“Slow and steady wins the race…to lose weight”

My tip for this week, which is vital in your digestion and ensuring you don’t feel hungry and therefore overeat, is eating slowly. One of my earliest childhood memories of my grandmother, is her admonishing me to chew each mouthful thirty six times, before swallowing! I was always eating so quickly, that I would inevitably suffer from heartburn! I don’t necessarily suggest that we need to chew each mouthful that many times but I do believe that this is something that is simple to put into practice and does give results.

There are also other side benefits of course, such as actually now conversing with other family members, although I’m quite often the last one left at the dining table…not sure if it’s because I’m still eating my dinner or if my conversation is just considered way too boring, or more likely than not, the call of X Factor and Australia’s Next Top Model is too strong for a household full of teenagers!

It now takes me at least half an hour to eat every meal and I seriously appreciate every moment. Like many mothers, in between making lunches, helping with homework and folding clothes, I would normally gobble it down (generally standing up) and would still feel hungry as my food hadn’t been properly digested and my brain hadn’t fully registered the amount I had consumed. Even if I’m home alone, I now set the table for myself and never eat mindlessly, watching television.

A trick I found that actually works is putting your knife and fork down after every mouthful . Also, drinking water with every meal (at least  500ml) ensured that I wasn’t hungry and also slowed down the actual process of eating. Seems quite obvious but amazing how many people don’t do it! Easy to implement and painless!!

I know this all seems quite basic and you might think, how is this really going to lead to weight loss but exercised in conjunction with a small portion size serving (see my earlier blog) it makes it easier to consume less without being hungry. I have now just finished my breakfast (small ham and vegetable omelette), soy piccolo and 500ml of water and it’s taken me close on an hour (longer than usual as distracted by my blogging) and I’m totally satisfied!! I will not feel the need to snack mid morning and will be able to enjoy my lunch 4 to 5 hours later.

One other thing I wanted to mention was the timing of meals and exercise to maximise the calorie burn. It is a well documented fact, that after a weights session, you should eat within 30 minutes and the meal should be high in protein v carbs for muscle building and repair. In contrast, after a cardio session it is optimal to wait an hour, as your metabolism will still be elevated and will be burning stored fat (particularly if you haven’t eaten any carbs within the two hours preceding the cardio session) even though you are not exercising. The protein component isn’t as important as after a weights session, so it can just be a well balanced meal including some good carbs.

I am fortunate enough to be able to exercise every morning at 7am, after I have dropped my children at the train station for their hour long trip to school (don’t feel sorry for them though, as this is their only real interaction with the opposite sex and a definite highlight of their day), so I don’t eat my breakfast until 8.30am on a weights day and on a cardio day, not until 9am, after I have attended to my domestic duties and have walked our faithful labrador to the local coffee shop for my soy piccolo and his canine treat. It definitely sets me up for the day, with all those endorphins released from a hard workout followed by a stroll in the sun with my hairy four legged friend plus of course the aroma and kick of a fabulous coffee!! It always amazes me how such simple things can bring so much joy to your life.

So eat slowly, savour the flavour and make the most of those meals with family members amongst the hustle and bustle of everyday life.