7 Diet Tips I Learned from my Skinny Husband
I'm always looking for that miracle cure that will solve my weight issues. Forever! I decided the best strategy to win this battle of the bulge was to observe “the enemy" (a naturally skinny person) in action. The selected target? My husband. He’s never had a problem with his weight so he’s never developed any emotional attachment to food. I hypothesized that as a result he must have all the answers to the best way to stay fit.
I’ve spied on him and grilled him with questions and here are the 7 diet tips I learned from my skinny husband:
- Don’t diet. The common use of the word “diet” means a period of time where we restrict what we eat in order to lose weight. You might lose a pound here or there, but will you keep it off? My husband recommends adopting the real definiton of the word “diet” — a lifetime way of eating. Pick something that you can do every day for the rest of your life and then do it.
- Eat an Apple a Day. My husband came up with this on his own, but there are studies that show that people who eat an apple a day eat fewer overall calories. He's living proof that it works.
Brush Your Teeth After Every Meal. My husband says if he could write a weight-loss book it would have only one page and it would say this, “Brush your teeth after every meal.” There’s something about the change in flavors in your mouth that signals it’s time to stop eating.- Manage Your Eating. Have you ever heard yourself say, “Oh, I’ll go ahead and eat the rest of these fries. I just won’t eat dinner tonight.” Know for a fact that you’re going to eat dinner tonight (and every night) and keep your lunchtime meal a little slimmer as a result.
- Remember Your Future Self. My husband will frequently eat one cookie after a meal. I don’t know how he does it, but he does. I asked him about it and he responded that if he ate all the cookies today, his future self would be disappointed not to have any. When you’ve got some particularly yummy cookies in front of you, it’s tempting to want to have more than one. But it is important to realize that there will be more for you to have in the future…if you don’t eat them all now.
- Eat Your Veggies. Obviously breakfast is an exception to this rule, but my husband tries to have a veggie with each meal. PB&J sandwich with chips for lunch? That’s fine; he just adds some baby carrots on the side. Pasta for dinner? Steamed broccoli makes a great side dish. This is an easy way to get your veggies in for the day in addition to doing a little low-calorie filling up.
- Have a High Metabolism. I know this one sounds unfair, but even though my husband can eat whatever he wants, he also works out on a regular basis. Studies show that regular exercise is an important part to any weight management plan. Find an activity for you that you enjoy doing and go do it!
Follow Technorati