Last updated
31 December 1969

Tips to eat less and consume fewer calories

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Simple tricks to eat less and consume fewer calories

Losing weight is all about burning calories and reducing calorie consumption. Okay, so burning more calories is very transparent, you increase your activities levels by going to the gym, going for a run or walking the dog more often etc.; but reducing calorie consumption isn't always so transparent or easy. For instance, do you know how many calories are in the food you are eating? ......and when you are famished, do you struggle to stop yourself eating to excess?

If this is you, hopefully the following tips will be of some use......

1. Slow down how fast you eat and enjoy every bite

Slow down and focus on every bite and chew your food for longer. The human body is often quite slow at recognising when we are full (i.e. we reach fullness well before our brain realises that we are full). As such, we often eat more food than we need because the signal is so slow to arrive with the brain. The act of slowing down the speed at which we eat means that the 'full signal' will be received before you have eaten too much.

Eating more slowly means that you will actually enjoy the taste of every mouthful even more. Chewing for longer also reduces the likelihood of suffering digestive problems such as indigestion and other related problems. If you currently take 10 minutes to eat a meal which is quite common, aim to take 20 minutes instead. 20 minutes for a meal is about optimal.

2. Use smaller plates and bowls

It is amazing but if you eat from smaller plates and bowls, you will trick your brain into thinking your portions are bigger than they actually are and you will feel fuller having eaten less. Having plates, cups and bowls that are huge just encourages over consumption of food and hence calories!

3. Calculate the calories in your meal - know how many calories you are eating

Knowing how many calories you are eating is key to consuming fewer calories. If you know before you prepare your meal that it is a bit excessive, you are more likely to control your portion size. If you are eating a ready meal, the packing should tell you how many calories are in the portion; if it is your own recipe add up the calories in all your ingredients and divide the total by the number of portions it makes.

4. Keep a food diary

Keeping a food diary is the best weight loss tool. For instance, a July 2008 study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that dieters who completed a daily food diary lost twice as much weight as those who didn't.

Writing down what you eat allows you to analyse where you are eating in excess and make the necessary changes. The Purple Weight Loss food diary is a great free to use tool - just sign up as a member and get cracking.

5. Doggy bag it and be careful with the pre-starter nibbles

When you go out for a meal, enjoy the company of the people you are with and eat slowly. If find you are full and you still have food left on your plate and can't bear seeing it go to waste, don't be afraid to ask for a 'doggy bag'. That way you get all the value you have paid for without harming your weight loss efforts.

Generally speaking, restaurant food can be quite rich in calories. A full meal can contain more than 1200 calories at some places, and that's before dessert. Also, watch out for the pre-starter nibbles such as nuts that you can easily pick at without knowing quite how many you have consumed. Have a few, but be strong and stop before going too far.

6. Eat breakfast

You'll have probably heard people say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day - and they are right in saying that. Studies show that people who eat breakfast have a lower BMI (body mass index) and consume fewer total calories each day than people who skip breakfast altogether. Eating breakfast kick starts you metabolism into action meaning that you will start to burn more calories earlier in the day than you would otherwise and you will feel less hungry throughout the day which helps to avoid snacking on bad things!