Does eating slowly help you lose weight?
What if slowing down the pace of meals could ultimately help us lose weight faster? A study has in any case established a link between obesity and eating too quickly. Some tips can help you eat slowly to successfully lose weight.
The risks of eating too quickly
Even if you suspect that eating slowly makes you lose weight , you have a hard time not finishing your plate in a few minutes. However, a meal that is too fast is not good for the metabolism or for digestion.
The stomach is only able to handle a certain amount of food at a time. Eating too quickly has two consequences. On the one hand, chewing is not important enough, and often too large pieces of food end up in the stomach. Digesting large chunks of food takes time, digestion is much slower , and bloating or heartburn may occur.
On the other hand, the body only needs a certain amount of food to function normally. After about twenty minutes, the stomach sends a signal to the brain to stop the arrival of food. Eating slowly allows you to swallow a smaller quantity at the time of the signal, and the metabolism manages to follow. If, on the contrary, we eat more, the body ends up storing fat , which in the long term can lead to cases of obesity and/or diabetes.
Eating slowly reduces weight gain
In Japan, a study (1) conducted at the University of Kyushu has proven that eating slowly makes you lose weight, or at least helps reduce weight gain . This study was conducted over several years on approximately 60,000 people who had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, with different eating habits and lifestyles.
At the end of the study, it was shown that people who claimed to eat at a normal speed were 29% less likely to be obese . This percentage dropped to 42% for those who claimed to eat slowly , compared to those who ate their meal too quickly.
Other data has shown that losing weight may be linked to other eating habits: stopping after-dinner snacks, having dinner at least two hours before bedtime, and having lunch at fixed times. Skipping breakfast apparently had no effect on weight gain or weight loss.
Tips for eating slower
It’s been proven that eating slowly makes you lose weight, or at least greatly reduces the risk of obesity . But it is sometimes difficult to get rid of such a habit to take new ones. However, it is enough to implement a few rather pleasant tricks.
To learn good habits quickly, the best solution is to go out to eat with friends or colleagues . During the lunch break, do not hesitate to chat to make the moment more convivial . Force yourself to put your fork down for a few seconds to answer a question, or listen without eating.
At home, the best solution is not to eat in front of the TV , even when you are single or living alone. Put on some music or think back to certain events of the day. Above all, pay attention to what’s on your plate.
Eating slowly does not necessarily lead to drastic weight loss. But by combining this technique with a balanced diet and the practice of a sports activity , your waist circumference should decrease by one or two centimeters in a few weeks or a few months, depending on your metabolism. This trick is easy to set up and doesn’t cost a dime. Now is the time to try!
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.