It’s no secret that
We tend to eat more when we are faced with a buffet…
After all, too much choice = don’t want to make the wrong choice / miss out so we often pile up the plates
I’ve been there 😂
Walking around,
😮 wow Chinese chicken
*puts some chicken on plate*
Oh 😮 wow they have a grill. I’ll have done prawns and steak
Or wow look at those starters
And sushi
And puddings
😮 they have waffles
“I’ll have one of them”
I could go one 😂
The more choices we have the more we tend to eat.
For a variety of reasons
One being we don’t get taste fatigue so quickly
After all, if you gave me unlimited Chinese chicken wings…
I could only eat so much before getting a bit bored.
But if you give me some sides, some other meats and fish, some rice…
I’ll get less bored of the wings…
Studies show this.
For example, let’s say you’re given
Macaroni and cheese (delicious and often used in research)
You might start off really enjoying it
However, you’ll reach a stage where you’ll eventually get full of macaroni cheese …
But you’ll still have room for pudding.
Sounds familiar, right?
There’s more…
When people were given macaroni and cheese
But then offered some chips etc
Whilst eating the meal
People ate more macaroni and cheese
And it took them longer to feel full and satisfied.
There’s even more 🚀
❌ Listening to the radio, being on your phone and watching tv could also increase your food intake and impact how full you feel
But…
you can flip all of this in your favour 😃😃
✅Variety can make you eat more.
Increasing the variety and quantity of veg in and around meals can increase the likelihood we eat more veg.
^^^ interesting study showed giving kids veg as a starter meant they are more veg as they weren’t competing with the pizza or pasta 😉 research in adults also shows that those who have a salad before a meal are less (they had vinegar on the salads too which can help blood sugar levels)
✅ add 10 chews to your mouthful today (super simple one)
✅ Finally, set your expectations before you go. Are you giving yourself permission to eat whatever you want? Great, choose to do that. Or are you choosing to fill your plate with a good protein source, lots of veg and then a carb of choice. Either way, rather than just “I’ll try and be good” (whatever that means) it’s about balance and setting your expectations 😀
Something all of which we go over in our Pre Christmas Habit Challenge which starts next week!
Message me with “Christmas” and I’ll get you the details
Matt