It took me a long time to find the perfect portion formula that works for me.
To be honest I use a few strategies, not just this one but today I’ll share with you just one way the pounds melted from my body. I needed a formula that guarantees that when I eat out with friends, I can still eat whatever without making me pack on the pounds.
Like many people, there was a time when, if I were served a plate of noodles or rice, I’d have to wallop every single strand of noodle and grain of rice on the plate because that was my portion – the portion that I felt was due to me.
After all, weren’t we all taught not to waste food when we were growing up?
But earlier this year, I learned how to pick on carbs from my Korean boyfriend. I’d watch him use chopsticks to scoop bits of rice while eating mostly protein and vegetables, and pretty much abandon 3/4 of the bowl of rice.
At first I thought it was crazy how anyone could eat so little, and was pretty scared that I’d have to eat like that around Korean people just so I don’t attract any attention. Korean people don’t eat like the Malaysian-Chinese do.
They pick on their food and serve small, beautiful portions.
The Malaysian-Chinese are all about attacking banquet tables like that was the last meal they’ll ever eat.
I had ALL sorts of theories on why Koreans pick on their food. Cultural conditioning from survivalist attitudes due to scarcity is one (which I’m not entirely wrong about), and you see that in the way they preserve and conserve everything from kimchi to gochujang to samjang.
I watched how Korean women behave around food, especially the ones with beautiful bodies. The ones with perfect body lines, without an ounce of fat don’t live to eat but eat to live. Korean food is generally healthy, but more importantly these ladies practice table etiquette that shows off socially-desirable values like grace and self-control.
Naturally, that also means that they hide the fact that they are hungry on a table full of guests, and always eat portions that do not attract attention no matter how famished they were.
Once I went to a dinner party and my Korean lady friend cooked a whole table full of food for her guests, yet she alone was merely picking on a little bit of egg just to show that she’s involved. But really, she didn’t eat anything.
Anyway, I’m not saying this is the way you should live (we can’t all be Koreans) but this is why Korean women have beautiful bodies. They don’t go all crazy around food. I watched and I learned and I tried it out.
One day I’ll expand in detail how to eat like Korean women, but for now just know that portion control is one of the most important factors affecting your weight loss and maintenance success.
So the first thing I learned was how to treat carbs like a delicacy and not a stomach filler.
Treat grains of rice like caviar instead of bulk that fills you up. Use vegetables instead to satisfy your hunger.
Practice that long enough and it will surely become a habit, like it has for me.
Now walloping a whole plate of fried rice or noodles for a meal is just something I don’t do anymore. Mainly because I know if I went back to the old way of eating, I wouldn’t have a tight sexy little body anymore.
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