My New Year’s Resolution, as usual, is to lose a few pounds. I tell myself I’m going to change my eating habits when the year begins and I stick to it for a while then completely forget. Throughout the year I’ll get back on track but then I lose it again. This year I decided I’m going to give myself simple rules and regulations that’ll help me stick to my resolution without making me suffer through harsh diets or excessive exercise. I want to share with you a few out of the ordinary tips I’ve picked up from people over the years. Hopefully you’ll pick up a few of them and lose a few pounds with me 🙂

It will take longer to eat your meal if you’re using smaller forks, spoons, and knives. This will cause you to eat slower and give you more time to digest your food. It takes a while for your brain to process when you feel full so when you finally feel the feeling of fullness, you have probably over eaten. Because using smaller utensils will prolong the time it takes for you to eat, you will feel full before you over eat.

 

When I wake up in the morning I never want to eat right away because of the minty-ness in my mouth. Most things seem to taste a little off when you’re mouth is freshly brushes. When I have a craving for something I brush my teeth and rinse with mouthwash to fight the urge to snack. Not to mention, having the minty feeling in your mouth takes your mind off food because you don’t have the plain, tasteless feeling anymore. And hey, there’s no harm in brushing your teeth more than twice a day.

Now this may not be the best one for when you’re really hungry all the time but is perfect when you’re craving something sweet. They have so many flavors of gum nowadays you can find one that fits your sweet tooth. Pick from flavors like Bubblegum, Melon, Cinnamon, Berry, Strawberry and the list goes on and on. Chew on it for a while and you’ll forget about your craving. Save the calories and the sugar!

Drinking water isn’t anything new to us. Drinking lots of water will help flush your system and is overall really good for the body. From personal experience and hearing from others, drinking two large glasses of water before you eat can help you eat less. I like to drink two glasses right before a meal. When I say right before, I mean literally a minute before not 15 minutes or half an hour before. The water will take up a lot of space in your stomach. Food that you eat will mix with the water in your stomach and expand causing you to have less space for more food. Imagine a dried sponge (like food) soaking up water and expanding. Also, I recommend doing this right before you take your first bite before the water starts going out of your system.

These are just a few of the tips I’ve heard over the years. I’ve tried a few and I’m determined to stick to them to help me shed a few pounds. Try them with me and hopefully they work for you too!