Take 3!

Two weeks ago I talked about dieting and the “Take 3” method. Just to refresh your memory, I asked for everyone to take 3 seconds to ask yourself 3 questions before you eat something:

•  Am I hungry?

•  Is it smart?

• How much do I need?

Now, if any of you did this (which I hope you have!), you may have noticed that if you answered “No” to the first 2 questions, it was hard to answer the last one. So let’s talk more about the question. 

#1- Am I hungry?  

Or are you thirsty? Like I have said before, our body gives off the same signal for both, so if you just ate something, try to drink some water and see if the hunger goes anyway. 

#2- Is it Smart?

Are you reaching for the Greek yogurt or the potato chips? Making the smart choice isn’t always the easiest or quickest, I know, but if you have smart choices ready to go it is not that hard. 

#3-How much do I need? 

This question is very important, no matter what the answers are to the first two. You have to know how much is too much! You said yes to questions 1 & 2 does; that mean you can eat all you want? No! You still need to know who much you can eat. If you answered no to questions 1 & 2, can you still eat it? Yes, you can just figure out how much you need to satisfy yourself and enjoy it! Don’t just inhale it. Some of you have heard me tell you how much I love Oreos! Yes, Oreos, only the double stuff ones, of course. I can eat them all in one sitting, no kidding! I not only love the way they taste, but I also have a strong emotional connection to them. That makes them very dangerous for me. I would tell anyone not to let anything into the house that is this dangerous. Well, I do; why? My youngest, MacKenzie, loves them just as much as I do, so they do make their way in.  A great way to stop myself from eating too many is to take one and walk out the door so I can’t go back for more.

You need to eat things that you crave or you will over eat even the good stuff! Learning moderation is easy; just remember the portions that are “normal” right now are too much. When you go out to eat they give you too much; you only need half or less. Figure out when your body has enough food, not when it is full. Stop eating right before you are full. Try to think of your hunger on a scale from 1 to 10, 10 being overstuffed and uncomfortable, 7 feeling full, 5 as comfortable, just enough not hungry and not feeling full, 3 as slightly hungry, and 0 as extremely hungry, constant grumbling stomach, maybe even light-headed. We want our body to operate in the 3 to 5 range. Letting your hunger get too low will often result in over stuffing yourself the next time you eat.

One of the hardest things to understand is what size portion we need when we eat. Protein should be the size of a deck of cards – no more about 3 ounces. Complex carbs – veggies and fruit – should take up half your plate, and grains should be ¼ of your plate.  Use a small plate instead of a “regular” size plate to make it seem as if you are having more than you are.