Clean Plate Club

Are you a member of the Clean Plate Club (CPC)? If you are, you probably eat more than you should.

Eat Small to Lose Big

Flashback:

I was standing in line at the store when the latest issue of one of those sensational rags caught my eye.  You know, the kind where they feature an alien abduction or 100 pound tumor on the cover.  This issue featured slim secrets from the superstar Dolly Pardon.  What was Pardon’s secret?  She would sit down to a full country fried chicken dinner and eat only one bite from each item on her plate!

“Come  on!” I scoffed to my sister.  “Like that ever happens!”  I tossed the rag back in disgust.  “I’m hungry.  Let’s go to KFC”.

Did you know that your taste buds get incrementally less satisfaction from any food after the third bite?  I have no idea if Dolly Pardon actually only ate one bite from each item on her plate.  If she did, she was a master of control.  That’s certainly not something I would suggest to anyone who’s trying to lose weight.  If you are a master of control, chances are slim that you would be fat.

There is a better solution to the one bite rule.  My biggest success at losing weight came when I ate more frequently throughout the day.  I eat 4-5 times a day.  Because I eat food throughout the day, I never get a chance to feel hungry.  When a person is not hungry, then they make smarter food choices.  Smarter food choices lead to less cravings and more weight loss.  Can you imagine eating all day long, and still losing weight?

Don’t be fooled by the idea that you can still the same amounts of food you currently do, but add two more meals.  Each of my meals is actually what most people would consider a snack.  Forget the big plate of pasta with garlic bread, wine, and salad.  Think instead of a salad and glass of wine.  If you keep within 300-400 calories per meal, then you are only consuming 1500-1600 calories per day.  It takes a lot of awareness and planning to keep your meals that small, especially if you’re used to large plates of food.  Measure out your portions, and put away what you won’t eat right away, so you’re not tempted.

What might a typical 300-calorie meal look like?  A serving of whole grain cereal with skim milk and blueberries, or one egg on an English muffin with Canadian bacon would be a sensible breakfast.  A chicken salad with spinach, vinaigrette, and cranberries, or hummus with veggie crudités would be a great lunch.  Finally, dinner could be a lean steak with a baked sweet potato and steamed broccoli.

A note of caution is required.  The grocery stores are full of snack-size portions of everything from frozen vegetables to cookies.  While these controlled portions might help with reducing calories, quality of food should also be considered.  It is a proven fact that protein leads to higher levels of satiety (feeling full) than carbohydrates.  Luckily, there are sensible portions of protein snacks like hard-boiled eggs, string cheese, and yogurt.  Ditch snack-size carbs in favor of protein-rich foods.  Your body will thank you!

Diets don’t work because they’re all about deprivation.  Don’t do this, don’t eat that, don’t enjoy food, stop craving this.  Imagine a diet where you are told to eat more, but make sure to keep your meals small throughout the day.  Hungry will never be a problem again!  Dolly Pardon may have taken her success to the extreme, but it really is true that you can eat small to lose big.