Eating habits to help keep weight off
If there's one thing I get asked a lot, it's this: 'how come you don't put on any weight?'.
Now, am I just blessed with good genes? Maybe. I do think however, there's a couple of things that have kept me from putting on significant weight: consistency in my diet and portion size.
I am in no way any kind of diet expert but I must be doing something right, right?
I stick to 3 meals a day, religiously. I have to have breakfast, lunch and dinner. I have a good portion, not too much that I feel bloated and full to the brim and not too less where I feel like I need a snack straight after.
I also eat very slowly. I'm always the last one to finish. My friends and family will vouch for this. They're always waiting on me.
So I looked into this as it's just always been a habit of mine and fortunately, it's a good thing. Apparently, the slower you eat, the better. Research has shown that if you scoff all your food down like you're never going to see it again, your brain doesn't register the fact that you've just eaten straight away. The message to the brain that you've eaten and absorbed its nutrients takes around 20 minutes. Thus eating too quickly can lead to overeating as the brain doesn't have the time it needs to receive the fullness signals.
Another thing that I do is limit my snacking in between meals. Now and then I'll have maybe a packet of crisps or a chocolate bar if I'm on my period, otherwise, it's normally a cup of tea in the evening and maybe a biscuit or two if there are any that are worth having from the tin (most of the time, they aren't).
I hardly watch what I eat. As a foodie, I can't think of anything worse. I'm not a fruit person but I do like vegetables. I think moderation is key. If you only eat 'healthy' food aka rabbit food as I like to call it, you end up going on crazy binges to compensate and end back at square one.
If there are periods where I feel like I need to detox as I'm feeling poorly or lethargic, there are two things I cut down on: sugar and meat. Sometimes I go completely cold turkey and cut out sugar for a few months.
An interesting note, I have the exact eating habits as my dad. As an Asian Man who is almost 60, he does not eat like the typical Asian dad. He sticks to one plate of rice at lunch (portion is key), he eats slowly and he hardly snacks. As a result, I have never seen my dad being anything but lean and he has never had an 'Asian rice belly'.
Just to clarify, I'm only pointing out things that I think have helped me keep slim as I've been the same kind of size since 16/17 years of age.
What works for me, may not work for you. I am interested in hearing what does work for you though, so feel free to leave your comments.
