Next time you sit down to eat a meal, try this trick. Stop, take a deep breath and then pick up your fork. Before you take a bite of the food, look at your meal. Think about slowing down. Eating more slowly can help you control your weight. When you eat fast, your stomach has no time to tell your brain that it’s full! It takes 20 minutes for your brain to catch up to your stomach signals. But if you slow the process down, your body will realize that it’s had enough and you may find that you weren’t as hungry as you thought you were.
Here are some ways to slow down:
- Chew each bite 20 times
- Put down your fork or spoon between every bite
- If you are right-handed, try eating with your left hand! It will make you think about each bite more
- Wait 20 minutes before going for seconds and then ask yourself if you are really still hungry. If so, listen to your body and have a little more