How Much Should I Eat?

In the field of clinical nutrition, we often address what to eat with our patients more than how much to eat, at least initially. But while in Europe recently I had an interesting experience that I wanted to share.

Upon arrival in Venice, I noticed how few native Venetians were overweight. Eating in restaurants I noticed that serving sizes were more in keeping with what I would normally eat as compared to the US where I usually find myself eating between a half and a third of what I’m served. The French are famous for saying that they don’t get fat because they stop eating when they’re no longer hungry, or 80% full. As compared, Americans state that they stop eating when their plate is empty or the “bag” is empty!

Some Simple Weight Loss Suggestions

While quality is much more important than quantity, both must be considered. If you have some weight to lose I’d like you to consider trying the following suggestions. These guidelines are commonly used in the field of clinical nutrition:

1. Eat slowly. Chew your food well, swallow it, and take a moment before taking your next bite. Yes, it will take more time to eat, but that’s a good thing actually.

2. Try to observe when you’re no longer hungry. It takes your brain 20 minutes to receive the signal of satiation, so if you consume your meal in less than 20 minutes it’s very likely that you’ll overeat.

However, if you do #1 above you can also successfully do this step: Stop eating when you are no longer hungry. If you discover that in fact you are quite full after a meal, realize that you’ll need to eat more slowly during your next meal. Stopping when you are no longer hungry will avoid the sensation of ever feeling overfull or “stuffed”.

3. Eat more plants. Plants are fruits and vegetables (beans and legumes) and if they are organic they are better for you. Go to your local Farmer’s Market and eat what’s in season. While beans and some whole grains are fine, these are not as high in the phytonutrients found in organic fruits & vegetables.

We simply do not eat enough fruits and vegetables in this country. Revolve your meal around them – you’ll feel better, you’ll be healthier, and you will lose weight.

4. This is just a little visual trick, but until you get used to points 1 and 2 above, it will help. And if you were taught to “clean your plate” as a child this will definitely help.

At home, put your food on a smaller plate and purposefully serve smaller portions. You’ll be surprised to find that you are no longer hungry after a much smaller portion than you’re used to.

5. When dining out, ask for a salad plate and take about one-third of your meal and put it on the salad plate and eat that first.

Remember all the points above and you may just find that the rest can come home for lunch the next day. If you do need some more food, eat the vegetables first.

These are not difficult to do but please remember that they in no way act as a substitute to the healthful diet that you have been placed on here at the clinic by your nutritionist – if you are a patient. If there’s a food that you are sensitive to, don’t eat it.

These guidelines are simply a quantitative action to be added to the qualitative one you may already working on. I hope you find this helpful. Please let me know if you need any assistance. We see patients from across the country as well as internationally at our Destination Clinic.