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A Simple TWEAK to Help You Eat LESS
Have you ever heard of “time delayed” eating?
I hadn't either, until I stumbled upon new research conducted at Carnegie Mellon University and published in the Journal of Marketing Research, that demonstrated it could be used to increase the likelihood of healthful dietary decisions.
Naturally, I felt compelled to share it with you immediately!
Delayed eating is simply ordering, or at least choosing your meals wayyyy before you eat them. For example, deciding in the morning what you will make for dinner or order when you go out to eat.
Researchers found that when you do this, many times you'll choose healthier options EVEN without the intent to do so.
They also found that being less hungry only explained a small part of the difference. And that the longer the delay, the fewer calories consumed. (38 less calories for every hour in fact)
So why does this happen?
According to Eric VanEpps, one of the researchers, it happens because we have a bias toward the present. He says...
"If a decision is going to be implemented immediately we just care about the immediate consequences, and we discount the long-term costs and benefits. In the case of food, we care what's happening right now - like how tasty it is - but discount the long term costs of an unhealthy meal."
In other words, always living in the moment can be bad news for your waistline.
Fortunately, I've come up with 6 fairly simple ways to incorporate time delayed eating into your daily life.
How to Incorporate Time Delayed Eating Into Your Life
1. Use our Paleo Meal Plans.
Our meal plans facilitate effortless delayed eating. They even come with a weekly shopping list! Oh, and they’re DELICIOUS too. Seriously everyone who has tried them raves about them. Get Your Paleo Meal Plans HERE.
2. Dedicate a "Meal Plan" day.
Even if you don't want to try our meal plans, still choose one day a week to plan your meals and create a master shopping list. It will save you time, prevent waste, and allow you to practice delayed eating in an organized, strategic way.
3. Batch Bake.
Whenever you make dinner, make twice as much as you need so you can use the leftovers for lunch the following day. Then you can rest assured you're making healthy decisions the next day, too.
4. Peruse the menu beforehand.
Whenever you go out and eat, check out the menu ahead of time. That way you can make a healthy decision BEFORE you even get there and while your brain is still weighing both the pros and cons.
5. Carry high quality snacks.
Research has shown that snacks chosen ahead of time were far healthier (think apples) then those chosen in the moment (think candy bar). Try our 100% Grass Fed Beef Sticks for an excellent option or cut up fruit and veggies to take with you on the go.
6. Order groceries online days in advance.
This study also found that when people ordered groceries in advance they purchased healthier products. I can vouch for this. Whenever I shop when I'm hungry I spend way MORE on less nutrient dense foods. Shop ahead of time and you'll make far better decisions.
I just started implementing time delayed eating into my life with our Meal Plans and it's a game changer.
Seriously.
No more last-minute "whoops" meals or all-night snack-a-thons that lead to poor quality sleep and cravings the next morning.
Just nourishing dinners you can look forward to all day long.
And when you make enough (as per tip #2), you can use the leftovers for lunch the next day which means you just leveraged the power of time delayed eating twice in 24 hours.
Bam!
Hope it helps you feel better than ever!
Want support incorporating time delayed eating into your life?
Pick up our Paleo Meal Plans today.
Simplify your life and let us help you take the stress out of meal planning, shopping, and cooking. Our Paleo Meal Plans are so delicious...you'll never know they're healthy!