Top 10 Tidbits to Tiny

Making tiny changes can make an enormous difference
By Lisa Hines
 

Weight control is all about making small changes that can empower you for life.  As you integrate these tiny modifications into your daily routine, you will begin to see how they can add up weight loss. Here are 10 Tidbits to help you to tiny:

1. Asses your eating habits. Are you a late night eater, nibbler while cooking, finisher what’s not eaten at the table, grazer throughout the day?  Identify a few behaviors you can change one step at a time which will result in big calorie cutbacks.

2. If you fail to plan, plan to fail. This old cliché definitely stands true even to your healthy eating habits.  Plan a strategy for your meals and snacks. Pack healthy snacks for the times of day that you know you are typically hungry and can easily drift from your eating plan.

3. Shop with a full tummy. It's a recipe for disaster grocery shopping while hungry. Shop from a prepared list so impulse buying is kept to a minimum. Eating right starts with stocking healthy food in your kitchen. 

4. Eat regular meals. Determine the frequency of your meals that works best in your life.  Regular meals help prevent bingeing.

5. Prevent mindless eating by sitting down at a table and from a plate.  Consuming food from packages or while standing becomes mechanical, usually eating more than intended.  Enjoy your meals!

6. Serve food onto individual plates.  Food serving bowls on the table plead to be eaten only overcome by incredible will power. It takes about 20 minutes for your mind to get the signal from your stomach that you are full.

7. Eat slowly, chew every bite, and relish the taste of the food.  Rest your eating utensil between bites and drinking plenty of water with your meals.

8. Don't eat after dinner. This is one of the biggest contributions to adding calories.  Satisfy your hunger with a non-caloric beverage or a piece of hard candy. Brushing your teeth after dinner can help reduce the temptation to eat again.

9. If you snack during the day, treat the snack like a mini-meal. The most nutritious snacks contain complex carbohydrates, fat and protein.

10. It’s the most important meal of the day.  After a long night's rest, your body needs the fuel to get your metabolism and energy revved up.