First off, sorry for the click bait title. Since you're here though, you might as well stay awhile. The more appropriate title maybe could've been "Lose Weight 20 Minutes At a Time". It just doesn't have the same "zing" as the all caps and the triple exclamation point. Unfortunately I can't tell you that working out for 20 minutes will definitely get you to lose weight. (Though 20 minutes is a good place to start and is definitely better than nothing.) I can tell you that 20 minute meals may be likely to help you lose weight. Real definitive, I know. Bare with me.
20 minutes is around the time it takes for the brain to know if you're full or not. This isn't new news. I googled "how long to feel full" and the return was about 40 million hits. A lot of those hits (at least on the first page) mentioned this 20 minute window. It has to do with chemicals that get released (ghrelin & cholecystokinin) and how long they take to get to the brain.
Knowing why it takes 20 minutes isn't that important. Knowing how to make your meal last 20 minutes is. So I'm going lay out some simple tips that you can use to reach the 20 minute mark.
- Sit down...at a table: everybody is busy nowadays. That means our meals are eaten on the go. Portable food is a legit food category. Eating at a table allows you focus on what you're eating and not getting to your next appointment or task on your to do list.
- Chew your food: I have a two-year old son who would rather do anything than eat most of the time. A constant refrain around mealtime is "CHEW and swallow". This advice works for most adults also. The more we chew the smaller our food gets in our mouth (duh) and more digestive enzymes get released. So it will take longer and it will be easier to take in the nutrients.
- Put down your fork: while you're doing all that extra chewing, put down your fork between bites. Most of the time we're loading up the fork for the next bite before we've even had a chance to really taste the previous bite. Food is good. As in it tastes good, give yourself a chance to enjoy it.
- Get rid of distractions: you've got the tv on, you're scrolling through your Facebook feed and that work doc is open on your laptop. Next thing you know is you've eaten your whole meal and you're headed to the kitchen for seconds. Try eating with no background noise or distractions. Get caught up in recognizing the textures, the flavors and smells.
- Converse: ever been on a good date or out with a friend you haven't seen in a long time? You look at your watch and realize you've been talking for over an hour and your meal is only half eaten. You're not hungry though. To be clear good conversation isn't a distraction like TV and Facebook. TV and Facebook are mindless. A good conversation is the opposite; it gets you to stop and think not only about what you're saying but also about what you're doing.
These are just 5 tips to get started eating slower. Let me know if you have any other ones that you like to use. If you find you're still finishing meals before the 20 minutes is up then wait until the 20 minutes is up before you go for seconds. On the other hand if takes you 20 minutes to finish your meal and you're still hungry then wait another 5 minutes before your next helping. In both cases, your body just may need a little more time to know it's full.
Looking back at these 5 tips, I realize all I'm asking is that you enjoy your food. Sit down with someone who's company you enjoy. Concentrate on what you're eating, smell it, actually taste it.
We've gotten to point where we eat because "we're supposed to" or we're just grabbing a quick bite. That's led to more people than ever trying to lose weight. If we get back to savoring our meals, we might actually eat less. Weird.
