YUP, I said it---Eat WHATEVER you want and you can lose weight! Here's why and some tips to try....
It takes approximately 20 minutes, from the time you begin to eat, for the brain to send out signals that you are full. When you eat too fast, your body doesn't have the time to go through its natural signaling process. That process involves a variety of hormones and feedback loops between your gut and brain. By slowing down, it gives the brain time to send and receive the signals.
Ok, now breathe. No seriously...BREATHE!
Oxygen is a key element that actually helps speed up metabolism.
By breathing between bites you are actually burning more! The intestinal villi are like little loops on the inside of the intestine and their primary job is to absorb nutrients. AND they are also extracting large quantities of oxygen to facilitate the breakdown of the meal. When the blood lacks oxygen for the villi to pick up, nutrient absorption slows but when the blood has plenty of oxygen, nutrient absorption increases and so does metabolism!
Sooo HOW you eat is even more important that WHAT you eat! You could be eating the highest quality of food, but if you are eating too fast, and you're not breathing during the meal, you are actually decreasing nutrient absorption and slowing down your metabolism!
TIPS to TRY
~put your utensil down between bites at least 3 times in the meal
Doing this automatically slows down your eating speed.
~take a few deep breaths during your meal to increase the oxygenation concentration in your body.
This helps those intestinal villi have the oxygen they need to perform their duties efficiently!
~20 min meals
Time your meals and make sure you are eating slow enough to hit that magic 20 minute mark to give your brain enough time to send out its signals of fullness.
These practices alone can completely transform your health, even if you never change anything you eat!
However, we all know the healthier the choice of food, the better our bodies will feel and perform.
But on those days when we want to change up our choices, these tips might be the answer to help us not over indulge!
Which one of these tips are you willing to try today? Maybe you'll be daring enough to try all 3!
Hell, if it means I can eat that plate of cookies, I'm in! Just gotta breathe and take my time!! YUM!
Resources: Health Care Institute