Do You Know When to Stop Eating?

Here’s a question for you.  When you eat – whether it be a meal or a snack – when do you stop?  Is it:

1) When you’ve finished everything on your plate?

2) When the box or bag is empty? 

3) When the TV show is over?

4) When you feel full?

If you answered #4 – good for you!  You probably have a healthy weight and are maintaining it.

However, if you answered any of the first three, you may need to take a look at your eating style, or more precisely, your fullness factor.

A key element in keeping your weight down is whether you use internal or external cues to signal that it’s time to put down your fork and step away from the table.

Last year researchers at Cornell University studied people in the U.S. and France to better understand how they decide they’ve had enough to eat. The researchers found that the more people relied on external cues, the heavier they were.  External cues are just what the terms says, outside signals – like an empty plate or the end of a TV show – that tell people when to stop eating. 

Those who used internal cues – like feeling full – were more likely to be of normal weight.

Not surprisingly, it was the French who most often used internal cues.  This is a key reason why they stay slim while still eating high-fat foods such as pastry and cheese.

These findings were touted as “news” but I can tell you, for me this was something I witnessed first-hand when I worked for a French travel company and also when I lived in France.

In general, the French eat until they’re full and then stop.  With they key word here being “stop.”  When they’ve had enough they don’t take seconds and just walk away (or stay seated at the table but don’t eat anymore).

The French attitude towards food emphasizes internal cues related to the pleasure of eating and minimizes opportunities from external cues. 

The Japanese have similar attitudes.  They have a saying that recommends “Hara hachi bunme”, which means “Eat until you are 80 percent full.”  Like the French, the Japanese eat slowly, enjoy the food for it’s flavor, and eat much smaller portions than Americans.

So now you’re thinking, “But how do I know when I’m full (never mind 80% full!) and when to stop?”

How to Know When You’re Full

If you don’t know when you’re full, you need to train yourself to pay attention to internal cues and diminish the influences of external cues. 

But first, be aware that it takes about 15 minutes for your stomach to send a message to your brain that you’re full.  This may be why the Japanese say to stop eating at 80% full (but I don’t know for sure – I’d love to get some insights from anyone Japanese!).

When you find yourself finishing off your plate and reaching for seconds, take a moment to stop and relax.  Talk to others you’re eating with, or if dining alone you can take the break to write in a food journal. 

You just may be surprised that after even 5 minutes, you may not want that second helping after all.

Interview: What France Taught Me About Food & Weight Loss

Dinneen interview on Enlighten Me Show

Want to learn more how I balance work & eating well, and how living in France for 5 years completely changed my views on losing weight and eating healthy – and how it can help you too?

Listen in to my interview on the “Enlighten Me” show by Joe Pena of Pena Productions.

On the show you’ll hear about my own struggles with food & weight and how living in France gave me the tools to finally stop dieting, come to peace with food, and lose weight –  and how you can do the same!

Listen in and be inspired, motivated, and have a few laughs along the way (Joe and I had a LOT of fun on the show – I love to laugh & feel it’s important on any journey in life).

Enjoy!  Just click on the link below to listen in:

Dinneen Diette interview on Enlighten Me show

-Dinneen

Are You in Love? You Should Be…

For Valentine’s Day, instead of looking for love from others, this year do something different – decide to  love yourself and give something wonderful to YOU.  Don’t wait for someone else.  Love you and all that you are, AS IS.

Don’t wait until you are 100, 50, 25 or even 5 pounds lighter.  Realize that who you are inside is what counts, not the number on the scale.  That number is not a reflection of who you are, but rather of how you treat yourself.

It’s great to want to eat better, get exercise, and lose some weight to be healthier and FEEL better so you can live a full life.  But you can’t do that until you love yourself.  You see, when you love yourself you treat yourself better.  And when you treat yourself better, you’re much more inclined – and motivated - to do those things that make you happier, healthier, and yes thinner.

So take a step back and realize just how wonderful you are.  Sit, take a moment and even write down things that you love about yourself.  Glow in it, and see that you ARE a special person, a person that deserves love from you.  Don’t wait until you get to “some point” in life or on the scale.  Don’t wait to live and love yourself fully.

By loving yourself first, and then treating yourself better — only then can you start the journey to lose weight.

