Give Your Stomach a Break

Slow down. Better yet, stop and listen carefully. Your stomach is trying to tell you something, and it's not happy with you: You're eating too much and not paying attention to what you are putting into your body.

Eating while multi-tasking can cause you to gain weight.

As you eat, your brain eventually sends a signal to tell you that you're full. This signal is triggered once the stomach has told the brain that it's full. This relay system takes about 20 minutes to get to your brain. However, if your brain is occupied with too many other things, those messages may not be getting through. That means your brain doesn't know to regulate your food intake. As a result, you may not realize you are full and eat more than you need.

To top it off, you are eating on the run, which means you are eating quickly. It's another reason to de-stress. De-stressing is easier said than done, but the very act of slowing down and minding your eating can help ease your stress. Weight gain is stressful in and of itself.

First, ask yourself what it means to be hungry. How do you know what hunger is? Keep a food diary to see when you eat, what your emotional state is when you eat, how quickly you eat and what you are doing when you eat. Learn to trust your body to tell you when it's hungry. Don't let that voice whispering, "I'm hungry," become a roar. Otherwise you will overeat and rush.

Hunger is the first thing we learn, and so too is the understanding of taste. Getting reacquainted with this basic nature is key to slowing down your eating. Eating - and savoring your food - is one of the finest enjoyments in life.

Here are some tips:

• Sit down to eat.
• Ask yourself if you really are hungry.
• Don't do anything else while you eat - like reading the paper, working at the computer or driving to work. Sit with your family or significant other.
• Make your own meals.
• Chew slowly and savor the flavors.
• Put down your utensils every so often.
• Appreciate the appearance of your food.

This change won't happen overnight, but be mindful and the rest will fall into place.

Sources:

BWH Health-e-Weight for Women February Newsletter, 2006

American Dietetic Association

This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.