Fat Loss Facts: Eating Less

More doesn't mean better. Enough is as good as a feast, you know. -- Jean Ferris, Once Upon a Marigold

Even a small change in the amount of food you eat each day can make a large different in the long term. For example, consuming 100 calories more than you need each day (a glass of apple juice, or the mayonnaise on a sandwich) can result in a gain of several pounds over the course of a year. You can burn off those 100 calories each day by riding an exercise bike for 15 minutes or walking briskly for 20 minutes (assuming you weigh about 150 pounds). Alternatively, you can save yourself the time and effort by making some minor adjustments to your eating habits, such as requesting your sandwich with mustard rather than mayonnaise, or by ordering an ice water instead of a soft drink.

We tend to overeat not just because we get hungry, but also out of habit, boredom, or the need for comfort. Habits can be changed, and there are better solutions to boredom and comfort needs. Hunger can be avoided by better food choices and eating habits.

In order to maintain or attain a healthy weight, the average American needs to make a small to moderate decrease in food and beverage calories consumed, together with an increase in physical activity. For most adults a reduction of 50 to 100 Calories per day may be sufficient to prevent gradual weight gain, whereas a reduction in 500 Calories or more per day is commonly needed for weight loss.1 The following suggestions can help you eliminate those calories without feeling hungry.

Eat 3 to 6 solid balanced meals per day

Eating more meals per day will help you to avoid getting too hungry between meals. Making each meal nutritionally balanced will also keep you feeling satisfied longer after a meal ends. As a result, you will feel less hungry and be less likely to snack or to overeat during the next meal. Skimping on breakfast or skipping meals usually results in unhealthful snacking or binging later in the day.

According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005,1 about half (45-65%) of daily calories should come from carbohydrates, with the remainder split between protein (10-35%) and fat (20-35%).

The carbohydrate portion should consist primarily of unprocessed non-starchy vegetables, legumes, and unrefined grains or "al dente" pasta. Some milk products also contain carbohydrates.

Protein should come from lean unprocessed meats, fish, milk products, eggs, legumes, nuts, or whole grains. Unprocessed meats are preferable to processed meats, as they tend to digest more slowly and to contain less fat.

Keep in mind that fat has almost twice as many calories per gram as do protein and carbohydrates. This means that the mass of fat you need is relatively small. Fat can come from oil used in cooking the meal, from salad dressings, milk, meat, nuts, legumes, whole grains, or from fats added to bakery goods.

The best drink to have with your meal is water. It doesn't add any calories and usually saves you money also. Drink plenty so that it, in combination with fiber in foods, can help produce a feeling of fullness.

Keeping each meal within the recommended ranges will help keep you satisfied between meals. While the carbohydrates will help you feel satisfied quickly, the fats, proteins, and fiber will serve to slow and prolong the digestion of the meal by either slowing the rate of gastric emptying or the rate of glucose absorption.2,3 As a result, you won't feel as hungry, or hungry as soon, between meals. A combination of carbohydrates, fat, and protein will also help assure that your body gets the nutrients and constant supply of energy it needs for good health and calorie-burning physical activities.

Keeping foods simple can save you a lot of time in preparation. Vegetables, unprocessed grains, eggs, or lean meat can be baked, fried, boiled or steamed, then lightly salted and eaten. You will also be less likely to overeat or tire of simple foods. With time, you will learn to appreciate the simple flavors and natural textures.

Don't snack

The only thing you should be eating or drinking between meals is water.

A snack differs from a meal in being unplanned, uncontrolled, and/or nutritionally unbalanced. Because snacks tend to be unbalanced and highly processed, they digest quickly, leaving you soon hungry. A snack may also act as an appetizer and make you hungrier. Snacks can be harder to control than meals because they are less structured and often occur during other activities, such as watching television or reading. They are often eaten out of habit rather than hunger. As a result, you are left with calories you didn't really need.

Here are some things you can do to help you to avoid snacking:

– If you can't pass up a treat, save it to eat with your next meal.

– Don't taste, look at, or think about food between meals. Any of these actions can bring on feelings of hunger.4

– Create a non-tempting personal environment. Designate an eating area and don't eat anywhere else, then stay out of the eating area as much as possible except at meal times. Keep food out of sight. Keep soft drinks, candies, and other junk foods out of your house. It is easier to avoid temptation than to resist it.

– If you are just bored or in need of comfort, find a more appropriate solution.

– Turn off the television and fill your leisure time with activities that make snacking less convenient. A large proportion of calories are consumed, and very few are burned, in front of the television set.

