Over Eating and Over Weight? Slowing Down is the Golden Key to Weight Loss

Eating quickly leads to becoming overweight or obese according to a British Medical Journal survey of 3,287 adults. The participants of the survey reported that they ate both fast and until they were full. Compared to slow eaters, the fast eaters were more then three times as likely to be overweight then their slower eating counterparts.

Eating until fully satisfied is important, after all who wants to feel starved? But one of the reasons the fast eaters gain more weight is that they likely eat more than slow eaters. You see, a hormone is released from the gut which sends a message to the brain telling us when we are full. However, that message takes about 20 minutes to reach our brain. So the only other way we can know we are full is when we feel it after over eating, the result of which is literally feeling full and bloated. Slow eaters are eating less food in the same amount of time as the fast eater, and in that time, they will receive the hormonal message to the brain that they are full.

Tips for Slowing Down:

1. Avoid the T.V. A variety of studies show that adults and children who eat in front of the set tend to eat 230 (or more) calories per sitting then people who do not eat in front of the set. Let’s do some math with those numbers to calculate how many pounds you will pack on while multitasking between TV watching and eating. 230 calories times 28 days = 6,440 calories per month = 1.84 pounds per month times 12 months = 22.08 pounds per year. How many meals per day do you eat in front of the TV set, or computer? Now do your own math.
2. Chew slowly. Take your time while eating. Really taste and savor your food. Remember what I wrote above about the time it takes for the satiety hormone to reach the brain. Chewing slowly will give you time. Also, the first step to digestion takes place in the mouth where secretion of the enzyme amylase begins the breakdown of food. Chewing slowly is especially important when eating carbohydrates and tofu. (Aiyana, Juliette, New Years Diet Resolutions, 2006. www.amazinghealing.com)
3. Pause. Don’t take another bite, or refill your fork or spoon, until you have fully chewed and swallowed the previous bite.
4. Talk. (But not with your mouth full or your mother might get upset).When you are eating with other people at the table, enjoy the food and the conversation. Involvement in conversation will keep your mouth moving without food so you will naturally slow down. Another plus to having conversation with your family and friends during meal times is getting to know each other on a deeper level. I am a huge fan of the family table because it allows us time to reconnect after busy days at work and school.

For more information on how and why to slow down your eating read these books:

Eating Mindfully: How to End Mindless Eating and Enjoy a Balanced Relationship with Food
by Susan Albers

The Slow Down Diet: Eating for Pleasure, Energy, and Weight Loss
by Marc David