“You’re not telling me you’ve lost three stone eating chips, cake, biscuits and chocolate!” a friend posted to me on Facebook. Yes! That’s exactly what I’ve done. And I’ve now lost bit more than three stone. You don’t have to give up anything to lose weight. It’s much better if you don’t. Forbidden foods taste the sweetest, are longed for the most. So my first tip for this week’s newsletter is...
No forbidden foods!
Food is not your enemy and should never be spoken of as such. There are no bad foods, nor good, and definitely no health foods. I also loathe the term “naughty foods”. We need food to nourish our bodies but also to nourish our minds. If I can give you one big takeaway from these posts it’s: don’t hate food.
If there is something you really like that you reckon is at least partly responsible for you being overweight don’t cut it out. Cut it down. That’s easy to say, I know. And I realise some people simply cannot eat one chocolate or two at most. If that’s you try this...
You can have it... but wait
I use delay as a way to reduce my intake of favoured foods. If I want something I know is calorie-dense I’ll tell myself, yes, you can have it but wait 30 minutes. See if you still want it then. If you do, try waiting another 30 minutes. It’s possible the desire will fade. Craving calorie-dense foods such as chocolate, chips, cakes and biscuits is often a yearning for instant gratification. We want it and we want it NOW! Try saying you can have it. Just not right away.
It’s also possible you are craving a high-calorie food because you need sustenance. This sometimes happens to me mid afternoon and evenings. It may happen to you at different times. What I do then is eat protein instead of something sugar rich. I’ll have a piece of cheese or chicken. (Vegetarians, vegans and non-dairy eaters need to find a high-protein substitute for these; perhaps peanut butter? Or a soya product if you have a nut allergy).
The delay tactic also gives you a chance to work out if you’re really hungry or if it’s just mouth hunger - ie you desire something but you don’t need it. Ask yourself, “Am I really hungry?” You might just be bored. Or thirsty. By the time you’ve checked out the cause of your craving it may well have disappeared.
The first bite is the loveliest
When you’ve finally allowed yourself to have that chocolate/biscuit/piece of cake you’ll probably find the first bite is the best. Tastes the sweetest. Gives you the greatest kick, the most enjoyment. So why not leave it there? Second bites are okay but rarely as lovely as the first when you’ve denied yourself something.
I know it’s tough bordering on impossible to leave a chocolate bar only half or a bit eaten but... try. If you can’t manage it, fine. Least you tried. If chocolate is the thing you love most try eating the highest quality. The hit from high cocoa solid chocolate is infinitely more pleasurable than every day chocolate. It also has less sugar therefore fewer calories. If a chocolate bar has cost you three or fours times what you’d normally spend you’ll savour it for far longer.
Never skip a meal
Skipping meals can make you feel virtuous but chances are you’ll get so hungry you’ll over eat later to compensate. So try to have three or four meals a day well spaced out. Some say eating little and often works best for them. Experiment. For me it’s breakfast, lunch and tea - I call it tea because we eat it at 6pm. Then I’ll maybe have a light bite later in the evening if I get the munchies.
This goes against the popular 5:2 regime where you eat what you like five days a week and only have 5-800 calories for two days. I’m not a fan of this approach. I’ve tried it but on the very low calorie days I felt sick, dizzy and disorientated. I don’t think it helps in the long run and it’s the long run that matters. My plan is flexible and portable. The aim is to gradually change eating habits so eventually you hardly notice you’re eating less so don’t feel a sense of deprivation.
Future newsletters will look at eating less to enjoy food more when eating out, eating at someone else’s place, facing obstruction from people who don’t want you to lose weight, and facing the buffet table. Till then, thanks for reading.
Eating less to enjoy food more
Great tips
Great tips thanks