If you still find that not snacking is too difficult, add another small balanced meal or a snack consisting only of carrot sticks or other fresh vegetables.

Eat more vegetables, unprocessed grains and nuts, and fresh fruits

Here are some examples of foods to eat more often:

– colored vegetables such as carrots, squash, broccoli, sweet potatoes, spinach, lettuce, cabbage, celery, asparagus and tomatoes;

– legumes such as beans, chick peas, lentils and dried peas;

– unprocessed or lightly processed grains such as flaked wheat or rolled oats ("regular" oatmeal) eaten as a hot breakfast cereal, bread with a large portion of whole or cracked kernels, pearled barley and brown basmati rice;

– other grain foods that digest slowly such as pasta cooked "al dente" and pearled barley;

– whole peanuts, walnuts;

– fresh fruits.

At least half of the volume of each meal should consist of these foods. If you are going to take "seconds" of anything during a meal, take more of the vegetables, as they tend to provide more bulk and fewer calories than most other foods.

Unprocessed fruits, vegetables and grains digest relatively slowly because of the fiber they contain and because their tissue structure hasn't already been broken down by processing. In effect, they haven't been "predigested." The fiber in these foods also provides bulk. With the extra calorie-free bulk and slower digestion, you feel satisfied sooner and remain satisfied longer after a meal ends.5a

Unlike the relatively unprocessed grains eaten by our ancestors, most of the grain in the modern U.S. diet is in a highly processed form -- much of it as refined white flour. This processing of wheat into white flour increases the caloric density by over 10%, and reduces the fiber content by 80% and the protein content by almost 30%.6 Because flour is ground so finely, it digests very quickly. This is the case even for most whole wheat flours. Bakery goods made of coarsely ground flour digest more slowly because of the extra time required for breaking down the larger particles,7,8 and bakery goods with a high proportion of cracked, sprouted or intact grains digest even more slowly.9 Rye digests more slowly than wheat,10 and brown rice and high amylose rice (such as basmati) digest more slowly than sticky white rice. Pastas made of semolina digest more slowly than most breads, especially if they are not overcooked.

Fresh vegetables like squash, carrots, sweet potato, broccoli, asparagus, and cabbage can be prepared simply by slicing them, then steaming or boiling them until they just start to soften or become slightly translucent. Squash can be baked at 350 F until easily penetrated with a fork. Eat with a little salt if desired. Uncooked vegetables such as lettuce, cabbage, carrots, peppers, onions, radishes, broccoli, sweet potato, and asparagus can be eaten in fresh salads.

Intact grains such as wheat, rye, and brown basmati rice can be purchased at some health food stores or online. They can be boiled and eaten as hot cereal in milk (like oatmeal) or as a side dish like rice. When boiling intact grains, use 1 part grain to 2 parts water. Boil or simmer until most of the kernels are cracked and appear somewhat translucent throughout. This may take up to an hour. Add more water if necessary. Presoaking the grain overnight will reduce the required cooking time. Wheat, oats, or rye can be rolled or cracked in a portable flaker mill then added to bread, muffins, pancakes, soups, etc., or cooked and eaten as a hot breakfast cereal with milk and a little sugar or fruit and nuts. To cook cracked, flaked or rolled grains, use 1 part grain to 2 parts water. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt per 2 cups of grain. Add the grain to boiling water and stir for a minute or two or until it begins to thicken, then turn off the heat and let it rest covered for 5-10 minutes. Grains such as wheat and rye can also be ground into a coarse flour with a portable home mill and used in bread, pancakes, waffles, biscuits, and muffins.

Fresh whole fruits are preferable to fruit juices or other processed fruits because they usually contain more fiber, digest more slowly, and often contain fewer calories.

Increasing the amounts of fruits, vegetables and coarse whole grains in your diet may result in increased intestinal gas or other digestive problems. These often result from undigested carbohydrates reaching the large intestine and being digested by gas-producing bacteria. You may be able to alleviate this problem by choosing foods with insoluble rather than soluble fiber, chewing your food well, eating smaller meals, and avoiding certain fruits and vegetables. Fruits that tend to cause problems include prunes, pears, sweet cherries, peaches, apricots and apples. Replace these with white grapes, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, pineapples and oranges. Try avoiding the following vegetables: carrots, celery, artichokes, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, sauerkraut, Brussels sprouts, radishes, kohlrabi, rutabaga, turnips, cucumbers, beans and peas, potatoes, asparagus, bananas, garlic, leeks, corn, and onions. Squash, spinach and tomatoes may be better choices (If you have more ideas or scientific information, please let me know). Soft drinks, fruit juices, and processed foods with added corn syrup or fructose can also cause problems. Most whole grains can be troublesome. Even white flour (from wheat) or other refined grains may cause difficulties. Brown rice, on the other hand, seems to be quite safe.

