That extra flavor and kick really helped me drink a lot more water. There are also other flavors available like True Lemon. And Crystal Light has several zero or very low calorie powders that you can add to water for a very tasty beverage. They have a whole bunch of great flavors. There are some great stores in Dallas such as Central Market and Whole Foods which really cater to people trying to live a healthier lifestyle. Newflower Market is another fun one. You’ll have fun looking through the huge selections of health food products at these stores.
It is important that you stop overeating. Easier said than done, right? It took me a while to retrain my mind and body to eating less. Doctors say that it takes about twenty minutes for you mind to receive signals from your body that your stomach has had enough to eat. So eat slow. Try not to rush through you meals. Chew your bites longer. Talk to people around you. Start with smaller portions and add on as needed. Something that helped me was to use a small plate. It fills up quicker.
For some reason when I use a larger plate I always feel obligated to put more food on it. While it’s very important to reduce the amount of calories you’re taking in, it is equally important that you do not starve yourself. Perpetual hunger is the quickest way to get you back to your old unhealthy ways of eating. When I took the time to slow down and listen to my body I began to get a better idea of when my stomach was satisfied, when I was eating too little, and when I was crossing the line and eating too much. The less I ate the more my stretched out stomach shrunk and got used to less food at my meal times.
But as I ate less I also discovered that I got hungry during the long stretches in between meals. To combat this I carried around healthy snacks with me and just ate them whenever I got hungry. My snacks really helped me feel satisfied and stay on track and they were things I enjoyed eating and looked forward to. I would snack on things like a piece of fruit, a container of yogurt, a little baggie of Cheerios (or Honey Nut Cheerios), a ¼ cup or ½ cup of pistachio nuts, a granola bar etc. My snacks made it a lot easier for me to not binge or overeat at meals. I also made a rule for myself that I would not eat anything after 7:00pm unless it was a special occasion.
Sometimes I felt hungry and it was hard and sometimes I felt fine. But I knew that that time of night was peak binge time for me. I would sit around watching TV and mindlessly devouring junk. This rule really helped me keep on track and develop better habits.
Read more about Dallas TX weight loss – Part 5
