If you could do just one thing to lose weight, what would it be? Some people go to crazy lengths to shed the bothersome pounds. They sweat, they fast, they undergo cosmetic surgery. And some people just give up altogether because the prospect of making effort or spending too much money isn’t to their taste.
We want an easy ride, a quick way out, a cheap ticket.
And who can blame us?
After all, maintaining a shapely body after 40 is hard work. And then some.
Of course, there isn’t a magic pill that will melt that stubborn fat overnight. (Or if there is, I haven’t heard yet!)
But what if there is something that you can do that will make a massive difference?
Without invasive procedures, without breaking your bank, without starving yourself.
Well, there is.
Easy, simple, doable, even pleasurable.
All you have to do to start managing your weight more successfully is pay attention to your eating environment.
Eating Environment Is The One Thing To Help You Lose Weight
Obesity is a problem that bridges many different cultures, regions, and age groups. People are simply eating more and moving less than ever before. There are more influences on obesity today than in the past, which makes it a difficult issue to tackle.
Many factors influence your choices around food. There are the obvious ones – the type of food, preparation style, nutritional value, portion size, and the best time to eat.
We all know that making the right decisions when it comes to good nutrition is vital.
But we also know that once you cross into the over 40 age brackets, it takes much longer to see the results.
Even following the rules to a tee, it’s much harder to shift the fat and get in shape than it was in your 20s.
This means that we need to leverage everything we can to achieve the desired wellness levels.
Where food consumption is concerned, one of the most important factors to consider is your eating environment. And, it’s also the easiest one to bend to our advantage with minimal effort.
Because where, how, and with whom you eat has a huge impact on the decisions you make.
So if you’re too busy to exercise, this one thing can help you lose weight.
How Do You Actually Do The One Thing To Lose Weight?
Eat Less and Better
We skip meals, eat on the go, and compensate with convenient snacks like chocolate bars. We rush meals because we need to get to the next meeting. In the evening we’re so tired we reach for ready-made meals and stuff ourselves with crisps and biscuits watching TV. Following a balanced diet is a challenge.
Let’s ditch those harmful habits.
Do you want to know how?
Here are a few tips you can easily implement.
Establish Regular Eating Routine. Plan your meals and snacks at regular times throughout the day. This will prevent impulse snacking and overeating as your body gets used to the routine and it will know when to expect to receive fuel.
Eat Without Distractions. Turn off the TV, put away your mobile phone, switch off the laptop. This will help you focus on the eating, on flavours, textures, smells.
Because you’re now paying more attention to the food, you’ll feel fuller sooner. Being engaged in other activities takes away the awareness of eating.
So we simply miss the point where we become full and continue eating because our favourite show is still running, right? Even if we’re not hungry anymore. Paying attention to your body will enable you not to overeat.
Eat in Good Company. Dine as a family and whenever you can turn your meals into a pleasant social occasion. There’s no need to make it a 2-hour affair though. Short and sweet will do.
Breaking up the process of eating with conversations means you won’t wolf down the whole dinner in one go which is great for digestion. Being in good company will add the happiness factor.
Eat In Style
How you eat a meal can dictate the volume in which you consume.
Consider a party where chips and dip are present at a table. You casually munch on these items as you socialize. Inevitably, you’ll eat more than if you served yourself food on a plate.
Equally, we ditch the plate when we consume food on the go because we’re in a hurry. Now dashing about hardly encourages you to savor the food, so you gulp it down.
And some studies suggest that when using larger utensils, we tend to eat less.
So it’s important to consider the way we eat. Try to eliminate eating when in rush or when you’re occupied with something else. Use a plate and larger cutlery. No, you don’t need to take a knife and fork to your sandwich.
Another interesting observation from studies is that if you load your own plate, you’re likely to eat more. So make sure to put your feet up from time to time and get served yourself!
Quick Tip: prepare healthy snackables in advance like celery, carrots, apples, nuts. If you store them in small containers, you can take them with you anywhere.
Eat With Simplicity
The European Food Information Council points out that culture is an environmental factor that will determine the types of foods being eaten.
If you’re in Italy or Greece, you’ll probably dine on local foods instead of seeking out old standbys. A typical Mediterranean diet is one of the most beneficial.
I mean, look at those ladies doing the Dancing Queen in Mamma Mia! They grew up on fresh, locally sourced food, and simple home-cooking.
Give the Med diet a go, throw in some power greens and bacteria and you’ll eat healthier than ever before.
Eating out is often expensive and full of extra calories anyway. A household with dual, working adults will eat out more often. They won’t have the time to cook a healthy dinner at home. In the past, many families lived on a single income with one adult at home to take care of the cooking and cleaning.
Such an arrangement is conducive to well-rounded meals and healthy living. But, alas, some of us don’t have the luxury of someone else cooking for us. So it’s super important to plan ahead and be organized in the way we shop and prepare meals.
When you order or cook food for the next meal, think about what made you choose those items in the first place. From eating for wellness to satisfying that nagging craving, consuming food is both a survival needs and a pleasurable act. Making smart choices will improve and prolong your life.
Remember, you can only achieve long-term positive results with a deep change. Lightning-quick diet fads will not bring in lasting changes. To bring about that profound change and attain a healthy weight, you must start with changing your attitude towards food.
So, the one thing to lose weight you can start doing today is considering your eating environment and your eating style.
Disclaimer:
This article was written by Zuzana Halliwell. I am not a doctor or health professional and cannot be held liable for the information written here. This article is meant to provide information about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. The content is based on my own personal experience and on information provided by medical professionals that is available to the public. It is not intended to provide medical advice. Do not use it as an alternative to seeking help from a medical professional.
@Feature Photo by Christian Bowen on Unsplash
