08 Nov Automatic Weight Loss Kitchen

We often fail to stick to our diet because we rely on willpower too much.  Like a bottle of water, our willpower is of limited supply. When we empty it during a 24 hour period, we can’t refill it until the next day. Designing an environment which fosters conserving willpower is one of the keys to success.

Another key is not to change too many things at once. We should change a few key things, and do those things until they are habit.  If we tackle too much at once, we set ourselves up for failure. The biggest change should start in our home. Unfortunately, we arrange our homes to make our favorite foods easier to find and eat. Instead try the following tips

1. If our plate is the same color as the food we are eating, we tend to serve ourselves 18% more. Choose plates of a different color, if possible. Darker plates may be helpful since many people have problems with starches which are typically lighter colored foods.
2. Serve yourself on 9 inch plates instead of 12 inch plates.
3. Clean unhealthy quick snack foods off the counter, like sugary breakfast cereals, chips, holiday cookies, and chocolate. One study showed that women with sugary breakfast cereal on their counters weighed in general 21 more pounds than those that didn’t. Instead, leave healthy choices like a bowl of fruit on the counter.
4. Empty kitchens will also contribute to weight gain, because we tend to eat out more often.
5. Put more tempting foods, if you buy them in the first place, in the back /hard to reach places of cabinets.
6. Make you kitchen more uncomfortable to hang out in. The more time you spend in the kitchen, the more you will eat. Remove TV’s and comfy chairs.
7. If you have open shelves use them for anything else but food. You are 3 times more likely to eat the first food you see.
8. Remove all the fruits and vegetables from the crisper bin, and place them at eye level in the refrigerator. Place more unhealthy foods out of sight in the crisper bins.
9. If you insist on buying unhealthy snack foods for the kids, set up a designated “kids section” in the pantry for all of their sugary foods that are off limits to you.
10. Make sure you keep your pantry and refrigerator stocked with healthy staples from which you can quickly cook healthy meals.
11. Buy a refrigerator with the freezer on the bottom.  That will place all the healthy foods in the middle of you refrigerator at eye level.
12. Cover unhealthy foods with aluminum foil, so they can not be easily seen. Cover healthy choices with transparent plastic wrap.
13. A dark colored kitchen encourages us to linger and eat longer. Bright colors encourage us to eat quickly and too much. Neutral colors seems to be the best.

Here’s to the Journey!

(David W. Ball, MD – Internal Medicine Physician, co-founder of Tyler Internal Medicine Associates, and co-founder of Life Changing Fitness, a fitness facility for Every Body)