It may be that combining eating with mental work -- even something as mindless as watching reruns -- diminishes the taste of food. With our attention focused elsewhere, the mind becomes less sensitive to tastes like saltiness and sweetness.
We do have the cognitive ability to project days or weeks or even years into the future, but we don't do it when we're making food choices in the here and now. What if we could trick ourselves into keeping our heads in the future?
University of Michigan psychologist Brent McFerran has come to believe that our naĆÆve theories of weight control are not entirely harmless, and indeed that they could undermine our own efforts to achieve a healthy weight.
Since we all get older every year, it raises an important question: "What should I be doing if I want to continue my annual renewal and stay healthy so I can continue to enjoy the journey?"
It's that time of year again. Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years are upon us, and along with them, the most weight-gaining window on the calendar. If you are trying to maintain your weight, it's a downright "dangerous" time.
It's that time of year again. The older I get, the more it feels like it just was Halloween a few months ago. This is the time of year when our weight can begin to creep up.
There is no doubt that the mind can affect the body. But the question is -- can we harness this connection to make health-giving changes in our bodies?
New evidence from the University of Chicago suggests that dieters may be fundamentally different in their response to temptation -- in a way that actually increases risk of gaining weight during the holidays.
Even though you are not physically hungry, your body gave you the signal to eat. That's the work of three hormones in your body that control hunger -- insulin, ghrelin and leptin.
Fantasy Healthball makes a game out of maintaining good eating habits and committing to regular exercise. It identifies 22 diet and exercise challenges that will lead to better health.
Here's a fact I'm not proud of: I've gained about 10 pounds in the last year. There, I said it. I attribute this to two things: Getting married and making friends.
The problem of childhood obesity is particularly concerning and simultaneously vexing to solve because the issue with childhood obesity is not children, but the environment in which they live.
To feel skinny on a fat day try to add structure, and perhaps play with proportion so you'll look longer and leaner -- hiding under tentlike clothes will likely just remind you that you're feeling less than awesome.
I may be temporarily moving back to London for a project, but really it's just part of a bigger preoccupation with the things I look forward to eating when I travel internationally. I'm not talking about Michelin-starred restaurants, or under the radar family owned places. My tastes are quirkier.
Just how much better is the Wii Fit than sitting on your couch? Well, it turns out that the amount of exercise you get from the Wii Fit is only a wee bit better than doing nothing.
What I ask people to do is to get on the scale every day. Yes, every day. Write down your weight each day and average it out over the course of a week. This keeps you awake and aware to what is going on.
If you want to change your weight, or any bad habit, beating yourself up is never a good option. To change we need energy. We need to feel hopeful, positive and powerful.
As we move from summer to fall, into the new school season and new year, I am wondering if you would like to join with me as I recommit to my health, ...
Fat, sugar and salt; the triple threat to our waistlines... and health. Mere decades ago, the food industry made a conscious choice to seduce the Amer...
You do have to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. You can't rely on processed foods to be healthy. You have to cook, a little and learn the calories in the food you eat.