If you’re like countless people, you believe that the way to achieve a healthy weight is to focus on what you
eat. Whether you’ve been told to cut fat or calories from your diet or
to nix the dairy or wheat, most likely you’re concentrating on which
foods are in and which are out. Truth is, while that’s step one,
focusing on food alone probably won’t work. Paying attention to how and why you eat is just as important for both weight-reduction efforts and long-term maintenance.
The What: It’s All About CaloriesFor
a while, avoiding fat was generally held to be the key to long-term
health. Low-fat diets (meaning fat accounts for 30 percent or less of
calories) were linked to decreased risk of heart disease and cancers,
and were thought to be ideal for losing weight. However, your body
actually needs certain fats to function. In addition, fats provide a
feeling of satiety, or fullness, which helps you gauge when you’ve had
enough to eat. “When you remove fat from food, it’s not as
psychologically satisfying,” says Amy Jamieson-Petonic, MEd, a
registered dietitian and the director of wellness coaching at the
Cleveland Clinic. “This can lead to overeating later to satisfy your
cravings.”
Interestingly, the USDA Center for Nutrition
Policy and Promotion found that by 1995 the average American diet had
almost met the low-fat target — fat intake represented 34 percent of
total calories, as compared with 1965’s average of 45 percent. However,
Americans weren’t actually eating less fat. Instead, overall calorie
intake had increased, so people were getting about as much fat as before plus
extra nonfat calories. In case you haven’t heard this before (or even
if you have): Too many calories of any kind leads to weight gain.
Period.
Where did all these extra calories come from? From, among other
things, sources marketed as “healthy,” including low- or nonfat foods
(which can contain as many or more calories as their full-fat cousins —
manufacturers often add sugar to boost flavor) and sports drinks. Notes
Jamieson-Petonic, “If you’re exercising an hour or less at a time, you
really don’t need a sports drink. Water will do just fine.” And just
think about it: If you burn 100 calories on a 30-minute walk, then down a
20-ounce bottle of a sports drink with 180 calories in it, which way
will the scales tip? Not in your favor.
The How Much: Can You Say Portion Control?Another
culprit in the upward trend of scale numbers: Americans are simply
eating more, through larger portions. Since the 1970s, portion sizes at
restaurants and in ready-to-eat and convenience foods have increased
dramatically, so even if you’re eating the same items as before, you’re
likely eating more of each. It’s not just eating out that will get you:
The size of dinner plates at home has grown — from about nine inches
across a few decades ago to 11 to 12 inches today. Those extra inches
mean that when you fill and clean your plate, you’re consuming 50 to 80
percent more food — and the associated calories.
Here’s a hint when picking up convenience food: When you review
the nutrition label, be sure to look at not only the number of calories
per serving but the number of servings in the package. What you think
is a single-serving package may actually contain two or three, so if you
finish off the whole thing alone, it’s that many times more calories! The Why: Are You a Mindless Eater?You may be saying, “I feel like I’ve been doing everything right and yet the weight has just snuck on.” It may well have — throughout the day, most of us engage in what could be called mindless eating: Downing breakfast on the run so we can make it to work; grabbing a quick pick-me-up from the vending machine at 3 p.m.; eating in front of the TV in the evening to unwind. The likelihood of any of those meals being a lovely, vegetable-laden salad paired with a grilled piece of fish? Slim to none.
“One of the causes of weight gain is not being aware of what you’re eating, or how much,” Jamieson-Petonic says.
“So many of us are so busy, we’re not eating mindfully. And food is
everywhere these days — 24-hour grocery stores, gas-station convenience
stores, vending machines — you can grab something to eat anywhere,
without thinking about it.”
Here are a few simple steps to help you focus attention on your diet in a healthful way:
- Plan ahead. Pack your lunch or plan a healthy dinner ahead of time so you’re not caught making rushed decisions and overeating when you’re famished or time-crunched.
- Change your location. Get away from your desk at lunch; sit down and have dinner at the table. This way you’ll be focused on your meal, not distracted by a computer or TV screen. (Television, in particular, makes you forget what you ate!)
- Take your time. Give yourself long enough to eat your meal — 20 to 40 minutes (it takes about that time for your stomach to communicate to your head that you’re full), so you can experience a feeling of satiety and not overeat.
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