5 Tips To Stop Overeating

When you were a baby you ate whenever you were hungry and stopped when you felt satisfied. However as you age, your mind and body become exposed to numerous fad diets, ads, the habit of rewarding yourself with food, and using food as an outlet. This causes you to unfortunately lose the satisfying feeling and overeat.

What’s very important to implement into your lifestyle is to eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re satisfied.

So how can you relearn how to eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full? Follow the 5 tips below and you’ll be enjoying your food a lot more with the added bonus of losing a few pounds in the process.

Slow Down

Honestly, this isn’t rocket science over here. Anybody can start eating a bit more slowly…even you. If you’ve been reading my newsletters for the past year you might remember some other eating tips I recommended such as “sip water between bites” or “chew your food before swallowing”.

These tips are all aimed to slowing you down when you eat. What’s interesting is that it takes 12 or more minutes for food satisfaction signals to reach the brain of a thin person, but 20 or more minutes for an obese person. By eating slowly, this ensures that these important messages have time to reach your brain so you feel satisfied and not stuffed like a turkey.

Awareness

Take your eating to a whole new level. Instead of just eating while you work or drive sit down and enjoy your meal with no distractions. When you do eat while you work, or drive this distracts you and most importantly your body will tend not to register the food (calories) and you’ll begin to over eat.

Try and find a quiet place with no distractions to enjoy your food. I enjoy eating my meals outside, it’s peaceful and there isn’t anything to distract me from my meal.

It’s all about the first bites

Believe it or not, food enjoyment comes from the first few bites. After the first few bites your taste buds start to lose their sensitivity to the chemicals in your meal that make it taste good. Nourishing your taste buds by really savoring those first few bites can help you stop eating.

Change it up

Instead of using those enormous plates and filling them up right to the edge. Switch to smaller plates. This will help you pay more attention to the presentation of the meal and increase your awareness of the food in front of you. The way it works is that your brain looks at the plate and analysis the portion to see if it’s enough. It takes some time, but in the end it’s a lot more beneficial to have a smaller plate.

Smaller plate = Smaller portion.

Go for the satisfying foods instead

You know the foods that are not so satisfying but still pack on the calories? You want to stay away from them. Keep in mind that the higher the fiber, protein, and/or water content of a food, the more likely it is to be satisfying in your stomach without going crazy on calories.

Here’s a quick list of some satisfying foods.

- Turkey Sandwich on whole wheat

- Oatmeal

- Bean Burrito

- Grilled cheese on whole wheat

- Veggie omelet

Finding Sea Glass

I went to "the Cove" the other day, a north-facing inlet on the Pacific with tidepools, rock formations, cliffs, caves and pebbley-sand. These nautical environs provide the perfect conditions for finding sea glass.

Sea glass is trash-become-treasure, most of the time. Beaches that used to be dump sites, are next to dump sites, and beaches that are populated with visitors who leave behind bottles or other glass discards will wash sea glass onto shore. Here's why - the glass is pulled into the ocean, then serves a term underwater exposed to the tide, the rocks, salt...eroding it's way to beauty. The glass, broken from the beginning or broken in the ocean, becomes smooth, the scratches on the glass lend a foggy, rustic appearance. The sea glass I have found is aesthetically pleasing enough to wear dangling from my ears or around my neck as jewelry. (I like sea glass more than pearls - really!)

I originally went to the cove with some girlfriends and our kids to take pictures. I'd like my kids to know that capturing their childhood was important, and I like to make it fun - so we have pictures of them holding hermit crabs, eyeing garibaldis (those are fish), giggling as the waves chase them, and picking up my habit of picking up sea glass.

My daughter Zoe discovered the first piece, lime green. Thereafter I found clear and brown, and I was hoping for blue, but no luck. Our normal hunting for sea shells and and dollars fell by the way side as we let the sand slip between our fingers looking for glass remnants like miners panning for gold.

Sometimes the pieces are small, sometimes they are a large as your hand, but it's always a thrill to find some. There are a few things you can do to increase your chances of finding sea glass...

Check the paper for high and low tides and plan your beach trip accordingly.

Beaches, as aforementioned, next to or that used to be dump sites are prime spots.

Beaches that have rocky terrain aide in breaking and "buffering" the sea glass.

Beaches with coarse grain sand, not the fine, sugary sand, usually have more sea glass.

Check Coastal Living magazine (spring and summer issues) or their website, more than once I have found a list of beaches reputable for sea glass put together by their editors.

The convention and visitors bureau in beach cities will sometimes mail out guides and brochures to prospective tourists detailing their recreational areas and activities. More often than not these brochures advertise what makes their beaches special - if sea glass is a local perk, they'll tell you. Or, ask someone who lives near the beach where to look for sea glass. You might even find "sea glass" in or near a river or lake. You never know, and that's what makes it so fun!

