Flex Australia – June-July 2017

FLEXONLINE.COM.AU | FLEX 85

If your mind is elsewhere while you’re eating,

youcouldbeunknowinglyderailingyourdiet.

Case in point: a review of studies published in the

American Journal of Preventive Medicinefound

thateatingwhilewatchingTVwasstrongly

associated with the consumption of higher

portions of calorie-dense food and drink. Further,

researchers from the University of Bristol in the

UK discovered that people who ate a meal while

playing a computer game consumed double the

number of calories for dessert 30 minutes later

than those who dined distraction-free. Taking

attentionawayfromthefoodyou’reconsuming

causes a lack of awareness

about how much you’re actually

eating, which may lead to calorie

gluttony.You’llalsoremember

lessaboutthefoodifyouate

whilewatchingTVorworkingon

thecomputer,whichcanleave

youfeelingfamishedlateron.

YOU CHEAT

TOO LATE

Toomuchlate-night

icecreamcanblow

up your physique. But

scientists in Israel say

cheating in moderation

does work. Study

volunteers who added

adecadentitemlike

cookies, cake or ice

cream to their high-

protein, high-carb

breakfastkeptfatoff

better and had fewer

cravings throughout

the day than those

who went without.

Noshing on cheat foods

earlierinthedaycan

take advantage of your

metabolism, which is

higher in the morning

and generally wanes

as the day progresses.

Or,attheleast,eating

earlywillgiveyoumore

time in the day to burn

those calories.

AVOID THE TR AP You shouldn’t

necessarily top off your

breakfast with cheesecake,

butifyoufindyourselftoo

oftengivingintotemptation

for desserts, try adding

a reasonable amount to

yourfirstmealoftheday.

Itcouldbe30grams

of dark chocolate,

a few small biscuits

orathinwedgeofcake.

YOU’RE DRUNK

ON CALORIES

If you want to fend off flab, make

sure the majority of your calories

are in solid form. A study conducted

by scientists at the University of

Kansas Medical Center, US, found

that postmeal hunger and desire

to eat were greater when subjects

consumed liquid calories compared

with when they ingested the same

amount of energy from solid food.

The scientists found that the solid

meal led to a greater drop in the

hunger hormone ghrelin than the liquid

meal. Thus, it appears that calorie

for calorie, solid food does a better

job of curbing hunger and putting

the brakes on overeating. What’s

more, an investigation published in

theJournal of the American Medical

Association reported that fructose, a

sugar pumped into many sweetened

drinks, does a lousy job of telling

your brain to suppress hunger.

YOU’RE A

MINDLESS

EATER

AVOID THE TR AP We still encourage pre- and post-workout protein shakes to fuel muscle repair

andgrowth,butavoidtoomanyliquidcalorieselsewhereinyour diet. This means eating a

whole orange instead of chugging down OJ, taking your coffee without sugar and going easy

during happy hour. Turn to healthy, calorie-free drinks like green tea instead of sugary

options like bottled iced teas.

AVOID THE TRAP Make it a priority to make mealtime

just that: a time to focus on the food you’re eating,

not the never-ending spam e-mail in your inbox.

This means meals should be eaten at the dinner

table or in the office break room instead of on

the lounge or in front of the computer.

Cocktails can be

twice as bad as soft

drink —the sugar

spikes insulin and

the alcohol dials

down your

metabolic rate.

FOCUS ON

THE FOOD

Lunch at your

computer is a

surefire path

to overeating.

DIET

TRAP

DIET

TRAP

DIET

TRAP

EARLY BIRD

Head off late-night binges

by treating yourself to

a little of the good stuff

in the morning.