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By Jim Nettleton
There are many little tricks you can use to help yourself in your weight loss quest. For example, did you realize that slowing down your eating speed can have a positive effect in a diet? It’s true, but it’s an underutilized method that can be an important part of any dieting effort.
The more time you take to eat, the less food you’ll need to eat in order to satisfy your hunger. Here are some tips that can help break a bad habit of eating too rapidly, which can lead to eating too much food and, as a result, sabotaging your good intentions.
First of all, wait until you’ve finished the food you’re chewing before loading up that utensil again. It helps to physically put down your spoon or fork while you’re chewing what’s in your mouth. This sounds simple, but it’s a very effective technique.
Another simplistic sounding technique is to chew your food a little longer before finally swallowing. This accomplishes two things; it helps you digest food better and also allows you to feel more satisfied because of the additional time that it takes you to chew. As a result, you won’t need as large a quantity of food.
These simple techniques will help you break the habit of over eating because of consuming food too fast. The majority of us in this country probably all eat too fast. Other countries dine more leisurely than we. For example, even though the typical French diet is richer than ours, their method of eating brings balance to their diets. As a rule, they eat smaller portions but take a lot longer to eat their food than we do. This practice helps them to stay slim.
It’s a matter of getting yourself in the habit of slowing down. Once you do start eating a little slower, chances are you will enjoy your food a lot more. It will give you more time to savor and enjoy the tastes in your food.
Let’s not forget a simple rule that will help with our efforts to lose weight. Remember that your body does not react immediately to let you know you’ve had enough. It takes a little while following your meal for the body to signal that it needs no more. As a result, many of us overeat if we eat too fast, sort of blowing right by the stop sign. We feel that we are still hungry. So adopt this rule; never eat until you are full. The smart thing to do is eat until you feel comfortable that you have had enough. Don’t wait for your body to put up that stop sign.
About the author:
Jim Nettleton is a radio & TV professional with over 40 years of major market experience. His wide range of interests include nutrition and working with natural health clinics for many years. He recommends the diet program Fat Loss 4 Idiots – click this link http://tinyurl.com/yog3jr Check out his comprehensive diet site at