Now, skinny is not to be taken too literally. Determine who in your group of friends is living the lifestyle that is similar to what you are looking to accomplish. And for the nurse in me, choose a healthy goal, not your friend with the eating disorder.

Ask them what their routines are in terms of diet and exercise. Not everything they do will work for you. Don’t use that as an excuse to not make ANY moves. Find the things that will work for you and file away the things that won’t. Maybe they’ll work for you at a later time. Or never. Either way, info never hurt anyone.

Personal Application

So how did I learn this concept? Eating out with my husband. He is perpetually skinny no matter what he eats…or so it appears! One night we’re out to dinner and he had a little bit of food left on his plate and he said he was done. It wasn’t enough to bag to take home but I couldn’t believe he would let it go to waste. So despite the fact that I was full to the brim, I ate it. I learned something that day. My husband does not keep eating once he’s satisfied. He doesn’t like to be overly full so once he reaches satiety (SAT word), he stops. What a concept!

How did I apply this concept? Once I was ready, I started being more mindful, especially when eating out. When my hunger was satisfied, I stopped eating and I packed up the rest for later. I LOVE leftovers!!! As your eating habits improve, you find that you don’t need to eat as much to be satisfied. It got to the point that I couldn’t complete an entree. Now, more often than not, my husband and I split an entree. This has the added side effect and benefit of saving us money when we eat out.

The lesson here: if you want to lose weight, consider splitting an entree with a friend. If you want to save money, consider splitting an entree with a friend.

What is a habit you would like to adopt from one of your friends?