Eat less and eat slowly

[YojanaFitbit]

Have you noticed there is food everywhere?

The average restaurant meal today is more than four times larger than in the 1950s. In the past, I was used to only find food in grocery stores. Now you can get food (almost exclusively processed junk) in the checkout line at hardware stores like Home Depot, at gas stations, at the book store like Barnes and Noble and even electronic stores like Best Buy. 

We simply have too much access to food and we eat too much. Most of the extra calories that people have are composed of 38% processed sugar and 60% fat mostly from dairy and oil sources; not good calorie choices. Add to that our decreased activity level and it’s not surprising that our obesity rate is surging. We eat what we see so it helps to put less food on your plate and don’t take seconds.

DON’T EAT WHILE DISTRACTED. People who eat while they are distracted by the TV, a computer or other device, are shown to eat more, even after they are full, even if they eat slowly. The brain, when overwhelmed by visual media, is less able to send those satiety (I’m Full so STOP eating) signals.

SLOW DOWN. Chew your food. Digestion starts in the mouth. By consciously spending more time chewing, you improve nutrient breakdown and absorption and slow down eating which allows the stomach to fill at a rate that allows your brain to respond to the feeling of being full. 

There is a 1000 calorie increase between feeling satisfied and feeling full. Slow down, wait and it will catch up. I read that there is 2000-3000 calorie difference between felling full and feeling stuffed. Eating at an all-you-can-eat buffet often results in a 4000 calorie excess. All these calories, meal after meal and day after day add up. To burn off 4000 extra calories, a typical male needs to run 29 miles and a typical female, 44 miles!

So next time, remember eat less and eat slowly! 😊 Take care!

[AndreaFitbit]

Hi @YojanaFitbit. The comments you added are very interesting. 

I usually eat really slow but it means that I'm eating better.

Have a nice day!