Eating Less

I would certainly do it, Denis! I think obesity is now a worldwide problem, if I'm being honest. We could all do with eating less than what we do anyway. I mean, I live in a very hot country and because of this, I'm very rarely hungry. It would be very easy for me to always eat light, stick to salads maybe. But I don't always do this. Eating less would be good for our health, we'd shave off a few kgs and it would be good for our bank accounts. Granted, if I lived in a cold country, I'd struggle to eat less. I find I eat way more when it's freezing LOL

 

Just changing the diet to a healthy one cuts the calories drastically, so instead of restricting, you can eat enough to fill you AND cut costs. But you do have to eat more than tiny salads etc.. that's why most people end up back on a junk diet with bigger price tags, because they were starving themselves eating less food and less calorically dense foods to boot. Overeating on highly processed foods is expensive. Overeating on healthful food is hard.
And by healthy I don't mean boxed food in the next aisle over lol

 

I actually went on a major diet overhaul a couple of years back, and I was shocked at the amount of money that I was able to save by doing it. I realised that I was spending a lot of money on junk food when I was out of the house, and even being able to cut that out of my diet helped me a heck of a lot. I now watch what I eat, and try only to buy things from the supermarkets, because it tends to be cheaper than getting it from the smaller shops near where I live.

 

I also cut back on the food I purchased from the fast food restaurants when I noticed how much weight I had gained. By not eating at the fast food restaurants I lost weight and saved money. I purchase raw food from the grocery store and cook it myself which is better for me and my family by reducing the amount of fat in the food. Most people eat heavy meals and stop moving their bodies, they sit and watch tv or play games, which also a big reason so many people are over weight. The time of day you eat also contributes to a person weight problems. The heaviest meal of the day should be eaten earlier during the day before 4PM and little meals after that to avoid gaining weight.

 

Portion sizes are a big problem, but plenty of people overeat by calorie intake standards and still manage to maintain a decent weight. The biggest issue is that people overeat on sugar and sodium more so than anything else. It's these to substances that contribute to weight gain because they're just so unhealthy in large amounts. If people cut out their sodium and sugar intake to fairly low levels, then overeating wouldn't have such an impact on their waistline. I eat as much as I want, but I limit the sugar and salt. It's worked so far!

 

I hardly use salt in my cooking, because I prefer to use different spices to season my food. Although we love to eat out, we try to eat more at home, home made food. I struggle with cutting back on sugar, though. I totally agree on the value of portion size control over restriction because this is what I observe and it works great. My weakness is bread, and as we all know, with its gluten content, it contributes to bloating you up and giving you a belly LOL I am happy with my overall weight, but just need to work a little on my abs

 

Yes, salt is a huge issue. The daily recommended amount is far too much and most people are eating double that amount, if not more! I can't even believe what people get away with when telling our people how to live. That said though, just because someone is thin, does not mean they are healthy. As I always say, you can't trick the body.. if someone eats terribly and is thin, I'd hate to see their insides and I'd bet money that's where the fat is hiding (on, in and around organs etc). People equate whether they're fat or not with health and they seriously need to educate themselves.. most people are still living on 50s (bad) science.

 

I agree that eating less saves health and money. It is true you can eat more healthy food, but it is definite that we need to feel full sooner than when our stomach is hurting and stretched. I think this involves not eating foods that cause your taste buds to rule- the junk, processed foods.

 

When I was in high school, I sometimes didn't eat the whole day so that I could save my allowance to buy what I want, so I'm quite open to eating less just so that I could save some money. Although since I love to eat, I'm not sure if I can stick with that plan with a firm resolve, lol.

 

I wish I could eat less, but as a mom, it is my sole responsibility to feed my child. He is still getting his milk from me so I need to eat more than the average caloric requirement. I tend to be guilty when I eat small portions of food just to diet because I know he still needs my milk.

Maybe when my son weans off, I can start lessening my caloric intake. I am an avid vegetable and fruits eater so I have no problem with eating healthy foods. The only thing that I need to lessen is my rice intake as it really has high calorie.

 

Good point DH.
Most of us Westerners eat too many crappy calories.
You could save money and live longer by just eating less (but MORE of the good stuff and less of the garbage.)

