In today's world of consumption we could all learn to want a little less, and this is especially true with food. The abundance of choices and readiness of prepared food products is unparalleled. No other generation before us has had so much food available to them, and for so cheap.
This availability comes at a price though, and our waistlines have been paying it.
In 2012 the government released its finding from a self-reported statistics questionnaire and within that questionnaire they found that 18 per cent of us reported that we would classify ourselves as obese and 41 per cent of men and 26.9 per cent of women reported that they were overweight.
In addition, it was also sadly reported that almost a third of all children aged five to 17 were either obese or overweight.
Clearly I will not be out of a job any time soon.
If you would like to learn how to eat less, try these five easy tips to get you back in control of your body and your appetite.
. Hide the food. Studies have shown that we eat more food if the food is left out on the table. So, once you have plated your meal put the dishes back in the kitchen, or even better the fridge.
On the flip side, when storing your food in the fridge or cupboards put the good stuff in clear view of your eye sight. For instance, place your vegetables right smack in the center of your fridge and hide the processed, bad foods in the crisper. Out of sight, out of mind.
. Trick your brain. Use smaller plates and taller glasses.
Food looks like more on smaller plates, creating an illusion to our grey matter that we are eating more, and taller, rather than wider, glasses makes the volume look more substantial.
. Eat protein for breakfast. Experts suggest eating at least 30 grams of protein (that's two eggs and some cottage cheese) to help come out of the fast that you have done through the night and to replenish your protein stores - so that your body does not start drawing on your own muscle tissue.
Eggs, and other wholesome high protein foods, will also help regulate your appetite for the day, filling you up for a longer period of time.
. Serve yourself 20 per cent less. It's been proven that our margin for mindless eating starts after 80 per cent. That means that after we have eaten 80 per cent of our plate, the remaining 20 per cent is mostly mindless. The body does not need it for survival; we are simply eating it because we have stopped being aware.
. Drink water. Our body cannot distinguish whether it is thirsty or hungry.
Rather it has one signal that it releases when it craves either, and in my experience people are usually dehydrated before they are actually hungry.
When you get the signal from your stomach have a large glass of water and wait 10 minutes. Stomach still grumbling? Have another glass and wait another 10 minutes.
Don't drink your calories either. Recent studies have found that the calories we consume in liquid form don't register as food in the brain's satiety centres.
Water is the only liquid that will fill us up - anything else is simply extra calories to our waistline.
P.J. Wren is the fitness half of the Go Fit Gal team - an online fitness and nutrition website. www. gofitgals.com.
