ve marked these programs down as a part of the goodbye (good buy?) celebration. And I’m throwing in one more sweet sweet bonus. Purchase any of these programs by midnight on Friday (Pacific time) and you’ll also receive my How to Put Yourself First Without Being Selfish 7 Day Blast-off (which sells for $59). You won’t see that bonus on the website, but order by Friday at midnight and we’ll get that to you too.

Just go here to order and to learn more—and please forgive the bad video (it was one of my first)!

Take good care,

Melissa1 Time to Say Goodbye

PS: This is the last run for these great products, so if they are on your wish list, please don’t delay.

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