Eat less of processed foods, added sugars and quickly digesting starches

Here are some examples of foods to eat less often and in smaller portions:

– candy, candy bars;

– pastries, donuts, cookies, cake, pancakes, muffins, scones, waffles, breakfast bars, etc.;

– breads and other bakery goods made of flour;

– potatoes and potato products such as French fries and hash browns;

– soft drinks, sports drinks, fruit drinks and fruit juices;

– white rice, especially if it is sticky ("low amylose");

– most dry breakfast cereals (Substitute muesli, non-instant oatmeal, or other porridge made of rolled or cracked wheat, rye, etc.).

Most processed foods have been "predigested" to a degree during grinding, juicing, or other processing, so they digest rather quickly, leaving you with a load of calories and a soon empty stomach. Most breads, for example, digest quickly even if they are made of whole grains. Some unprocessed foods such as potatoes also digest quite quickly. Added sugars (such as sucrose, maltose, glucose, lactose, dextrose, fructose, brown sugar, raw sugar, sugar, corn sweetener, invert sugar, molasses, honey, syrup, malt syrup, corn syrup, corn sweetener, and fruit juice) provide energy (i.e. calories) but little in the way of needed nutrients. If you are overweight, you are already consuming too much energy. Added sugars may also encourage overeating by enhancing the flavor of foods to an unnatural degree. Foods high in refined carbohydrates, such as flour and added sugars, are not only implicated in the obesity epidemic, but also in the recent dramatic increase in type 2 diabetes.11 These foods tend to be calorie-heavy, which means that they have a lot of calories relative to their nutritional value. People who consume food or drinks high in added sugars tend to consume more calories than those who consume foods or drinks low in added sugars12, and often fail to get recommended levels of fiber and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other phytochemicals) due to poor food choices.13 The USDA dietary guidelines state that "The healthiest way to reduce calorie intake is to reduce one's intake of added sugars, fats, and alcohol, which all provide calories but few or no essential nutrients."1

Here are some things you can do to help you limit these foods:

–Enjoy less food more. Much of our eating is not out of hunger, but out of pure enjoyment of flavors and textures of food. You can eat less while getting just as much enjoyment out of your food if you eat it right. Do this by serving yourself a smaller portion, then taking smaller bites and eating each bite slowly while consciously savoring every molecule of it, putting your spoon or fork down between bites. This way you will get more pleasure from it, and will give your body more time to feel satisfied. You will soon have enough pleasure and will be able to let it stop without feeling deprived.

– Read the ingredients on food packages. If "flour" or an added sugar is listed as the first ingredient (or second, after "water") of a food, it should probably be eaten sparingly.

– Replace flour with relatively unprocessed grains. Buy bread made of sprouted grains instead of flour. Eat a hot cereal of rolled oats, cracked or flaked wheat, or other such grain instead of cold cereal for breakfast. It will give you fewer calories and keep you satisfied longer.

– When you order a burger or sandwich, request it without mayonnaise and with extra lettuce and tomato, then discard half of the bread. This can save you from up to 300 calories without substantially reducing the nutritional value.

– Order a side salad instead of fries. Get dressing "on the side" so that you can take just what you need. Skipping the fries can save you the trouble of having to work off 350-400 extra Calories (for a medium order).

– Request ice water instead of a soft drink or other beverage to save a couple of dollars and the trouble of an additional 100 or so Calories.

– Prepare your own food, and keep it simple. Most ready-to-eat processed foods are loaded with calories and sugar, but low on fiber and micronutrients. By preparing your own meals, you can make foods that have less added sugar and refined grains, but are still enjoyable.

– Have plenty of vegetables or unprocessed grains in each meal. Filling your stomach with these relatively low-calorie, slowly digesting foods will help you avoid the temptation to eat too much of less healthful foods.

– Limit restaurant dining. Restaurant meals are generally designed with your money in mind, not your health, and the portions served tend to be too much for the needs of one person. When you do eat at a restaurant, splitting a meal with your companion and ordering a couple of side salads, with dressing on the side, can cut your bill in half, give you a more balanced meal, and save you from hundreds of extra Calories. Avoid all-you-can-eat buffets.

– Eat and make a list before shopping for groceries. This way you will be less tempted to buy junk foods, and can plan better food choices.

– Set reasonable limits. You don't need to eliminate desserts and other sweets entirely. Allowing yourself one small serving of dessert or other treat a day, with more allowed on special occasions, can help keep your spirits up and decrease the temptation to cheat.

