This is How to Eat Less: 7 Techniques Based on Research

As Jackie Gleason once said, “A funny thing with a diet, the second day of a diet is always easier than the first.  By the second day, you’re off it.” According to numerous surveys, most of us at some point in our lives, have tried some type of diet or to cut down on our eating and drinking. Those same surveys say that most of us have not been successful in those endeavors, as Gleason points out, many times blaming it on a lack of motivation.

Personally, I have never had tried any type of diet or had any reason to learn how to eat less. But then again, I have a couple of my own strategies for how to eat less, more on those later…

But first, let’s get some tips on how to eat less from Richard Weisman.

In his great book… 

…59 Seconds,…Weisman says: “Part of the problem is that people do not tend to follow their gut instincts when starting and stopping. Instead, they are unknowingly influenced by a wide range of factors.” ¹

However, if we can become aware of some of those hidden factors that impact our consumption, we can then utilize effective techniques to reduce the extent of our eating and drinking.

This is How to Eat Less: 7 Techniques Based on Research

Let’s now explore some of those techniques that Weisman discusses below:

(1)  The Power of Slow

As Weisman points out: “Some research suggests that eating more slowly helps people eat less, perhaps because it fools our brains into thinking that we’ve eaten more and allows extra time for the body to digest food.” ¹

One study he described had people eat lunch at 3 different speeds: (1) their usual speed, (2) half their usual speed, and (3) their regular speed to start with, followed by half their normal speed.  What’s interesting is that eating at a slower rate, only caused men to eat less. However, starting the meal at their normal speed, then dropping to a slower speed caused both men and women to eat less.  Weisman’s conclusion was that perhaps the secret to being satisfied is to start at your normal pace, then slow down to savor each and every mouthful.

(2)  Out of Sight, Out of Mind

This one seems like a no-brainer to me, probably because it is something I practice. Many studies have shown that simply by placing food or drink out of sight or out of reach can have a huge impact on consumption. As Weisman advises, “To cut intake, make sure that tempting foods are out of sight, stored in a place that is difficult to access, such as a high cabinet or the basement.” ¹

Better yet, as I say, why even give yourself the option? If you don’t want to eat that crap, don’t buy it in the first place!

(3)  Focus, Focus, Focus

It has been shown that we eat significantly more if we are distracted when we are eating and thus not paying attention.  One experiment showed that moviegoers who were paying more attention and more absorbed in the movie they were watching ate significantly larger amounts.

As Weisman notes: “Distractions while eating, such as watching TV, reading a magazine, or even chatting with others, encourage people to consume more.” ¹

(4)  Beware of Large Bowls

Several studies have shown that the size of your utensils and dinnerware increases the amount of food you consume. One study left a bowl of M&Ms in a hallway with a note to “Eat your fill and use the spoon provided.” On some days they left a smaller spoon and some days they left a bigger spoon. Interestingly, the larger spoon caused people to take almost twice as many M&Ms from the bowl!

So, the idea here is to use smaller utensils, bowls, and plates to cut down on your eating. I’ve even heard about people using baby utensils, it may sound a bit extreme, but hey whatever works for you!

(5)  Keep a Food Diary

This is one we have discussed in previous blog posts and is based on a study done by Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Health Research. The study showed that logging what and how much you eat can help you lose weight. In their study, those who kept records of their daily food intake lost twice as much weight as those who didn’t.

Just jotting down what you eat on a Post-It note, or email to yourself will do the trick. As Weisman says: “According to the theory, becoming aware of what you are eating on a daily basis will help you break old habits and consume less.” ¹

(6)  Regret

As Weisman points out: “Research conducted by Charles Abraham and Paschal Sheeran has shown that just a few moments’ thinking about how much you will regret not going to the gym will help motivate you to climb off the couch and onto an exercise bike.” ¹    This is similar to the 10-10-10 rule we discussed in a previous post.  The idea is to take whatever decision you need to make, perhaps whether or not to eat that sugar-filled donut, and then ask yourself 3 questions:

(1)  How will I feel about it 10 minutes from now?

(2)  How will I feel about it 10 months from now?

(3)  How will I feel about it 10 years from now?

(7) Use More Energy

This one doesn’t have so much to do with how to eat less, but more about how to burn more calories. The idea is to figure out little changes that you can make to your daily routines to be more active. A couple of examples he gave were taking the stairs instead of the elevator at work or listening to upbeat music when walking or cutting the lawn to encourage vigorous movement.

If Those Don’t Work for You, You May Want to Try My Technique…

One technique that I have lived by my whole adult life is eating the same things every day. It’s a similar concept to Mark Zuckerberg and the late Steve Jobs (and Prime Your Pump’s Howie Gitlow) wearing the same thing every day.  The idea is to reduce complexity and make your life simpler by reducing the number of decisions you have to make and going with what works.

So, for me, and I realize I am quirky and uber-disciplined, I eat the same things and same portions every day.

A few reasons I go with this approach: (1) I know what healthy foods are going into my body at all times (2) it saves time deciding what to eat and cook, (3) I know how long it is going to take to prepare it, so I can plan around it. (4) grocery shopping is a breeze and my grocery bills are predictable.

I know it’s not for everyone, but I eat to live rather than live to eat. And when I do go out, maybe once a week, I eat whatever I want.

And If You Don’t Like My Technique Either…

…you may want to try a technique that a friend of mine suggested.

“An excellent strategy for how to eat less is to eat while you are in your birthday suit in front of a mirror. Restaurants will always kick you out before you have the opportunity to eat too much!”

On second thought…never mind…

Until next time, use the strategies above for how to eat less, and as always…PYMFP!
–Rick

P.S. Wanna know more? Check out the entire book.

Use it Or Lose It

The 7 techniques for how to eat less that we discussed above are:

(1)  The Power of Slow
(2)  Out of Sight, Out of Mind
(3)  Focus, Focus, Focus
(4)  Beware of Large Bowls
(5)  Keep a Food Diary
(6)   Use Regret
(7)  Use More Energy

When to Use It

Use these techniques for how to eat less when you want to decrease the amount you eat or drink.

What Do You Think?

What do you think of these 7 techniques for how to eat less? Do you have any other suggestions for how to eat less? Please share them in the comments below!

If you enjoyed this post, it would mean the world to us if you shared it with people you care about via any of the social media platforms below!

Popular Previous Posts:

4 Ways to Start a Speech to Get Your Audience’s Attention!
12 Communication Roadblocks: Beware of These Dirty Dozen!
Avoiding Arguments: This is How to Avoid Lose-Lose Situations
This is How to Improve Your Mood Based on Neuroscience

References

¹ 59 Seconds by Richard Weisman