Need to lose weight? Try the FOODSTAGRAM diet: Uploading images of meals found to curb the appetite

• Looking at what is on your plate can make you 'bored' with a meal
• Similarly, viewing photos of other people's food causes 'sensory boredom'
• This can stop people wanting to eat certain foods or enjoying them less
• The more pictures looked at, the more an appetite can be suppressed 

By VICTORIA WOOLLASTON

Taking photos of food on Instagram has been voted one of the most annoying habits of the site but new research suggests the trend could actually be damaging our appetites, too.

The study from Brigham Young University in Utah has found that looking at too many pictures of food can make it less enjoyable to eat, and can even put people off eating it in the future.

This is because looking at pictures of what is on a plate can make people bored with their meal before they've even taken a bite.

The study from Brigham Young University found that looking at too many pictures of food can make it less enjoyable to eat, and can even put people off eating it in the future. This is because looking at pictures of what is on a plate can make a person bored with their meal before they've even taken a bite

'FOOD PORN' IS GOOD FOR YOU

The research from Brigham Young University contradicts previous research by Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. 

In this earlier study, scientists claimed taking a photo 'puts you in the moment and in doing so, heightens your senses.'

The person taking the photo does, on some level, feel the difference creating an incentive to continue the practice.

This leads to people taking photos of food as a habit. 

A series of experiments proved to the researchers habits and rituals enhance the experience of food, and other activities.

Equally if people constantly see photos of burgers or cakes, for example, on Instagram and other photo sites including Pinterest, the next time they have a burger, they won't enjoy it as much. 

 

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'In a way, you’re becoming tired of that taste without even eating the food,' said study co-author and university professor Ryan Elder. 

'It’s sensory boredom - you’ve kind of moved on. You don’t want that taste experience anymore.'

To reveal this food-photo phenomenon, Elder and co-author Jeff Larson asked 232 people to look at and rate pictures of food.

In one of their studies, half of the participants viewed 60 pictures of sweet foods like cake, truffles and chocolates, while the other half looked at 60 pictures of salt foods including chips, pretzels and fries.

After rating each picture based on how appetising that food looked, each participant finished the experiment by eating peanuts, a salty food. Participants then rated how much they enjoyed eating the peanuts.

The people who had looked at the salty foods ended up enjoying the peanuts less, even though they never looked at peanuts; just at other salty foods.

Half the participants saw pictures of sweet foods, while the other half saw salty foods. After rating each picture based on how appetising it looked, everyone was given peanuts. Participants then rated how much they enjoyed eating the peanuts. The people who looked at salty foods enjoyed the peanuts less

The researchers believe the subjects satiated on the specific sensory experience of saltiness looking at the images so felt they had already experienced it when they came to eat them. 

Satiation is defined as the drop in enjoyment with repeated consumption. Or, in other words, the fifth bite of cake or the fourth hour of playing a video game are both less enjoyable than the first.

['If you want to enjoy your food consumption experience, avoid looking at too many pictures of food,' Larson said. 'Even I felt a little sick to my stomach during the study after looking at all the sweet pictures we had.”

That said, Larson continued that if someone has a weakness for a certain unhealthy food, say, chocolate, and want to stop eating it, they could try looking at more pictures of that food.

'You do have to look at a decent number of pictures to get these effects,' Elder said. 'It’s not like if you look at something two or three times you’ll get that satiated effect.'

Larson and Elder, along with University of Minnesota coauthor Joseph Redden, published their findings in the Journal of Consumer Psychology.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2443652/Need-lose-weight-Try-FOODSTAGRAM-diet--Instagram-photos-meals-curb-appetite.html#ixzz2h2p58uNv

5 Simple Tips to Help You Lose Weight Without Dieting

Here are 5 simple tips to help you lose weight without dieting. "Eating healthy" and "exercising more" are great truisms, and I whole-heartedly believe in them, but sometimes people just want to know what they can do without shifting their lifestyle too much - something that doesn't require a complete overhaul.  I'm a BIG believer in starting slow rather than jumping in with both feet.

