If you are reading this, then you’ve probably been eating more than exercising during the lockdown hahaha. Don’t worry, most of us tend to do that.
So here are some simple tricks and hacks to help you avoid snacking on too much food and control your weight.
1. Chew on a raisin
If you have those midday cravings, simply take a raisin and chew it until the raisin starts to dissolve in your saliva. By the time this has happened, you would have lost that craving for a snack (and i bet usually an unhealthy one like chips haha). If you still have those cravings, try one more piece of raisin. So you see, it kind of works like chewing gum.
2. Take a spoonful, then put that spoon down.
Putting down your utensils after each bite is another ingenious way to curb your food intake. How this works is that you are kind of forced to slow down. Only once you have finished fully chewing, that’s when you pick up your utensils to grab more. This is also good, because it trains you to savor your food and not rush!
3. Sit up straight
It may seem very surprising, but it actually bears truth. When your body is upright, food will reach the lower part of your stomach faster, which then signals your brain that you have eaten enough. If you were to slouch or sit on the couch, it takes slower for the food to get to your tummy and you end up eating more than you need.
4. #StayHydated
When we get enough water, it helps to curb your appetite, so you’ll eat less during your meal times throughout the rest of the day. Drinking water right after brushing your teeth in the morning is also a great way to kick start your metabolism. In fact, according to studies, it is known to boost your metabolism by 30%.
5. Dilute those drinks!
Yeap I know it doesn’t sound like a good idea, but let me explain haha. Most of the time, the beverages we consume are high in sugar, especially those colas. So add a couple of ice cubes to get more quantity but with lesser sugar.
6. Put away your phone when eating!
I’m sure you have heard of this and it is very important. It is to ensure you prevent yourself from ‘mindless eating’. What it means is eating more than you should just because you feel like chewing something while doing mundane tasks, for example, watching TV or scrolling through your social media. Use this time to interact with your family or friends instead. Eat and have a conversation with them. As you chat, you also give yourself time to digest your food so you do not take too much of a portion.
7. Eat yogurt, everyday.
According to scientific studies, people have been known to lose more belly fat when they consume yogurt due to the amino acids in yogurt that helps to burn fats. Awesome right? Now you know why those models always love to have a cup of yogurt. Plus, it also contains other nutritional vitamins and minerals like calcium.
8. Get your breakfast like a king.
Yes, the advice that almost everyone has heard of. Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and have dinner like a beggar. This is because you need the most energy at the start of the day, and you will have ample time to burn those calories, instead of at night when you are mostly sitting down and don’t need as much energy.
That’s it for now! If you have other tips that you have discovered, do let us know! Let’s try to practice healthy eating habits and live a more fulfilling life.
