Six Things Everyone Can Do to Lose Fat #2

#2  Change the Order In Which You Eat & Chew Deliberately

All consumed calories can be classified as protein, fat, or carbohydrates, and may contain fiber as well.  The way these different constituents affect your blood sugar, and therefore your insulin levels, can change depending on how much of each you eat and in what order you eat them.  The less insulin released, the less fat your body stores.

        

    Eat Fats First:  If you eat your fats earlier in the meal (or even a few minutes before your meal), this has the biggest impact on your glycemic response.  Try to avoid fats that are combined with processed carbohydrates (sorry… no cheesecake).  Almonds, Brazil nuts, and other healthy nuts are a good choice.  If you can’t have nuts, consider a fish oil supplement, or even a fatty protein like an egg or certain cheeses.  If your meal doesn’t contain any low-carb or carb-free fats, skip to your protein.

          

  Eat Protein Next:  Eating your protein before you get to your carbs serves the same glycemic purpose as eating fat first, but to a lesser extent.  Eating your protein first also increases the likelihood of being satisfied before you’ve eaten a loaf of bread and half a pound of French fries.

         

   Eat Carbs Last:  Now that you have started to sate your hunger with foods that don’t cause huge spikes in blood sugar and insulin, you can enjoy some carbs with a little less worry.  Even if you over-indulge a little bit, the fat and protein you already ate will help mitigate blood insulin release.  Remember…  you don’t have to eat everything on your plate.  For further results, you can eat non-starchy vegetables first, starchy vegetables next, then fruits, and processed carbs last (sugar, bread, cake).

        

    Chew… Then Chew Some More:  Deliberate chewing can help stop overeating by dictating the pace and the psychology.  Chewing every bite 20 times (or any other number you like…  a double digit number, slacker) forces you to slow down so your brain gets the message that you don’t need any more food.  You are also more likely to be satisfied if you are enjoying your meal.  Taking the time to chew every bite instead of inhaling can help you pace yourself, and add to the pleasure you get from eating.