If we listen to our bodies, eating when we're hungry and stopping when we're no longer hungry, we will eat small, frequent meals and snacks. And the self-discipline of stopping is easier than you think. If you find it hard to stop eating, just remind yourself that you'll be hungry again in a few hours, and you can finish your meal then.
There are amazing benefits to being an adult. Many of us grew up with siblings who would take our favorite food or candy from us, so if we liked something, we had to eat it all fast. But as adults, we don't have to continue this "now or never" relationship with food. (In fact, next time you sit down to eat, look around to see if anyone is waiting to steal your food. You might be happily surprised.) So we can slow down and savor our food. We can put leftovers in a box and eat them later. Worst-case scenario: if someone eats our leftovers, we can go buy more. Adults have purchasing power.
What about snacking at night? Most of us figure when we eat late in the evening, we won't be burning off those calories since we'll just be going to sleep. Thus, eating late is taboo. But what if you're really hungry at ten p.m.? Will the calories from what you eat turn into an extra roll around your belly by morning?
Although our metabolism slows down while we sleep, it doesn't turn off completely. If you go to bed hungry, your nighttime metabolism will actually be lower than if you had eaten.    more ...
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