Healthy eating: What’s the secret?
You would think that people who eat healthy and stay slim would be the ones who spend a lot of time thinking about what they eat. After all, how else could they maintain a healthy weight unless they’re focusing on every bite? There are some clear differences in the way normal weight and overweight people approach food and eating – but what we’ve learned is that naturally trim people actually tend to think about food less than those who are watching their weight.
Naturally slim people have a relatively comfortable relationship with food, so they don’t really focus on it all that much. But for heavier people, the relationship is often more difficult and complex. Overweight people tend to be preoccupied with food – which ones are good or bad, how much or how little they should eat (and when) – to the point where they end up thinking about food all the time.
Want to behave more like a slender person? Try practicing some of their habits. In time, you may find yourself ‘doing what comes naturally’, too.
- Naturally slim people tend to eat fairly consistently. Their diets are well-balanced and varied, but there’s usually a pattern, so their diets are fairly predictable. The reason this helps is because too many tastes and textures can actually encourage you to eat more – that’s why we eat more at buffets. So establish a healthy pattern for yourself – say, a protein shake in the morning, a salad or veggies with protein for lunch, a protein snack in the afternoon, and a well-balanced dinner. You don’t need to eat the same protein or veggie every day, but stick to the pattern as much as you can.
- Naturally slim people aren’t afraid of a little hunger. Many overweight people view hunger as an emergency – something that has to be taken care of right away. And, for some, the fear is so great that they never really allow themselves to get hungry – so they’re always eating to prevent it from happening in the first place. This isn’t to say you should skip meals – that’s a tactic that usually backfires. But do recognize that hunger is simply a normal sign that your body needs fuel — and that it doesn’t take all that much to satisfy it.
- Naturally slim people learn to stop eating when they’re satisfied, rather than stuffed. Heavier people often train themselves to feel satisfied only when they’re stuffed. If, on a fullness scale of 1 to 10, you usually don’t stop eating until you hit a 9 or 10, take a reading about halfway through your meal, and try to stop at a 6 or 7.
- Naturally slim people don’t use food for comfort. This isn’t to say that slim people don’t occasionally have treats, or celebrate with food, but they generally don’t turn to food when they’re down or angry. When you feel yourself looking for food when you probably shouldn’t, learn to find other ways to make yourself feel better. Take a walk, call a friend or let off some steam in a journal instead.
- Naturally slim people sleep well – usually getting close to 8 hours a night. Not getting enough sleep can pack on the pounds. For one thing, you have more hours in which to eat. And, you might snack more because you’re tired - lack of sleep may cause your body to release more ghrelin, an appetite-boosting hormone.
Written by Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD. Susan is a paid consultant for Herbalife.
Tags: balanced diet, Discover Good Nutrition, eating, Healthy Eating, healthy weight, Herbalife, ideal weight, lose weight, obesity, overweight people, slim down, slim people, Susan Bowerman
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The article is definately different from the usual weight loss offerings. My only problem is that it tended to make me feel guilty for not being a “Slim person”. Fat people need help to get them motivated to losing their weight and how to keep it off, not necessarily reminders of what they are missing out on.
Also the last comment that slim people sleep better is a little presumptuous. I know of a few people who are very fit and slim, but still have problems sleeping. Good sleep is more than your personal body size, it involves your mental and physical condition as well.
It makes sense that people who eat more probably spend more time thinking about food as well as their diets being unpredictable. I bet naturally thin people drink more water too in general.
Great article, I have founds lots of people who are still carrying belief patterns on body image and eating habits from their childhood. Helping them to discover new ways with food and nutrition can turn on their own light and put them back in charge of their body and eating.
Mirela-
Our blog is written by a registered dietitian who is extremely well-versed in nutrition and is equally qualified to write about it. If you have another viewpoint on something specific, we’d be happy to discuss it further.
Was there a study behind this article? How can anyone consider a few sentences, without any indication that a scientific method was used to get to these conclusions, a reliable source of information?
This a very interesting report.
Guilt about food and overeating is a counterproductive emotion to the extent that it leads to emotional eating. It is normal to enjoy food and even to overeat on occasion. It may be more helpful to challenge oneself, “Can I do better in future?”