Eating at a Slower Pace Can Help You Lose Weight

A person's appetite is controlled by the hypothalamus in the brain. Unfortunately there is a delay of about twenty minutes for the stomach to produce the hormones that notify the brain when you are full. This process does not begin until the stomach starts to stretch. That is why when a person eats quickly, the body does not have ample time to begin this process, therefore it is likely that this person may eat excessively since the "full" feeling has not had the chance to take effect.
This is the one of the reasons why you are generally able to eat more when food is chewed and swallowed rapidly. Therefore when food is chewed slowly, and time is taken to eat your meal and include drinks of water, you will get full with an appropriate amount of food and not have the urge to continue munching away.
Studies show that "fullness" is a complex concept that combines the number of times you chew, the time you spend eating, the look of the food on the plate, as well as the actual amount of food you eat. These studies confirm that just by eating slower, you'll consume fewer calories - in fact, enough to lose up to 20 pounds a year. If we eat fast, we generally continue eating past the point where our body has had enough sustenance but if we eat slowly, our body has time to register we're full, and stop before excess eating occurs.
It's always recommended you eat healthy foods and try as best as possible to avoid greasy fried foods, but if you're looking to lose weight, eating slowly should definitely be a part of your new practices to develop a healthy lifestyle.
If you eat slower, you'll chew your food better, which leads to better digestion. Digestion actually starts in the mouth, so the more work you do up there, the less you'll have to do in your stomach. This can help lead to fewer digestive problems too. Slow down and you may feel full with less.
Tips to Help Slow Down Your Eating
1) Chew The Food More.
This may take some concentration and patience on your part but try to chew your food 15-20 times before swallowing. This helps start the digestive process breaking the food down in your mouth. This in turn will get you feeling full quicker since your body will have more time to register the amount of food entering your body.
2) Drink 2 Large Glasses Of Water During Meals.
As simple as this sounds, you will be surprised how beneficial it is to drink regular water during a meal. Not only does water have 0 calories which is a benefit all on its own, water helps improve digestion and makes you feel more full since it takes up room in your stomach. Try to drink two glasses of water during your next meal and see how it will help keep you from overeating.
3) Take Your Time At Your Meal.
The longer you take eating your appropriately portioned meal, the more time you give your body to register the amount of food taken in. Taking more time with your meal allows the stomach to produce the hormones notifying the brain it's had enough food which should reduce the need to get more food and in essence, overeat.
In Conclusion
If you have had difficulty controlling your portion sizes and know for a fact that you are eating too much food at one sitting, try these three tips and see if they help. Preventing a second serving of food, or excessive snacking can literally save you 700+ calories per meal, so it's definitely worth it to see if these tips can help.
Source Cited: http://longevity.about.com/od/lifelongnutrition/a/eat_slow.htm
Gregory L. Gomez, M. Ed, has been teaching 5th grade in the LAUSD for 12 years and has recently embarked on a journey to lose weight, eat healthier, and finally get in shape! Follow his progress on http://HealthyChoicesInLife.com as he strives to lose 60 pounds through dedicated exercise and eating healthy. From healthy eating guides to a step-by-step manual to help tackle the process of losing weight, readers will find the latest information to combat the rising obesity epidemic and start getting into shape at http://healthychoicesinlife.com/how-to-reduce-weight-today.
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