 

My husband used to weigh 140 pounds. Some 2 years ago, he ballooned to 158 pounds as attested by his photo. When teased about his bulging tummy, he decided to do something about it. His cup or rice was lessened by 1/4 cup. He got used to that in a month's time so he lessened his rice to 1/2 cup. He got used to that half cup of rice for meals and it's been like that for more than a year. Now he is 140 pounds and not feeling any sacrifice at all.

 

Wow! I admire him for cutting down on his rice. I am very addicted to rice. I do not feel full without it and hence, losing weight is kind of hard. I just exercise to sweat out the excess rice I eat lol.

Sometimes when the meal is really delicious like fried tilapia or vigan longganisa, I cannot help but eat more of the rice. It just does not taste better to eat the fish or meat alone lol. I tried mixed brown and white rice which has helped me in maintaining my weight.

 

What does the rest of your diet look like, because I would bet money it's not the rice. I eat rice and I don't have weight issues. If the rest of your diet is mainly unprocessed, you'll be fine. And it's the thought process that you need to eat less that is the bigger problem.. your body will always fight to get you to eat once it realises you're restricting. Just eat real food when you're hungry and until you're satisfied. That's all there is to it. Would you give your baby less food than it wants? No. So why would you do it to yourself? You're just as important.. your health is just as important. Enough with the restriction, it's not safe or healthy. Always eat for health.. when you do, the weight takes care of itself.

 

Hi! Thank you for reading my comment!

I do love fish, chicken and vegetables. I rarely eat pork though. My dessert is always a fruit. I do appreciate that you do not think it is rice that makes me gain weight. I am actually at a good weight now at 123 pounds. I still eat a lot of rice and of course a variety of veggies or fish and chicken.

Before, I would eat until I am just half full which is really bad. So now, I eat until I am full and satisfied. I love your comment as not many people have advised me to eat until I am satisfied. Lol, most of my relatives poke fun at the weight I gained as I am really stick thin before.

But I have learned to accept this body as this is what is nourishing my child. And because of your comment, I probably would stick to eating healthily even after I wean my child.

 

I think what is important is eating the right kind of food than eating less. Choosing healthy food is beneficial in having a fit body. The food that we consume can affect our health. I think that you can also save money by buying the right food and avoiding other unhealthy stuffs.

 

Awesome! Yes, there is a lot of terrible information out there and so many "tricks" that don't actually trick your body. Not in the long run anyway.. it wants what it wants and will do anything to get it. Nutrients, water, eating enough... if you eat till your full (nutrient rich foods anyway) it won't fight you anymore. If you don't eat enough, you'll yoyo.. your body will always be trying to get you to eat more until it gets the nutrients it needs and most people read that as "cravings!" and gives it the wrong things and still it's left there wanting. Yes it's craving.. but it's craving the vitamins and minerals you're restricting. And fiber! Get lots of fiber. Especially from fruits and veggies.. everything you need in one food. So yes, just give it what it needs.. listen to your body and you'll be just fine

 

Every couple of weeks I fast for a day. I am not a big eater in the first place, but when it comes to saving money, I will sometimes even fast twice a month, or more. It doesn't affect my health. Quite on the contrary, I always feel energized and clearer in my mind after a day without food. I think it's not a bad idea to eliminate toxins while saving on money at the same time.

 

I have a hard time getting full or satiated on vegetables alone - and at times when I tried to eat more salads and veggies in place of starches and fats and processed food, at most I would only last a few days. Not to mention, vegetables themselves can be rather expensive overall too, plus you often need a lot of them to feel full vs. something like a hamburger.

I do feel that portion control is a big problem though. What most folks consider a single serving portion of many food items is often way more than it should be, and it's really difficult to un-train that from someone. To make matters worse, a lot of commercially produced food purposefully declare smaller "portion" sizes so they can keep the calorie and fat numbers lower on their food labels. Something like a can of soup will say that it serves 2, when in fact most people eat the entire can - but 180 calories and 5 grams of fat looks more enticing than 360 calories and 10 grams of fat.

One thing that kind of interested me, is when I was watching someone on Youtube preparing their lunches for the week. They bought this set of portion control containers - and basically the thought was that the containers themselves help you keep your calories in check. Basically, no matter what you can fit in them, it will generally be within 300 calories. Obviously if you filled the thing with ranch dressing, that's not the case. But more realistically, I'm talking about some pasta & sauce, or some chicken breast and veggies, etc...