You see, I was in your shoes.  For years I kept waiting until the day I would be thinner, have a flatter stomach, ate more “good” foods, look thinner in my clothes, and be the right size. I kept waiting for those outside things to make me feel better.  

But then one day I realized, “Hey, I AM a great person!  I have lots to give to the world, and why am I waiting to start fully living and enjoying life?”  A light-bulb literally went off in my head.

So I started to love myself more and treat myself better.  And you know what happened?  I started to eat better, get more exercise, and look at food as my friend instead of the enemy.  I realized that eating better foods and taking better care of myself was an expression of loving myself.

Then, and only then, was I on the road to a happier and more fulfilling life.  And you know what?  I started to lose weight.  And have more energy, and have more vitality for LIFE.

I was eating better and being nicer to my body.  I read information on what were really healthy foods, how to integrate them more into my life, and how to cook them to be tastier and more satisfying. 

As a result, I started to enjoy food and look forward to meals instead of dreading them like before (for fear of eating the wrong foods, eating too much, or eating for the wrong reasons).   I learned that mealtimes were a chance for me to say “I love you and I want to take care of you the best that I can.”

Then I learned how to have some chocolate and not let it overtake me.  I ate a little and was completely satisfied.  I didn’t need more to feel good, I actually needed – and ate – LESS!

This started my journey to a life where I can now eat what I want when I want, and know how to make the best choices in food that feed ME, and not my soul.

So this Valentine’s Day decide to love YOU for who you are right now.  Don’t wait until you’re thinner, sexier, or fit better into your jeans.  Love yourself now, I mean really love yourself.  Your soul, your mind, and your jeans will start to love you back!

Laugh Yourself Skinny – A Fun Companion to Weight-Loss

 

Laughter is the best medicine.  You’ve probably heard this expression time and time again.  For years, doctors and researchers have been studying to see how laughter really affects one’s health & overall wellness.  And it does more than just that.  It can help you in your weight-loss.  Seriously.

Personally, I know it helps me.  It gets me through good times and bad times, and I think laughing is one of the greatest pleasures in life.  Anyone who can make me laugh is a quick friend.  Laughing brings so much happiness to my life. 

You know how laughing just makes you feel wonderful?  It releases tension and just makes the day a little bit brighter?  Laughter is the best prescription on days when you need that little push to keep you going.

But what about weight-loss?   Can laughing really help you lose weight?

Well, anyone who has tried to lose weight knows it’s not always an easy road.  Like anything in life, at times there are obstacles that hold us back.  And when I work with clients, I help them overcome those obstacles.  

But I also help them have a healthy attitude towards food, and a healthy attitude towards weight-loss.  We can’t always take everything so seriously.  Adding laughter can help make the journey to losing weight and feeling better that much more fun!

I recently found a nifty little book that does just that – it adds some laughter.  I mean really, who wants weight-loss to be BORING?  Not me.

Lite’N Up!: Laugh Yourself Skinny is a new book by Samara Q. Klein whose goal is to make your weight loss journey a bit more enjoyable and a bit more fun.  And it does.  It really does!

It’s a cute and creative book that helps you track what you eat, while adding in the spice of humor on the opposite page.  So while you write down what you ate that day and keep track of your progress, you can at least smile or laugh along the way.  

There’s one particular quote in the book I like:

“A bit confusing but true: to have a French woman’s body, you must not eat French bread, French toast, or French fries.”

Or how about this:

“You know you are thinking about food too much when during sex you call out the name of a condiment.”  

That one really got me laughing!  

We all need a little fun, humor, and laughing in our lives.  Especially today.  There’s so much negative stuff out there that a little laughter could do us some good.  Lite’N Up!: Laugh Yourself Skinny is just the ticket for a little pick-me-up, and help you realize that weight-loss is not all that bad (well, at least with some help and support). 

So whether you’re trying to lose a few pounds or a few dress sizes, this book can help keep you laughing, smiling, and realizing that we all need some fun in our weight loss.  I mean really, what’s the point of losing weight if you can’t have some FUN!  

So laugh some more.  And make the road to skinny a bit more pleasurable! 

For more information and to purchase Lite’N Up!: Laugh Yourself Skinny, by Samara Q. Klein, visit:  www.plainwhitepress.com/litenup