Yep sounds too good to be true.
But it isn’t.
It actually works.
Eat slowly and mindfully and you could see the weight dropping off.
It’s that simple.
Why can it make such a difference?
1. It can make you eat less, without you actually noticing.
Think about when you’re really busy and grab food on the go – you cram it in as fast as you can and often don’t take any notice of what you’eve just eaten.
You probably still feel hungry after and then eat more as well.
Now think about eating with friends- you take your time, you talk as well and yes you slow down your eating (without even noticing), this makes you feel fuller quicker and if you’re like me, you won’t finish what you’ve got on your plate.
You feel full up and take longer to feel hungry again.
(This was shown in a recent study with 30 normal- weight women on 2 different days with the same pasta meal; one group had to eat their meal really fast & the other had to eat slowly and put their fork and spoon down between every mouthful. Yep the slow eaters ate 67 fewer calories and took 20 minutes more; and they took longer to feel hungry again)
You might think that 67 calories is n’t alot.
But think of the difference that would make EACH meal or snack, EVERYDAY for a week, month or year ?
And it can work whatever you’re eating.
Why does this work?
1. It takes your body about 20 minutes to signal that it’s had enough- slow eating gives it time to for this to work, so you feel that you’re ‘full up.’
2. When you eat more slowly you really taste your food and enjoy it- you feel more satisfied with less and don’t feel deprived.
There are numerous other benefits that I’ll post about another time as well 🙂
If you really want to change your shape – have a look at the foods you’re eating as well.
I’m always banging on about protein – but honestly it’s so important that us women eat enough.
It will keep you fuller for longer, our bodies need it for growth & repair, it can give you that lovely ‘lean’ look & it helps to regulate your hormones (if you’re feeling blah, tired all the time & your tummy’s growing it could be that your hormones are out of whack).
Claire x