*I am not a medical professional this is not health advice. In fact skinny isn’t even the standard. I use that term because that’s what people call me. Genetics also has a lot to do with it. My mom is skinny, so is my grandmother ect. You can do all this and still rock beautiful curves. I don’t even own a scale. These are just my food habits. So here we go!
I was out to lunch with friends and I ordered an appetizer.
“Is that going to get you full?” My friend asked.
“No, I don’t eat to get full I eat to keep from being hungry,” I replied.
“What? I never heard that!”
“Yeah, that’s what my mom used to say.”
“See you skinny people keep these secrets to yourselves!”
So this is for you, friend. You know who you are! Here are 8 Secrets From Your Skinny friend.
(1) Drink water first. Most of the time you think you are hungry you are likely just thirsty. Try water first if after 15 min you are still feeling hungry, grab a bite to eat.
(2) Eat to stop the hunger sensation not to get full. When you eat to get full the food in your stomach expands your stomach making it harder and harder to get full. Weight gain doesn’t happen all at once it happens one pound at a time. If you only eat to satisfy the hunger sensation your stomach will only hold so much. This will keep your stomach its current size it will not shrink it.
(3) Look at the serving size. Some nights I want to eat all 4 servings of Ben and Jerry’s Almond Brittle Dairy Free Dessert, other times one serving will do. Knowing how much makes up one serving makes you less likely to make a habit of eating all the servings at once.
(4) Small Servings. Speaking of servings. It is a lot easier to put more on your plate than it is to take what is on your plate off. This goes for both life’s proverbial and physical plate. My mom used to say, “Don’t let your eyes get bigger than your stomach.” Eat small servings then if you want more get more.
(5) Don’t eat or drink out of a container. There is something about eating directly out of a vessel that makes us want to empty the vessel. Take your chips, cookies, or caramel popcorn and put it in the smallest bowl you have. Use a cup for your soda even if it is in a can. Better yet don’t drink soda.
(6) Use smaller plates. Speaking of containers, bigger is not always better. Use small cups bowls or plates. I know there is only a .25 cent difference between the biggest and smallest size and I know you say you won’t drink that much but let’s face it. You WILL want to empty that container.
(7) Don’t eat right before bed. When you eat right before you go to sleep your body spends the night digesting food instead of being completely at rest. Our food cut off for the kids is 2 hours before bed. Their tummies are almost empty by then so they aren’t hungry or digesting food through the night. That time seems to be the sweet spot for us. Amazingly enough, they don’t wake up starving. Hungry but they can usually wait for their oatmeal or pancakes to be made without complaint.
Bonus
(8) Supper on Sundays. Growing up we ate twice on Sunday’s. Once before church and once after church. We usually went back to church in the evenings so when we got out of service it was too late to eat. This habit has been so ingrained in me I still follow the tradition of two meals on Sunday. If the kids get hungry they can eat all the fruit and veggies they want.
At the end of the day the goal is to be the best you at any size! I hope these tips help you on your health journey. Be well!
Melanin Taught 