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Tip of the Week: You are Where You Eat
In a Restaurant: Along with shrinking your wallet, eating out may expand your waistline. A large body of researchhas found associations between eating out frequently and high levels of obesity, body fat and higher body- mass index. University of Memphis found that women who eat out between six and 13 times per week eat an average of 290 extra calories each day, as well as higher sodium and fat intake. Save yourself the extra calories—and a few dollars—by eating in.
In front of a Screen: Whether it's a television or computer, sedentary snacking while surfing the Web or watching TV can mean a lot of mindless snacking. Researchers at several major institutions have found television watching to be a risk factor for obesity, especially in children and adolescents. Snacking while watching is a double threat: it both leads to mindless snacking and takes up time that could be spent participating in calorie-burning activities.
The way to keep your eating in check, says Taub-Dix, is to ditch the distractions. "Whether you're eating in front of the TV, on the phone, while reading, at your desk, it all has the same net result," she says. "You are focusing on another activity and missing out on the taste and texture of the food." The best solution is the simplest: a sit-down meal at your dining-room table.
© 2007
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Member Comments
Posted By: kshortSD @ 07/08/2008 2:38:07 PM
Comment: You are so right. In my opinion, people make poor choices knowingly, and just make excuses (It's a special occasion, or it's my favorite restaurant, or I've been so good lately). I've always been a healthy eater, but I've always struggled a little with 5 or 10 extra pounds. So, for an experiment, I spent a week counting calories and writing a diary log of everthing I ate. What did I discover? Despite my best efforts, I was eating more than I needed to eat. Once I learned approximately HOW MUCH I should eat in a day, I had a better overall knowledge that helped me make better decisions. I recommend the calorie counting test to anyone.
Regarding restaurant eating, most restaurants offer nutritional value online, so I sometimes check it out before heading to the restaurant. When I know that a single dish has more than 1000 calories, there is no danger of my ordering it no matter how good it sounds!
Posted By: robynmaxine @ 06/19/2008 5:35:05 PM
Comment: These are all really great ideas. Some people think that it is so difficult to eat healthy and/or lose weight but its really the small lifestyle changes that are going to make a difference and create a healthier you. Dieting doesn't work, changing the choices you make does. Bravo!