Reading the title of this post it sounds like we’ve found the magic solution for weight loss. We’re just going to say now before we start that there is, sadly, no such thing. If weight loss were that easy then we wouldn’t be in the midst of an obesity epidemic. Unfortunately there’s so much misinformation out there when it comes to dieting and weight loss. We’ve already posted an in-depth article about why weight loss might not be as simple as calories in vs. calories out, and for more information on that have a read here. 

The subject of this post is simple: How can we support our bodies to reach their optimum weight? You see, the thing is, although some people might be more predisposed to gaining a few extra pounds, or having a slower metabolism (side note, we also have a post on how to boost your metabolism too), the fundamental matter is that as evolutionary humans we aren’t designed to be carrying an excessive amount of extra weight - we need to be agile and mobile in order to escape danger at a moments notice. Although life has moved on somewhat from our hunter gatherer days, our bodies are still pretty primitive in comparison. 

So, what’s the one thing that could help you reach the weight that’s most comfortable for your body? Eating mindfully.

To put this into context, how many times a week do you eat lunch at your desk? How many times a month do you eat until you’re uncomfortably full? How often do you take the time to properly chew your food? 

For the majority of us the answers to those questions will be worryingly low. Here’s why it matters: 

Eating whilst doing something else

You might be too busy to take any time away from your desk but even if you need to be in the office at lunch time, taking 20-30 minutes to eat with your screen turned off or your Instagram feed out of arm’s length will do you the world of good. It’s all too easy to overeat when you’re distracted - you know what it’s like, you get sucked into reading an article or news story and it’s easy to just keep eating and eating. The problem with this as well is that by not being properly mindful when we’re eating we switch off our body’s natural satiety cues. You might not feel like you’ve had enough, but sometimes that’s because you’ve barely registered that you’ve eaten at all because all your attention was elsewhere. Next time you have a meal try this: focus on each mouthful, what flavours are you experiencing? What textures? Give yourself a little pause between mouthfuls and allow yourself to be fully present with the food that’s on your plate. This way you’ll be much more attuned to your body’s hunger and satiety signals and you’ll know when to stop.

Eating until you’re stuffed

Whether it’s at Christmas or on holiday it’s all too common to eat until you’re completely stuffed. It’s almost become like a sort of competition, in the same way that being stressed these days is like a badge of honour that denotes how successful you are: “Oh my goodness, I’m SO full.” Sound familiar? For optimum health try and eat until you’re 70% full, that way your body still has the energy and resources to digest your food fully and extract all of the possible energy out of it. Overeating leads to excess calories being stored as fat - our bodies take what they need and store the rest for times of famine. The problem is, we don’t really have times of famine anymore (n.b. This is where fasting can come in very handy, have a read of this post to learn more). 

Chew your food

“Snore! Heard that one before.” Well yes, you might have, but that is because it’s honestly SUCH a crucial element of maintaining good health and optimum nutrition. Every step in the digestive process is of equal importance, and if chewing wasn’t essential for good digestion then we’d have evolved to have less teeth. This is not the case. Digestion starts in the mouth (side note, it actually starts even before this, when we smell and see food we start to salivate and that gets the production of salivary digestive enzymes ready to receive food). The microbes in our mouths are as important as those in our digestive tract in terms of digestion. By taking the time to properly chew your food and therefore to give your body the best possible chance of digesting it well and fully, you’re also alleviating the risk of any bloating or gut troubles from undigested molecules of food. Chewing helps to release the stored energy in food too, and that means our bodies can use it, metabolise it and package it off to where it’s supposed to go - to fuel your brain, muscles and the multitude of other complex systems needing energy in our bodies. 

So next time you eat something, take a few deep breaths before you get started. Tell yourself you’re going to appreciate each bit, chew it thoroughly and focus solely on your meal and nothing else until you’ve finished! Your body, and your waistline, will thank you for it. 

"Very yum, enough to get you through the day, keeps your energy levels up! You feel thinner & amazing after it!" - Deborah, Weight Loss Cleanse