I'm a fast eater. I always have been. I think it's something to do with having three brothers, all of whom are bigger than me and can devour a whole pizza (and have) for a snack. It was eat or be eaten in my house growing up.
If I go out for dinner or attend an event, I am renowned for engulfing my meal in two bites and then reaching for the sides because everyone else is still eating and it feels weird being empty handed, doesn't it? Functions are even worse because the waiters actually bring you food and those aranchini balls and mini pies are just wayyyyy too tempting!! So how can we stay on the health train without taking up knitting and drinking tea every Saturday night?
Well, I haven't found the miracle solution but I am going to give you 4 ways to save yourself some serious extra calories this weekend.
1. Eat slow. This might be the pot calling the kettle black BUT it does work. The slower you eat, the less you eat. Not only will you realise you're full before you finish your plate (and signal over for the waiter to take it away ASAP!) but if you're at a function, you don't normally reach for your second canape' when you're still eating your first meaning that you won't hit up the waiter every time he swans by.
2. Share a plate. You may feel like you could devour the whole menu by the time everyone arrives and you FINALLY sit down, but chances are that you will feel overly full if you eat a whole meal on your own (especially if it's a pub meal) Why not share with a friend or partner who "isn't that hungry" and save yourself that uncomfortably full moment post dinner when you want to sit in the corner and fall asleep. I don't know about you but I feel like a piggy if I scoff my dinner down when I'm sharing with someone else, so it normally slows me down too.
3. Order a side of greens. Ordering some garlic beans or asparagus with some warm butter is often a tasty addition to a meal and it will help to fill you up. Try your best to eat some greens before you eat what's on your plate and it may help you eat slower and eat less as well.
4. Go ahead, spoil your dinner. I use to have a small snack in the early evening so that I wasn't ravenous when I got to dinner. It sounds silly but when I was only peckish come time to eat, I would make better choices because I didn't immediately want to eat every burger on the menu. I would often choose a smaller sized meal and eat less of it too.
You can have it all, just not too much of it. Go ahead, order the burger, have that glass of wine and why not have some dessert to top it all off? I'm all about balance so I never say never BUT there are always conditions and here they are... don't have too much of it! Share a plate, share a dessert, don't drink 3 bottles of wine in one sitting and don't do it every day! Being healthy doesn't have to mean depriving yourself of everything you love but you don't have to act like a bull in a china shop when Friday hits.
Alyssa x