– If you have an urge for something sweet, eat fruit.

Choose water

Water has no calories and won't spark your appetite like other drinks can. Water is the only fluid required by the human body, and is needed in generous amounts for optimal body function and weight loss. A lack of water in your diet may contribute to feelings of hunger.

Drink a glass of water near or at the beginning of each meal. Drink more when you are feeling hungry or thirsty between meals. Drink water instead of sports drinks, fruit juices or drinks, soft drinks or alcoholic beverages. Such drinks are not a necessary part of anyone's diet and serve mainly to add calories and promote bad eating habits. "Drinking" calories is a fast way to gain body fat because you can ingest hundreds of Calories in just a few minutes. Don't have calorie-heavy drinks in your house where they can tempt you.

Keep meals small

Eating smaller meals can not only decrease your calorie intake, but also allow your stomach to shrink a little, enabling you to feel satisfied sooner during a meal. Smaller meals will make it easier to eat enough to feel satisfied, without overeating. You will feel less lethargic and more energetic after a small meal than a large one, making physical activity easier.

Eat just enough each meal so you don't get too hungry before the next meal. Remember that because your meals are closer together, and because you are eating foods that digests more slowly and provide more nutrients, you don't have to eat as much each meal to avoid feeling hungry before the next one. On days you don't exercise, eat a little less to avoid a calorie surplus. Most fruits and vegetables don't contain many calories, so they can be eaten in greater quantities than other foods. Here are some more ideas to help you stop eating sooner:

Listen to your stomach, not your mouth. Let the feeling of your stomach rather than the tastiness of the food determine how much you eat. Stop eating when your stomach feels a little heavy. If it feels tight, stretched, or topped off, you've had too much.

– Eat more slowly. Put your fork down and take a sip of water between bites. This allows you to pay better attention to feelings of fullness and satisfaction, and gives your body more time to produce those feelings.

– Don't watch TV or read while you are eating. People tend to keep eating until the end of the story whether they are hungry or not.

– Decide how much you will eat before you start eating. Sometimes we eat too much just because the food is there. This especially tends to be a problem with foods that are served to us, and with finger foods such as French fries and potato chips. Put everything you plan to eat on your plate before you start eating, then put away or discard the remainder.

– Don't feel like you have to finish your food. Your mother was wrong. It's okay to leave food on your plate, especially if you have been served too much. The first half of anything usually tastes the best anyway. Don't treat yourself like a human garbage disposal just to get rid of extra food.

– Choose smaller portions. Our natural tendency is to keep eating until the portion in front of us is gone, whether we are satisfied sooner or not.14 Buy ready-to-eat foods in smaller sized portions. Avoid "super-sizes" and other "bargain" buys. A bargain isn't always a bargain, especially when you consider the additional future medical costs of obesity-related diseases, or the time required to burn off the extra calories. Regular sized portions these days are already "super-sized" compared to portions 20 or 30 years ago.15

– Avoid fast food and restaurant dining. The sizes of restaurant meals have increased in recent decades to the point that they are often enough for two or more people. Take five minutes to prepare a meal and take it with you rather than eating out. When you do eat fast food, get a sandwich, side salad and cup of water rather than a "meal" with soft drink and fries. When eating at restaurants, consider ordering an extra side salad and splitting the meal with your companion.

– Get enough sleep. Overweight people sleep almost two hours less each week than do their slimmer counterparts.16 This seems to be partly due to the role of sleep in determining levels of hormones that control hunger.17

– Don't use food to address emotional needs. We often eat for comfort, pleasure, distraction, or escape rather than to satisfy physical hunger. The result is the ingestion of food that the body has not requested, and which it will likely pack away as fat. These emotional needs should be addressed in more productive ways. For example, if you are tempted to eat when you are angry, take an anger management class, or deal with it by doing something helpful, like jogging. Or, if stress makes you want to eat, take care of the stress in another way, such as by taking a short walk or a warm bath. Get some professional counseling for more serious emotional issues. Make wise choices in other areas of your life so that you have less emotional turbulence to deal with. Boredom or loneliness can be more effectively treated by working on a relationship, taking up a new hobby, or serving others.

Keep a food diary

Use one page in a notebook each day to list everything you eat that day. This will help you to pay attention to what you are eating and to see the big picture at the end of the day. With specific information, you can start to come up with ways to improve your eating habits. In a recent study18 by researchers at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, participants who kept a food diary lost twice as much weight as those who didn't. Researcher Victor Stevens said that "hands down, the most successful weight-loss method was keeping a record of what you eat."