It's no fun, however, to step on a piece of "unfinished" (read: sharp) sea glass, so I wear my flip-flops. You should too.

Sea glass is a tangible memory, that's what I like best about it. The colors, the shapes, the opportunities, all unexpected and random. Hunting for it is a child-like hobby, finding it is exhilirating, but keeping it, displaying it, and looking at it makes sea glass a memory.

Can't have enough sea glass.

Harry Potter.. Not Just For School Kids Anymore

I am a shameless reader, to the point where I can’t sit down to a meal without having something to at least skim. Obituaries, comics, the phone book, anything in front of me. I’m not weird, just why not learn something if I’m sitting there eating my oatmeal? So when the seventh and final Harry Potter book came out, I was in line waiting for my reserved copy. It isn’t just about enticing, fatty British meals within castle walls and friendly elves any more, Harry Potter has evolved into a series full of dark magic, passionate romantic relationships and parallels to the Holocaust. The book hasn’t necessarily evolved in a negative way- on the contrary- it appeals to the older generations, and I myself welcome the intensity of the series as it escalates in the seventh book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. For those who think that the book remains for small children, they are mistaken. If I recommend anything this summer, it is casting aside any doubts about reading fantasy and welcoming the mania that has swept the entire world. After all, most of the planet can’t be wrong in their obsession, can they?

A Mutable Feast

Ideally, food in summertime is light. It is appropriate to dine on a salad and not cook food in a hot oven for hours.
Food in summertime is healthy. I can at least say for us Californians, we bare our midriffs in summer, we wear tank tops rather than long t-shirts under short sleeved shirts. This is an annual motivator to eat less.
Food in summertime is fresh. I think the culinary Gods declared summer an eternal holiday. With all of the fruits and vegetables in season, you can't help but get anti-oxidants, folate, vitamins, even if you are not trying. Salsa, ceviche, cioppino, watermelon chunks...see what I mean? This food is meant to be celebratory.
There are so many options for eating well in summer, it's the most mutable season. Outdoor activity beckons for grilling, classic recipes beg to be reinvented with artisanal oils and exotic touches - things only available June - September. You can do anything under the sun.
My favorite mutable feast, and idea of heaven, is this...
7:30 pm or so, on a cliff overlooking the Pacific, my beloved next to me, our kids cavorting (safely) nearby...
(2) non-breakable but stylish wine glasses, filled with a cherry-ish Pinot Noir or buttery Chardonnay for my husband and I.
Bottled waters for clean sustenance and rinsing sand off
Toasted slices of baguette slathered in a basil pesto
Caprese Salad
Capers
Smoked fish...albacore and salmon
Aged gouda cheese
Feta
Homegrown figs
Seedless purple grapes
Chilled chocolate custard of some sort wrapped carefully in plastic
...what more could anyone want?
World peace, maybe - what better place to start than with a meal?

~ Samantha

Starbucks and Prague

I found myself daydreaming in a corner of Starbucks today. As I entered the store and purchased my usual (coffee light frap), I spotted a corner to occupy. I often retreat to Starbucks with my laptop to wrap up any necessary paperwork. I nestled in my little corner and set up my work station only to discover I didn't feel like working at all. Though I rarely find myself looking forward to this tedious, redundant task, today I was especially antsy. Just as I was beginning to tackle my work load, a group of older men took seats near me. People holding conversations within ear shot of me is never good. It's hard enough for me to focus as it is, and another conversation (interesting or not) can easily distract me from my work. I didn't take me long to discover that these men were sharing their travel stories among one other! Oh no, now my work was definitely hitting the back burner. I began to open browsers like my hotmail account and eBay as I listened to their conversation. One man talked about Germany while another contributed with comments about Italy. As they talked about these wonderful places, my itch for traveling came on strong. I remembered a past co-worker who moved to Prague about eight months ago. Him and I used to discuss our undying love for New York City. Prague quickly replaced NYC as his number one shortly after he moved. He told me that anyone who loves NY will find themselves infatuated with Prague. I told him I would come out and visit him this fall. As I recalled this exciting commitment, I began to type an email to him. Oh how I hope his invitation is still open! After my email was typed and sent, I started to open sites for Prague. Wow, he really isn't kidding. This city looks amazing. I even found myself looking at their job market (ok, getting a little ahead of myself). I was getting so wrapped up with my search that I wasn't paying any attention to the time. My phone rang and snapped me out of my daydream. It was my assistant calling regarding a work issue. It was time for me to make my way into work. As I packed my computer and sipped what remained of my drink, I was surprisingly ok with the fact that I had completed no paperwork. This means that I will have to finish everything on my days off, but I was ok with that. I hurried off to work still in somewhat of a daydream. If nothing else, the thought of visiting Prague sure made the day go by alot faster!

