I was out to breakfast with a client who is looking to lose some weight. I met him at the family restaurant and helped him choose a garden omelet. He asked for broccoli on the side instead of potatoes, but the broccoli was only available for omelets this particular morning. So he ordered sliced tomatoes.
I ordered the spinach and feta omelet with extra spinach, and home fries. Potatoes are still better than bread or toast….in my book.
As we got to eating, he was asking me about portion control, and how often to eat. We discussed the reasons behind eating every 3-4 hours vs. every 6 as he normally does. We should eat just enough, not everything in sight and especially when at a restaurant, not everything on the plate! With these large gaps in meals, the idea of eating just enough food until comfortable rather than full becomes an intangible concept. And one usually eats more calories than necessary eating less frequently. One is too hungry to think about eating til comfortable. One usually inhales the meal until the plate is empty…..and then feeling stuffed as a result. A perfect recipe for gaining weight, not losing it.
I ate just over half of my omelet, and 1/3 of the home fries (yes, I do eat potatoes!) which was the amount I was comfortable with. (and yes, I forgot to take a photo of what we both had left. oops.) I encouraged my client to notice how he felt 2/3 of the way through his omelet…..’Wow, no one has ever asked me that before.” He was not used to feeling comfortable, he was used to eating the whole plate till he was full. Really full. As he thought about how he felt, he decided to leave that last quarter of his omelet. He did in fact feel like he had eaten just enough. He was not over-full. Just wondering if he could keep doing this new approach to eating ‘just enough food’. He decided that the next time, he will order a 2 egg omelet instead of the 3 egg one so he won’t feel like he is tempted with too much food.
Eating healthier is not always about what is on the plate, but often times includes how you eat (or masticate and digest) and how much food you eat at one time. I don’t go out with clients all the time, but when I do, there are lessons we can all learn. This time it was learning how much is just enough food for being comfortable vs full.
Do you eat just enough to be comfortable?
If you would like me to come join you for a meal and provide help with choosing what to eat as well as other nutrition advice, please contact me, Joanna at 215-272-6774 or visit www.nutrition-in-motion.net for details about nutrition programs.