The Essential Weight Management Hack, Eat Less and Savor More

Unlock the secret to weight management with a simple yet powerful hack!

In this episode, we dive into the transformative concept of "Eat Less, Savor More." Discover how the Hawthorne Effect can revolutionize your approach to eating and weight loss. We explore why traditional diet fads often fall short and unveil a straightforward method that focuses on calorie observation rather than restriction. Learn how mindfulness in eating can lead not only to weight loss but also enhance your overall enjoyment of meals.

Key Takeaways:
- The Hawthorne Effect: Observing what you eat is more effective than following strict diets.
- Mindful Eating: Slow down, savor each bite, and enjoy meals while consuming less.
- Emotional vs Physical Hunger: Recognize emotional triggers and find healthier coping strategies.

Tune in now for an insightful journey towards mindful living and discover how small changes can make a big impact!

Just going to do a quick podcast on a little health tip titled Eat less, Savor more.

If you're looking to kind of manage your weight a little bit, there's a powerful hack that I believe supersedes everything else you hear about this particular diet, that particular diet, so forth. There's something called the Hawthorne Effect. The Hawthorne Effect is something that describes what happens when you are being observed and when a person is being observed, they change their behaviors. 

As it relates to health and our weight, if you want to lose weight, here's just a simple hack: you just have to eat less. Eat fewer calories than you burn every day and you'll lose weight. It doesn't matter what you eat. You can eat whatever you want as long as you're eating less than you're burning. If you eat more calories than you burn, your body naturally puts on weight and stores it as fat.

So if you've been caught up in any number of different diet fads, I am just telling you from my experience and the research I've done—they don't work. They don't last. Historically, you can do them for a period of time and then they fall off the wagon. Very few people on any particular diet are ever able to manage their weight long-term.

The only way that it's done is through the Hawthorne Effect—meaning you observe what it is you're eating. You count your calories, and then you can eat whatever you want, but you just don't go over a certain calorie amount a day. You figure out what that is for you.

If you start observing what you eat—and I’m not saying this is easy—it actually is one of the most challenging things in the world. I think it's easier to go to the gym and do a really hard workout, notwithstanding how hard that is. Going to the gym is easier than monitoring what you eat during the day.

But if 80% of the time we're eating emotionally, then being able to be more mindful about that and set a calorie count for ourselves—to monitor it, observe it—is key. Those who are able to do it and reach peak physical state—that's what they're doing: they're monitoring what they eat.

Some of the gurus in this field say they don't tell people what to eat because it never goes well; they don’t prescribe this particular diet or that one. They simply say if you eat more than you expend, you'll gain weight. So it's a balance between exercising consistently and monitoring what you eat.

Yes, it takes effort, but it depends on whether you really want to feel healthier and look better. That's the secret hack. It's not complicated even though it's very challenging to do.

Learning to be uncomfortable from time to time—to feel a little hunger—that's okay. It's okay to sit with that feeling, and sitting with it is extremely powerful.

I'm thinking of the Greek philosopher Thucydides who said one of the manifestations of power is restraint impresses men the most. Apply that to your food intake today.

If just one little change—whatever you're eating—try eating a little less than what you'd normally put on your plate. If you want to test and see if this works for you, I would encourage you to start counting your calories and look at the scale periodically.

Simply ask yourself: how many calories did I eat today? Am I gaining or losing weight? If you lose a little bit every day and keep doing that, your weight will go down.

Then add exercise into it—you have the best of both worlds—and try to find that middle ground. That's always ongoing; it's always moving.

But if you observe and monitor what you're eating regularly—not so much what you're eating but how much—that's the great hack in learning to control your weight.

Again, I'm thinking of some of the greatest philosophers and thinkers of all time—like Marcus Aurelius, one of the last great Roman emperors—who said: "Pleasures when unrestrained become punishments." That can relate to food or other things like social media distractions where seemingly harmless indulgences actually come with negative consequences.

Another quote I remember from the Harry Potter movies by Dumbledore says: "To refrain from an act is no less of an act than to commit one." In other words, saying no—to resist temptation—is an active process.

For example: saying no to eating that pint of ice cream after a stressful day because instead you'll go for a walk or take some other action to relieve stress rather than trying to solve problems by eating them away—which doesn't work in the long term.

Sure, eating might make you feel better instantly—dopamine firing in the brain—but afterward comes remorse: "Oh man, I shouldn't have done that." Then feeling worse sets in and triggers more cravings in a vicious cycle leading to struggles with depression because you're not feeling healthy.

So learning to be uncomfortable is necessary; making peace with some pain in life is essential for mental health—and that's okay.

It's similar when working out hard or going for a run or walk—it’s hard and effortful but generally makes us feel better afterward.

Learning to manage yourself and observe yourself—that’s mindful practice; that's what being mindful is about.

So anyway, again: The hack for no weight loss or weight gain simply goes like this: Eat less, savor more. Slow down when you eat and enjoy your food but eat less of it and make it more of a mindful experience—you can actually enjoy your meals more while losing weight.

It has everything to do with simply the amount of food we are taking into our bodies—we usually don’t need as much as we’re eating since 80% of our eating is emotional eating.

So think about that next time you're having a craving—see if there’s something else you can do instead; examine yourself.

We all have decisions and choices about our health and how we want to look—but if you want to lose a little weight, portion control is the key hack.

Anyway, all right guys—have an amazing day!