Stop Eating Mindlessly

Sometimes, like everyone else, I’m a statistic. I’m one of the millions of Americans who are overweight or obese. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 69% of Americans are overweight or obese. Small comfort knowing that I am not alone.

How does it happen? How do so many of use lose control of our eating? A lot of the problem, if you don’t have a diagnosable eating disorder, is simply mindlessness. How many of us stop into a fast food joint because it’s convenient or delight in a big plate of comfort food, feeling satisfied in both the sedating feeling of the fat consumed and the “good deal” we got on an over-large portion? Have you ever taken a chip out of the bag only to look down later and find ¾ of the contents gone? We eat because it tastes good, it feels good and because we are wired to get fat as an insurance policy against lean times. The issue is that we have an overabundance of food and in order to be healthy, we have to make better choices.

Medical Daily has provided a list of things that may be adding to our waist-lines. One of the easiest to remedy is the size of our plates. I know that at home I have huge dinner plates that I need to fill. If I put a true meal serving on these plates, I feel dissatisfied with my meal. But when I put the same amount of food on a smaller plate, I have a completely different experience. I have noticed some restaurants are providing smaller plates to their customers. It might be a cost-savings measure for them, but it is helping me to make better choices.

I’m now getting to the age where weight-related complications are soon going to be a reality. Live the longest, healthiest life you can. Eat mindfully.

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/obesity-overweight.htm

https://www.medicaldaily.com/overcome-mindless-eating-and-achieve-balanced-diet-6-hidden-causes-overeating-333096