Think Before You Act - The Pause Diet
So this is basically the “pause diet”.
- Pause before you buy / serve yourself something
- Pause before your next spoonful or bite
- Pause halfway through what you are eating
So let’s think about this a little bit. How often do you just act without thinking and it causes you to not reach your goals in the long run? As a personal example, on Friday at work they had some birthday cake in the breakroom. I figured “hey, its Friday. I’ve had a long week and I’m going to eat some cake!” So I had a piece. Granted, I probably shouldn’t have even done that. But about 30 minutes later I said to one of my co-workers “I think I’m going to go and get another piece.” I took a few steps towards the break room but then paused, thought about it a minute, and in the end decided that it wasn’t worth it. Yes, it might taste good, but when I paused and just thought about my goals the the temptation was easier to beat.
So while the “Pause Diet” is not really a full on diet program, it can really help you to avoid making the mistakes in your diet that you know you shouldn’t make. Let’s break it down a little bit more:
Rule 1: Pause before you buy / serve yourself something
This rule goes along with the general rule that you should never shop on an empty stomach. Before you grab that candy bar or just order the big order of cheese fries think about what you’re doing. Make sure you’re making the right decision for yourself and a decision that will help you reach your goals.
Rule 2: Pause before your next spoonful or bite
This rule will help you to not overeat during your meals. I especially run into this problem when eating out or eating at a relative’s house. What if you applied this rule to the holiday season? Don’t most people gain weight over the holidays just because there is so much food in front of you all the time? If you combine rules one and two, you should also be able to get through the holidays with little damage.
Rule 3: Pause halfway through what you are eating
This rule is similar to Rule 2. Not only that, but it could liven up the conversation at the table because you can’t really talk when you’re stuffing your face (at least you shouldn’t if you mother taught you appropriate manners 
).
This is a very simple concept, but by applying these principles should really help you reach your goals.
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That is such a simple concept. I remember doing this in school as I ate a sandwich. Now we rush through dinner to get the kids in bed. What happened to dinner time conversations?
No kidding! The other thing that happens is we eat dinner in front of the TV and then sit for an extra hour afterwards letting the food settle while we relax. This would definitely help contribute to the overall sedentary lifestyle and mentality which definitely won’t help us reach our fitness goals.
Great post! This is very powerful, simple information, but so hard to apply!
I especially like #3, pause halfway through. I’ve been working on this one myself because I tend to eat whatever is in front of me and end up stuffed. If I would take time to pause, I think I would feel full and not need to eat the rest.
I read somewhere that it takes your brain 15 minutes to signal your stomach and most of us eat a whole meal in less than that! So pausing to slow down the eating process will leave you feeling full.
I work for Dish Networkand after reading your article, I felt a bit better. It’s a measly-Mc-Job.
I am so caught-up with a gillion channels of DISH-THIS, DIRECTV-THAT and TiVo that I should just stop a second and slow down.
Thanks for your article. It was very informative.
It’s interesting how people have utilize the same concept in saving towards weight loss dieting! I remembered reading some personal finance articles that one effective way to help people save is to continually ask yourself if it’s worthy to spend the money. I guess that pause diet work in the same way, except that you use in a different context.
Good insights and thanks for sharing this!
Cheers,
Darren
The pause diet seems so simple but it works. It’s just a matter of stopping for a second and thinking about what you’re about to eat and feed your body.
This is particulary effective for me when I’m shopping for groceries…
It’s crazy but it’s like we’ve lost the ability to think because that’s basically all this is!
Pause before you buy is a huge one for me as I’m a huge label reader. I think it’s important to know what is in your food prior to eating… just like you said!
Ugh I’m so guilty of eating and then laying down or taking a nap and that’s the worst thing you can do after a meal…
I take this a step further and only bring nutritious food into the house and then force myself to at home (I work at home) instead of eating out for lunch.
if u want to reduce fat from ur body u must have a fatfree diat plan and have a daily workout of minimum 40 minutes.