Palm Trees, Pina Coladas and Black Jack

Unwrap the rubber bands from my hands, throw me in boiling water and call me a lobster. It took me about a good ten minutes to sit down at my computer and write. It’s not because I don’t want to, or am too tired, it’s just that I spent the past week roasting in Puerto Rico and am feeling the consequences of a serious burn. Even though I’m gingerly walking around these days, the trip was completely worth it. I went with my family and stayed at the Gran Melia, an open resort with marble floors, beautiful fountains, and iguanas roaming around as if they were squirrels on my lawn. It was definitely a honey-mooners resort; couples were holding hands, wearing shirts that read “newly-weds” and sporting the most enamored looks upon their faces, despite the 60 dollar per person menu offered. The food itself was buffet style, and it boasted a salad bar that was actually worth its 10 dollar cost (on top of the main meal). Trips were offered to the coral reefs ( worth it- they were gorgeous), to the nearby rain forest, and even horse back riding along the beach was an option. The pool was humongous, and there was a private beach that almost nobody hung out around. I found myself a coconut tree, a chair and parked in front of the clear blue water throughout the day.
The bartenders, who normally served people who swam up to them at the pool, would deliver beverages right to your tree. The first night, my brother and I went to the “fun pub,”(more like the deserted pub) as everybody hung out at the casino next door. Men and women of all ages were on romantic getaways, and apparently gambling is a romantic sport. My eighteen year old brother, who had never played black jack in his life, won four thousand dollars in the time it took me to blink an eye. Half of his winnings would have covered our food bill for a 4-day trip. My brother returned home with money, and I returned home draped in Aloe Vera cream. Hopefully his winnings last longer than my sunburn.

GET YOUR LITTLE HANDS OFF MY SHARPIES!

Some things a mom just needs for herself.

Come to think of it, everyone needs certain things for themselves that no one else touches, no else sees, no one else can access.

For me, it's my fine-point and chunky Sharpie markers.

I keep the fine-point Sharpies in a plastic cup on the highest shelf in a kitchen cabinet, right above the ice cream bowls, next to the dusty Margarita glasses. The chunky Sharpies hide in a Spongebob tumbler that has lost it's top.

Why are these markers so important to me? First of all, they're permanent (if it's not going to last, I'm not interested). Can you imagine what an almost two-year-old running around the house could do to leather couches or white walls with a teal Sharpie? I can, and it scares me. But I will not relinquish a favored posession because I am afraid of what could happen. That's silly living.

More importantly, my Sharpies represent the efficient me; filling my date book and checking things off as I go along, using the blue Sharpie. Writing on brown paper lunch sacks with the turquoise Sharpie in handwriting my kids recognize. Signing well thought out, professional letters and SASE's with style using the black Sharpie. Sending a 'just because' card to my husband's office with the crimson Sharpie, so he knows making him feel just as loved as the kids is a prioroty to me.

It's not surprising when I realize the colors of the Sharpie rainbow represent my moods as well. And they are tools for what I consider to be higher purposes in my domesticated/work-at-home lifestyle. These tools keep me proactive, progressing, pro-forward motion. They're small, they're inexpensive, not a bad habit at all, a minor indulgence for mom and only mom.

I don't sign interoffice memos anymore, it's been many years since I played with a Sharpie cap during business meetings. I don't keep regular business hours or necessitate a Staples online account for office supplies. My desk is my kitchen table most days and it takes a pounding underneath my laptop and smudged by various Gerber Graduates toddler meals.

But my fine-point and chunky Sharpies have followed me from doodling on my Chuckie Taylors in high school, to labeling term papers in college, to my brief professional career in event planning and catering all the way into stay at home/work at home motherhood which keeps me very busy, thank you very much.

Whatever it is I choose to do, wherever it is time takes me, I'm on a mission, armed with Sharpies so I can make my point, and leave my mark, colorfully.

Samantha Gianulis is an author, columnist and editor living in Southern California. To read more of Sam, log onto her website at www.samanthagianulis.com, or her blog, http://samanthagianulis.blog.com.

Scallops - Food of the (Mortal) Gods

I was a child when I first tried scallops - you could say they were my first love. My Mediterranean bred husband takes no offense at this, our love of seafood prepared the Mediterranean way is one of the things that brought us together. So when I became Greek-by-marriage and stocked my newleywed pantry with extra virgin olive oil, my fruit tray of Meyer lemons, and my fridge with fresh herbs carefully wrapped in cheesecloth for longevity, naturally I used these ingredients to cook shellfish, bivavles, and fish that was recently swimming in the Pacific, as I live and cook near the California coast.

