Weight Loss Through Mindful Eating and Social Dining Strategies: A Practical Guide to Eating Techniques

Chew your food 30 times.

We've all heard of chewing slowly and thoroughly, right? But what are the benefits of chewing slowly and thoroughly for weight loss? Chewing less is a risk factor for obesity. Chewing more often can reduce energy intake per meal. Increasing the number of chews while eating may play a certain auxiliary role in the prevention and treatment of obesity.

Studies have shown that obese people chew about 50 fewer times per 100 grams of food than people of normal weight. Further research found that when the number of chews per bite increased from 15 to 40, the energy intake of obese people decreased by 13.8%, and the energy intake of people of normal weight decreased by 10.1%. The study also found that changing chewing behavior affects the level of gastrointestinal hormones, thereby regulating appetite and reducing energy intake.

In fact, food has already entered the small intestine within the first 30 minutes of a meal, blood sugar gradually begins to rise, and the feeling of hunger gradually decreases. Therefore, keeping food in your mouth longer and chewing it thoroughly allows more time for blood sugar to rise. Once you feel full, put your food down, thus reducing overall food intake.

Furthermore, the average person chews their food 7-15 times before swallowing. Chewing each bite 30-40 times can reduce the total energy intake.

In addition, focusing on eating can exercise your brain. Savoring the flavors of food and feeling the movement of your oral muscles is a way to train your brain. At the same time, you can fully perceive the taste of the food, preventing you from swallowing food that is too oily or salty without noticing it.

Without sufficient time to savor the flavors, long-term exposure to strong flavors can desensitize your taste buds, leading to a preference for increasingly strong flavors. Chewing slowly helps you regain the ability to perceive the taste of food, making you more inclined to choose milder foods, break away from strong flavor habits, and reduce your intake of oil and salt.

So how can you cultivate the habit of chewing slowly and thoroughly? First, in the initial stage, make sure you don't do anything else while eating; concentrate. This is a deliberate practice. Although everyone is busy throughout the day, everyone needs rest. Chewing slowly and thoroughly is a form of rest. Temporarily put aside studying, working, and other things, and shift your attention away from the heavy pressure.

Next, try to take small bites. If you stuff too much food in one bite, you'll inevitably rush to swallow it all. I've seen a very thin girl who eats only one piece of vegetable per bite, chewing each small amount of food thoroughly before swallowing. So, there's a reason she's thin.

Don't be lazy in the initial stage. Focus on eating, chewing each bite at least 30 times until it's fully chewed before swallowing.

This method is actually very effective. I had a male student who was quite overweight; he ate very quickly. Later, I advised him to change only this one thing. At first, I really did make him count each bite, and he complied, chewing each bite 30-50 times. He lost weight quickly, and without much exercise, he found this method very convenient and much easier than exercise for weight loss.

So he automatically increased his chewing time to 70 bites. Now he usually feels full after eating half or two-thirds of his usual portion and can't eat anymore. His weight has continued to drop without rebounding. He even feels his stomach has shrunk, and he takes much less food than usual. Chewing slowly not only helps with weight loss but also prevents food waste.

At this point, many people might wonder, "Can I increase my chewing time while watching movies or videos?" This is actually not recommended. When watching TV, the brain is highly active, and blood flow to the brain can be insufficient for the stomach, potentially affecting digestion.

I suggest that everyone start by counting the number of times you chew each bite. If it's less than 30 bites, you can gradually increase the number to 30-40 bites.

Worried about overeating? Do these things before a big meal!

Even when trying to lose weight, we can still avoid large meals, but gatherings and meals are inevitable. For some, this is especially true due to the nature of their work. So what can you do? Does this mean people who frequently have to eat out should give up on dieting? Of course not. By learning and consciously using certain methods during these gatherings, you can effectively reduce your calorie intake. Here are some tips:

1. If you know in advance which day you'll have a large meal or gathering, control your calorie intake at the two main meals beforehand. Don't eat until you're stuffed. For example, if I know I might overeat at a friend's birthday party, I'll eat 1/3 to 1/2 less at breakfast and lunch to ensure my total daily calorie intake doesn't exceed my limit too much. Or, if there's a company lunch, I'll adjust my diet at breakfast and dinner accordingly.

2. A few hours before the gathering, you can add a workout. For example, before dinner, I'll do 100 push-ups and 100 bodyweight squats at home. Of course, this is a simple and easy-to-remember plan. You can adjust it according to your own situation. It could be 20 push-ups, 20 squats, and 20 lunges, or you could do a full workout, or go for a run, swim, or play basketball – all perfectly fine. The point is to increase your calorie expenditure beforehand to balance out the excess energy from eating too much.

3. Drink two glasses of water (about 500 ml) 15 minutes before meals. This will help increase satiety.

4. Before eating, you can still use the previously mentioned technique – sucking on a small piece of candy first. During meals, start with high-fiber foods like vegetables and fruits. These foods have a low energy density, further increasing satiety. Then start eating seafood and lean meats, because high-protein foods are less likely to be stored as fat. It's best to avoid staple foods at group meals, because eating high-carbohydrate and high-fat foods together will significantly increase your energy intake. You've probably all experienced this: even if you eat delicious meat and vegetables without rice, you won't eat much.

5. Before eating, serve your friends plenty of rice and food, especially the dishes you want to eat but are high in calories. This not only makes others think you're very kind, but it also reduces your own calorie intake. I'm not kidding, I'm serious!

6. Avoid fried dishes at gatherings. Either don't take any oily dishes at all, or definitely rinse them thoroughly before eating. This is especially true for Sichuan and Hunan cuisine, which are generally very oily and salty. They use oil like it's free. The calories in the oil often far exceed the calories in the food itself. Without rinsing, just a few bites can exceed your calorie intake, without any feeling of fullness, which has a significant negative impact on weight loss.

Actually, rinsing food isn't as bad as you might think. Try it and you'll see. Gradually, it will become a habit, and you'll find it almost unbearable to eat without rinsing. Of course, you might think, what's the point of eating it if it's just watered down? Well, I can only say that you have to make choices in everything you do. Weigh whether it's more important to indulge in a few more bites of oily food for a satisfying taste, or to lose that belly fat.

7. Returning to the essence of the gathering, what is the purpose of this meal? It's really just a place for everyone to talk, socialize, and have fun; eating is just a secondary function. In that case, chat with your friends or family for a few minutes before eating a little. This delay will allow your stomach to tell your brain that you're actually quite full. You'll find that you've eaten much less than you thought, and you won't feel hungry. Also, try to make eye contact with the handsome men and beautiful women around you while eating. When eating with them, they tend to chew slowly and carefully to maintain their image, reducing the amount of food they consume.

Finally, let me say that gatherings are an obstacle that everyone must face on their weight loss journey; there's no way to avoid them. After all, we can't completely cut off communication with others to lose weight, nor can we cook for ourselves all the time. But believe me, if you take weight loss seriously enough and have scientific techniques, then all obstacles on the road to weight loss are just paper tigers.