drtbear1967
Musclechemistry Board Certified Member
by Tom MacCormick
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Ever inhaled your lunch while checking email, Facebook, or working on a report? This distracted eating is a physique-ruining habit you need to break. How? "Hara hachi bu.” It's a Japanese phrase which means "eat until 80% full." So when helping someone get lean I ask them to say (or think) this phrase at the start of the meal. The purpose is that they eat until comfortably full, not stuffed.
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It works on two levels: It helps them to reduce calories and it encourages mindful eating. Mindfulness helps people avoid going beyond what they really need, and actually helps them enjoy their food. When you're distracted it's easy to over-consume without even noticing that you're full. Studies show that people eat considerably more calories when dining in front of the TV.
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It takes your mind 20 minutes to receive the signals from your stomach that you're full. So eliminating distractions will help you slow down and increase awareness. It also helps to prevent you from random cookie binges by encouraging you to eat at set times and with others, rather than snacking mindlessly.
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A Recap of Mindful Eating:
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Eat slowly, without distraction.
Listen to your body's hunger cues. Eat only until you're satisfied. Eat with people, if possible, and at set times and places. Distinguish between physical hunger and psychological triggers. Increase awareness by noticing sight, smells, sounds, textures, and tastes. Understand the effects food has on your mood, energy, and physique. Appreciate and enjoy food.
-
Ever inhaled your lunch while checking email, Facebook, or working on a report? This distracted eating is a physique-ruining habit you need to break. How? "Hara hachi bu.” It's a Japanese phrase which means "eat until 80% full." So when helping someone get lean I ask them to say (or think) this phrase at the start of the meal. The purpose is that they eat until comfortably full, not stuffed.
–
It works on two levels: It helps them to reduce calories and it encourages mindful eating. Mindfulness helps people avoid going beyond what they really need, and actually helps them enjoy their food. When you're distracted it's easy to over-consume without even noticing that you're full. Studies show that people eat considerably more calories when dining in front of the TV.
-
It takes your mind 20 minutes to receive the signals from your stomach that you're full. So eliminating distractions will help you slow down and increase awareness. It also helps to prevent you from random cookie binges by encouraging you to eat at set times and with others, rather than snacking mindlessly.
-
A Recap of Mindful Eating:
-
Eat slowly, without distraction.
Listen to your body's hunger cues. Eat only until you're satisfied. Eat with people, if possible, and at set times and places. Distinguish between physical hunger and psychological triggers. Increase awareness by noticing sight, smells, sounds, textures, and tastes. Understand the effects food has on your mood, energy, and physique. Appreciate and enjoy food.
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