Start with soup. Eating soup before your meal helps to fill you up so you won't eat as much at dinner. Broth-based soups are better since they tend to be healthier and can be jam-packed with vegetables.
Go for color. Reader's Digest says, "The Japanese have a saying: 'Not dressing up the meal with color is like going out without clothes.'" It goes on to state that it not only makes your food more attractive but it gives you the opportunity to "bulk up your meals without a lot of calories." Red, blue-green, yellow, white and black are colors to look for in choosing your food. I enjoy making colorful dishes, such as the Spicey Christmas Delight I made last year. The stir-fry I make is also quite colorful and very lovely to the eyes and the taste buds. I'll try to remember to post that recipe soon as well.
When you're eating, just eat. Don't eat while you're driving, walking, talking on the phone, working on the computer, or watching TV. It is easier to overeat without realizing it if you are distracted. Dean Ornish, MD, author of Eat More, Weigh Less says, "If you really pay attention to what you're eating, you enjoy it more fully and don't need as much food." This is a bad habit that Sonny and I are just starting to break. Before our Lil' Squirt was born, we greatly enjoyed watching something on the computer while eating dinner and when our little one was just a baby we didn't stop. We would tell ourselves, "He doesn't know any better now because he's too small. Let's take advantage of this great opportunity while we still can!" Well, now he's getting older and we still do it sometimes! It's a tough habit to break but we'll get there soon.
Enjoy regular meals. I'm sure we've all been guilty of missing breakfast or lunch on busy days then chowing down later in the afternoon because you feel like you are starving. Don't skip meals! Eat three regular meals a day, starting with a good, hearty breakfast.
Stop eating before you're full. This should be a no-brainer, but I am so guilty of this! Sometimes food is so incredibly delicious that I just can't put the fork down, but stopping at the first twinge of fullness is important to avoid overeating.
Chow down only when you're hungry. Another no-brainer, yet I find myself eating many times simply because I'm bored. Making sure that you fill your time with important and uplifting tasks throughout the day can help keep you from getting bored or dwelling too much on stressful things in your life which may also encourage eating when you're not hungry. This is an example of things I know but need reminding of many times in my life.
Dine with others. Eating with friends and family helps you to restrain your own behavior and keeps you from over eating. Not only does it make you more aware of what you are eating and how much but being involved in conversation also slows you down.
Have a glass of wine. Studies show that one glass of wine a day can decrease your chances of having cardiovascular disease. We don't really like wine but there may be a day when we'll try it again and maybe it will be a little bit less yucky. It might be helpful though to those of you who don't mind having a little bit of alcohol every now and then and who really enjoy it.
Get moving. You don't need to spend hours at the gym, just be more active in your lifestyle. Go for daily walks, take the stairs instead of the elevator, park at the back of the parking lot, do yard work, etc. One of my top goals nowadays is to work on being more active.
Anyway, those are all the tips that I liked and wanted to share with you.
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