Jackie’s Healthy Habit No. 3️⃣ is “Don’t Overeat Anything. Not Even Salad.” Portion control is hard and time consuming but one of the best long term habits you can have in your healthy living arsenal. For me, managing how much I eat has nothing to do with measuring rice and chicken in little bowls. Who the hell has time for that given our busy lives?
Control how much you eat by listening to internal cues from your body. Don’t mindlessly eat or snack on anything. Whether eating peach cobbler or drinking a smoothie, stop at the exact moment your body is satiated. When you say, “I’m full,” put the the fork down, take a sip of water and stop eating. If you pay close attention, your body will tell you when you’ve had enough. Your stomach tightens a little bit. The last bite doesn’t taste as good as the first bite. Your mind has started to wander and you are no longer thinking about the food you are eating, but rather other tasks like your to-do list, laundry or that phone call you need to return.
Every time you sit down for a meal or snack, the moment when you are full will be different. Depending on your activity level that day, what and when you ate last, whether you ate breakfast, or how much water you drank on that day, half this salad may fill you up. If you just finished a super tough workout, are a touch dehydrated and didn’t have a filling dinner last night, then you may eat the whole salad. Each meal will be different. Pay attention what your body is telling you and eat accordingly.
I don’t diet. I don’t fast. I have not sworn off any type of food forever. I eat meat, including bacon on occasion. I drink vodka and have dessert at least once a week. However, most meals, I try to eat a balanced plate of lean protein, fruits, good fats, veggies and complex carbs. I eat colorful foods and then enjoy every bite until I have had just enough. This is my “not so secret” way of maintaining a healthy weight.
As always, thank you for stopping by Jackie Unfiltered. Please send me a note and let me know how many healthy habits you have incorporated into your life this year. Stop dieting and start living well!
xoxo,
Jackie