Below are a few small steps you can take to not just shed a few pounds, but get a lot healthier, too. Try to commit to one or two of these tips for a few weeks without changing anything else. Don't be surprised if you see a shift on the scale in the right direction!

 1. Sleep

A recent study conducted at the University of Chicago looked at two groups of people, both on a low-calorie diet. One group slept 5.5 hours a night, and another group slept 8.5 hours a night. Interestingly enough, both groups lost the same amount of weight (7 pounds), but the sleep-deprived group lost mostly muscle in comparison to the rested group that lost mostly fat. <----This study was only conducted over a two week period!Bottom line: if you want to have a leaner, less fat body, get a full night of sleep.

2. Eat Fermented Foods

Fermented foods, like homemade sauerkraut, kimchi, homemade yogurt, kombucha, miso or this cool recipe I found for fermented lemon jello contain incredible amounts of good bacteria. If you've taken antibiotics in the past few years or have eaten a fair share of sugary foods lately, then it's highly likely that you have too much good bacteria and too little bad bacteria. Probiotics are good bugs that help even the playing field in your gut. Without them, our immune system begins to fall apart, leading to an increase in allergies, colds and even arthritic conditions. What's more, your body won't be able to get rid of toxins through elimination as easily. All of this can lead to weight gain, or at the very least, inhibit weight loss. If you can't eat fermented foods today, then go to the store and buy a bottle of probiotics right away.

According to the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, people who consumed fermented milk products (yogurt, kefir, lassi) for 12 weeks, showed a 4.6 % reduction in abdominal fat. It’s not an enormous number, but it’s nothing to roll your eyes at either.

3. Eat No Later Than 6pm

The release of our digestive enzymes and the function of our entire digestive tract slows when we hit the sack. In fact, our metabolism slows significantly. We need less energy, and we definitely don't need a belly full of food. If you can wrap up dinner by six bells, or within three hours of bedtime, it's highly unlikely that you'll wake up with that bloated I-ate-too-much-last-night feeling. In fact, most of the foods you had for dinner should be pretty well digested.

4. Follow Tip 3, Then Don't Eat Breakfast Until 10AM
This advice kind of flies in the face of  "eat breakfast first thing in the morning," but if you have no metabolic or blood sugar concerns, you may want to consider fasting from 6pm (dinner) until 9 or 10am (breakfast) a few days a week. Why? Intermittent fasting, or infrequent and usually short periods of going without food, have shown to elevate levels of human growth hormone (HGH). An increase in HGH, especially over the age of 25 or so, can really work wonders on increasing lean muscle mass and diminishing fat.

I just want to clarify that water is good during any length of fast. Drink it up. Flush those toxins out. Juices, smoothies, coffee drinks or other non-food items should not be consumed.

5. Supplement With A Teaspoon of Gelatin At Bedtime

If you're a vegetarian, this isn't for you, but if you're open to taking a teaspoon of gelatin at bedtime, you'll be happy to know that not only can it improve metabolism, but can also improve your skin's elasticity. Think of it as better-than-botox. Gelatin is a collagen supplement that contains 18 amino acids, some of which are essential, meaning our body can't make them. Since amino acids are the building blocks of protein, people often notice improved muscle tone with long term supplementation. I recommend grass-fed gelatin, and not a product like Knox.

Are you ready to commit? If now is the time to make a couple subtle changes in your life that also incorporate fitness, then consider my new program, 10LB Club! You'll eat clean, exercise to boost your HGH with short, effective workouts, follow a body type meal plans structure and work with me!

Members receive:

• 3 Weekly Workouts
• Body Type Meal Plans
• Body Type Recipes
• Lots of Great Coaching!

http://www.chicagonow.com/get-fit-chicago/2013/10/5-simple-tips-to-help-you-lose-weight-without-dieting/