Long weekend binges: avoid the dreaded food coma

It’s the long weekend and, if your family is anything like mine, this probably means it will be a weekend of eating followed by a good old belt loosening. It’s almost inevitable that on these occasions we will eat too much and then later complain about how much we ate. A little indulging never hurt anyone, but when we take it overboard we tend to become disappointed in ourselves later.

The best eating advice that I ever heard was this: Eat when you’re hungry and you’re unlikely to have any weight or health problems. Think about it: this means listening to your body and eating when you want to, and stopping when you feel full. There is nothing revolutionary about this, but most of us tend to forget it sometimes.

Here are some tips to prevent you from slipping into the dreaded food coma:

• Drink a lot of water with your meals- this will help fill you up so you don’t overeat.
• Eat an apple before your meal- this has a lot of filling fiber and will prevent you from eating too much later.
• Try to limit your alcoholic intake- alcohol is full of empty calories and will make you feel bloated. Stick to a glass of wine with your meal and stay away from beer.
• Think about how you’re going to feel when the meal is done- you don’t want to feel like you can’t move when you’re done, so be conscious of how lousy you’re going to feel if you eat too much.
• Keep occupied by engaging in conversation- it takes our bodies about 20 minutes to register how full we are, so eating at a slow pace allows us to realize we’re full before we’re ready for seconds
• Don’t be afraid to eat- if you over-fixate on everything you consume, you’re more likely to get frustrated and binge later on. Have a piece of dessert if you feel like it. And, if you feel like a few different kinds, cut the portions into quarters.