Can mindful eating help you lose weight?
I tried five different methods, with varying levels of success, to find out.
I’ve always been a fast eater.
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I didn’t just snack fast during tournaments, either.
Fast forward to now, I’m still in the habit of eating quickly and distractedly.
(Don’t judge.)
Eating quickly isn’t something I’m proud of, though it’s definitely something other people notice.
Everyone from family to snide waiters have remarked “Wow you ate that fast!”
or “You really enjoyed that, huh?”
I also know I’m not alone.
Americans are fast eaters.
It’s part of the “busy” lifestyle we love to glorify.
If you eat lunch at your desk, it shows how dedicated you are to work.
One summer, I traveled to Spain.
While there I became keenly aware of how little thought I give to eating.
In Spain, it’s normal for dinner to last two hours.
People will enjoy a glass of wine, and savor the smells and flavors of their meal.
While that may seem difficult to replicate here (who has time for a two-hour lunch break?
These scary stats got me wondering if I could change my eating habits.
So I decided to try slowing down my chew for two weeks, to see what happened.
The thing is, eating more slowly is hard.
So I did some research and found five different methods of slowing down.
I gave each one a venture to see if it helped me savor my food.
Here’s what worked, what didn’t and what habits I’ll be holding on to going forward.
Change Your Eating Environment
The theory is that if you change where you eat (i.e.
It sounds easy, but this was actually pretty hard.
After work, my husband Nick and I like to unwind with dinner and watch something mindless on TV.
Apparently chewing more thoroughly aids digestion as well.
It makes sense: Smaller bits of food will be more thoroughly digested.
And when I did remember to count my bites, it just annoyed me.
Food should be enjoyable, and this felt like I was punishing myself.
Rather than focusing on how my food tasted, my mind was focused on doing basic math.
Drink Water Between Bites
Drinking water forces you to take small breaks between each bite.
The idea is that all that water aids in digestion.
I ended up feeling hungrier sooner, but I also ate less to begin with.
Finding someone to mimic was a challenge.
Thankfully, I have friends who eat slower.
Oddly, they’re from Ireland and Australia.
We all went out for tacos one night, and I tried to pace my bites to theirs.
This tip may work for some people, but all I felt was an odd sense of shame.
Eating more slowly is just NOT WORTH being the weird person at the dinner table.
If the meal didn’t require utensils, I just put the food down on my plate.
That’s itI put it down and didn’t pick it back up until I was totally finished chewing.
This tip was by far the best of the five.
But Did I Lose Weight?
I didn’t experience any significant weight loss (although I did lose about 1.3 lbs).
I did, however, experience major stress relief.
