Two Small Ways to Whittle Your Waist
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As two new studies show, when it comes to diets, the popular phrase “Go Big or Go Home” doesn’t apply. In fact, shrinking your meals and the size of your bites can pay off big.
For the first study, published in Physiology & Behavior, French researchers set out to test whether eating smaller meals more frequently really does prevent overeating. On various days they served a group of men a 675-calorie breakfast—either all at once or in quarters (about 169 calories) once every hour for four hours.
The researchers found that the men were less hungry at lunchtime when they ate their breakfast in mini meals. Even when given the option of a free lunch buffet afterward, they consumed less food compared to the days they ate one large breakfast. The “grazing” method appeared to affect their hunger hormones—levels of both ghrelin and GLP-1 reflected a decreased appetite.
In addition to reducing meal size, taking smaller bites can also have a favorable impact on calorie intake. In a study published Wednesday in Plos One, Dutch researchers found that people who took small sips of soup consumed about 30 percent less than people who took larg sips. Diners who took larger sips also tended to underestimate how much they ate. "Consuming small bites rather than large bites involves more bites for consumption of the same amount of food," the researchers wrote. "Due to a relatively higher number of bites … small bites may lead to lower food intake."
For more easy ways to slim, check out these 30 Second Weight-Loss Tips.
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