Eat too much food?

Do you ever get halfway through a meal and feel like you are full, but you continue to eat just so that you can clear your plate? Somewhere in the back of your head you have your grandmother’s voice saying things like: "If you don’t finish what’s on your plate, you can’t go out and play” or “Think about all the starving children in Africa.”

Granny has a good point – why waste food? So instead of letting it go to waste, we let it go to waist... or hips, or butt, or thighs – maybe that flabby bit under the arms. After all, if the starving kids in Africa can’t eat much, how better to empathise with them than to get fat by eating way past when we are full!

Having portion sized meals on a dinner plate makes them look small and unappealing. However, if you take the same portion and put it on a side plate, it instantly looks bigger and more satisfying. Eating off a small plate will allow you to control your portion size and not overeat. Overeating causes tiredness and bloating, as you overwhelm the body into lethargy. We are trying to get to a point where you are only eating what you need, and you are able to know exactly what your body actually needs. This week, your task is simple. Eat all your meals off a side plate, or out of a small bowl. That way, you won’t be forced to eat more than you have to. Start by packing all your dinner plates away. Granny Maths says you’ll be saving hundreds of African kids, and Grandpa will be happy that you are saving hundreds of dollars a month in food bills.

So to recap, you should be having a glass of water before every meal, and your meals should be served on a side plate. Every morning, you should be having a multivitamin with a glass of water, and during the day, you will drink enough water to have long clear wee and to never feel thirsty. Simple really!

This article comes from the bestselling book Never Diet Again.