Start Doing This to Lose Weight

The speed at which you eat has a lot to do with whether you’ll gain weight or not. According to a New Zealand report, middle-aged women who inhale their food are more often than not heavier than those who take it slow at the dinner table.

One of the reasons this is a determining factor in weight gain is because speedy eaters tend to overeat, and fill their stomachs hastily while continuing to gorge. In addition, those who eat quickly don’t chew their food as much as needed. This, in effect, increases the time for them to feel full and also gives their brain less time to respond to what’s happening. When food is not properly broken down in your mouth, it is difficult to get broken in your stomach, and usually will lead to digestive issues as well.

The issue with the study, however, is that it replies on the women’s own assessments. The researchers mailed out a survey to 1,600 New Zealand women ages 40-50. The survey asked for a rating on how fast they ate and also for their height, weight, and other lifestyle and health indicators. About 50% said they ate normally, while 32% fell in the fast or very fast categories. 15% considered themselves slow or very slow.

The women on the low end of the eating speed scale showed the lowest BMI (body mass index), which measures the person’s weight relative to their height. As women ate faster, BMI rose.

If you want to lose weight, try eating slow. Sometimes people do this without even knowing it, and it could really make a difference if it’s changed in terms of weight, and overall feeling. As a general rule, food should be chewed around 25 times before being swallowed. This simple approach alone could help to shed a couple pounds, and make digesting much easier.

Additional Sources:

Reuters