My seafood creations were never better, prepared so simply. And even though I'm English and Welsh, eating fish battered and fried is no longer an option in my kitchen. Because I am also French and I give the Mediterranean heritage a lot of culinary acclaim.

Last night when I had a craving for Mediterranean seafood, I picked up my Provence cookbook to find a recipe for Coquilles St. Jacques. I discovered that Coquilles St. Jacques translated from French to English means "shells of St. James". Apparently, scallops are beloved and revered throughout history.

The scallop shell was the emblem of Saint James. Legend has it that St. James saved the life of a drowning knight who then emerged from the sea covered with scallop shells. Thereafter, scallops were often called Coquilles St. Jacques.

To make Coquilles St. Jacques, scallops are seasoned with salt and pepper, sauteed in olive oil, then a little bit of butter prior to adding a persillade (a paste of Italian parsley and garlic pounded with mortar and pestle), then drizzled with lemon juice. French? Greek? Once it graces your taste buds, it matters not at all. You will be in love despite the origin, but their history makes scallops more enigmatic.

I have been looking at a famous scallop shell for years without knowing it (no, I'm not talking about the oil company logo). The Birth of Venus has always been one of my favorite works of art, yet I admit I have always admired the long, flowing red hair, beauty of Venus herself, and noted the Zephyrs and a Goddess of the Seasons (Horae). I never realized Venus emerges from the sea on a scallop shell. I have read that Botticelli was inspired by paintings of the ancient Greeks who featured Venus rising from the sea...whatever his inspiration, the Uffizi isn't the only place you'll see beauty and the bivalve. In Pompeii there still exists a mural of Venus on a what looks like a scallop shell, at least to me.

Yet, I want to see it that way. Art and food have more meaning to me with a rich history, with classical references. (If I can work my own history into them too.) Theories as large as the world, myths as old as the written word, all within a shell that fits in the palm of your hand.

I imagine scallops as food of the mortal Gods. Maybe what an archangel would eat. Maybe what someone would feed to their true love, as their histories come full circle, in the shape of a circle.

"Hello" To My New Little Friend

I spent a much needed evening in a rocking chair on my front porch last week. It was a beautiful summer evening and the sun had just retired for the day. Though I often retreat to "sitting on the porch" for relaxation, this was no typical evening for me. A new member of our family was joining me. Just a day prior, we were presented with a small (but mighty) baby kitten. I was rushing off to work (typical for me) when I saw a small grey and white stripped kitten pouncing up through our front lawn! Now mind you, most kittens who find themselves dropped off randomly are not very friendly or outgoing. This was not the case with my new little friend. I jumped out of my car and rushed to scoop her in my arms. She immediately started to purr and lick my face. She melted my heart right then and there. People say cats do not have personalities like dogs, but I disagree. We decided to name her "Herby." She will accompany our clan of Simon, Elmer, and Oscar (not typical cat names, huh?).

As I rocked back and forth, I was grateful for my new friend. She sat quietly on my lap as I stroked her little head. She seemed so peaceful and content as the summer evening wind caressed both of us into a state of total relaxation. I caught a moment of her peering up at me with her big blue eyes. It was as if she was saying "it's good to be home."

Simple Charities

I received a text message from my friend Rachel last night, who had undergone serious foot surgery for a foot disorder that, as she describes, "make my feet look like an eight year old woman’s." The message read " I’m felng biter, I tnnk I’m redy to go outs." My God, I thought. When she said she’d be drugged for a week or two after surgery, she wasn’t kidding. After I deciphered her message( I’m feeling better, I think I’m ready to go out) I messaged her back that I was coming over, and there was no way she was going out. Knowing Rachel, she’d die if she knew I had taken her out into public life when she was on medication and half out of it. Apparently her friend had come over the day before, and Rachel’s mom had thrust her Visa card at her and told her to take Rachel out of the house. I wouldn’t feel quite right doing this, so I had brought a desert for Rachel instead.
When I opened the door to her bedroom, I wasn’t fully prepared. There was a dried crusty patch of drool on her chin, her leg was in a blue cast a-la 4th grade, and she could seriously compete with my grandmother for the amount of pills on her dresser. Oprah was blaring in the background, and Grey’s Anatomy DVD’s were strewn across the floor. I helped her downstairs (she slid), and into the kitchen. I then unpacked a few ingredients I had brought from my house. I took out strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. After cutting up the strawberries into small pieces that resembled cubes, I mixed all the berries into one bowl. I then took out cool whip and put it in a separate bowl, and then sprinkled the berries over it. Rachel loved it, and I had done the smallest kind of charity for my friend.