12 Weeks No Diets, Week 3
Hi 🙂
Today we start week 3 of 12 Weeks No Diets!
To recap, here are the goals from the past two weeks.
Mindful Goals:
- Eat when you’re hungry, Stop when you’re satisfied.
- Identify any mindless eating routines you may have, think of a different activity to work on breaking those routines.
Nutrition Goals:
- Drink at least 12 oz of water with each meal, and 8-12 oz of water between meals.
- When hungry, at at least one piece of fruit per day, and include veggies in some form (preferably fresh) for two meals.
Week 3 Goals:
This week we’ll be focusing on meal timing and portion control. These two really go hand in hand.
Meal Timing
This can be so confusing. We’ve heard so many conflicting things. Eat six small meals per day, eat three meals and two snacks, don’t snack, don’t eat past 7 p.m., etc…. If we google “how many meals to eat per day” there will be tons of websites all with conflicting information. The bottom line is… it’s different for everyone. You have to do what works best for your body! You are responsible for setting your own rules. Some people work best eating many small meals per day, and others don’t. I know for me, three meals a day works with a snack or two when I’m hungry. I have friends that eat smaller portions several times per day, and that works for them. What I’m trying to say is don’t force something that doesn’t work. You have to listen to your body and eat when you’re hungry.
If you’re trying to follow a plan that makes you eat every 2-3 hours, but are never hungry, that could your bodies way of telling you not to eat. You want to feel a little hungry right before you eat. Not starving, but a comfortable hunger.
The body typically will ask for food every 3-5 hours depending on how big of a meal you ate last. I NEVER recommend going longer than 5 hours without eating. Keep an eye on the clock and be realistic. If you ate a cheeseburger and french fries and have the urge to eat again two hours later, that’s not real hunger. Be realistic. You know you just consumed a very high calorie meal, so you shouldn’t be feeling hungry. On the other hand, if you ate a smaller than normal breakfast and feel hunger 2.5-3 hours later, it makes sense to have a small snack to stretch yourself to lunch.
Portion Control
Watch your portions. This is a big one. The very first goal I set was “Eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re satisfied.” Technically this should help us control our portions, but sometimes we need a little more help. When we cook for ourselves its relatively easy to serve ourselves the proper portion. I like to give the simple rule of using your hand as a tool. Protein should be the size and thickness of the palm of your hand. Carbs should be the size of your fist, fat should be the size of your thumb, and non starchy veggies are unlimited.
Portion control can be a little harder when we eat out. I’m a big fan of ordering what I really want. The key is to not eat it all. Always take your time when you eat. Only eat half of what’s served and take the rest home. Think about the “hand rule” and keep those portions in mind. If you’re going to a restaurant that has a dessert you love, order a light dish and split the dessert with your dinner mate, or, just order the dessert.
Goals for this week:
- Meal timing – keep an eye on the clock. Never go longer than 5 hours without eating, and be sure to ask yourself “Am I truly hungry?” before eating.
- Portion Control – use your hand to control your portion sizes. When eating out, make it a rule to order what you truly want, and eat only half of what’s served. Take the rest home of delicious leftovers.
Workout of the week:
Click here for Jessica’s No More Resolutions Workout!
No More Resolutions will run for 12 weeks along with No Diets in the New Year
There are beginner, intermediate, and advanced workouts for everyone! My favorite thing about these workouts is that they can be done at home!
meal timing is soo important! i try to tell my roomies to not go over 5 hours without eating! in college everybody like never eats breakfast and eats HUGE lunches/dinners
this is super helpful…and meal timing is definitely a huge thing that helps me with portion control big time. one thing i’ve learned the past couple of weeks is i need to have my afternoon snack right after i do cardio on my lunch break (i take it around 3) so that i’m not starving when i get home from work. this helps me keep the dinner sizes smaller!
I agree that you need to listen to your body since all our needs are different! I am best with 3 meals and 2 snacks a day. It took a while for me to realize that though. Thanks for this post!
I think this is some really great info. I think people try to follow so many plans the forget that they need to listen to what their body is telling them. I struggle with this personally because I have a bad digestive system and can go all day without feeling hungry. It’s dangerous but I just keep it on my mind.
Great tips. Meal timing is key for me. I get too hungry to just eat three meals a day. I generally have a small snack between meals so I’m never starving when it’s time to eat. Besides, if I were to eat only three meals a day I’d be going from 8 am (post-breakfast) to 1 pm (lunch) so hungry!
the mindfulness component is so important!!! hope you have a great monday
I love your suggestion for eating out. It makes so much more sense to order what I want and only eat half. It is so counter intuitive to me to restrict something altogether. I’ve been really mindful of what I have been eating lately. I eat when I’m hungry. I’m hungrier more than I thought I was, but I wasn’t paying attention to it. So, vicious cycle, I ate more than I needed to at my next meal.
Love your hand guidelines! So easy for people to remember!
Portion control..gah! That’s a big one for me!
Thanks, as always, for sharing this!
AWESOME tips…thanks!! 🙂
portion control is soo important. people in this country have no clue about it! Seriously this is such a great reminder!
I used to be so structured, too, til lil one came along. Yes, parenthood is the great equalizer, isn’t it! It BREAKS (rips!) you out of your comfort, i.e. structure, zone, doesnt it!!
xoxo
Timing is SO important for me. If I don’t pay attention, I end up eating too much.
Great post, great lifestyle choices emphasized here. I always try to share a meal or box half when eating out.
Question about the water: why is that necessary? I’ve actually received conflicting information about it, since some people say we don’t need that much, because we have water stored already in our food! It’s so confusing.
I remember a couple years ago when I heard that eating many smaller meals was better than eating a few larger ones. I tried that but it didn’t work for me! I totally agree, you just have to listen to your body.