Top 7 Eating Mistakes You're Making

Fix these everyday blunders to help take the weight off for goodL
Fix these everyday blunders to help take the weight off for goodL

Are you eating wrong?

When you're eating, your stomach takes its sweet time to get in touch with your brain. So even when your stomach has had plenty to eat, your brain may not realize it for as long as 20 minutes. The result? You could keep on eating like it's your last meal, take in way more food than you need, and throw your weight loss goals off in the process.

But there's a simple healthy eating solution for this: Eat more slowly.

We know, we know; you've heard this before. But here's why it's time to actually give it a whirl: First, you'll be more aware of what you're eating and how full you're feeling, which means you'll more likely eat the right amount. Second, you'll actually enjoy the taste of your food more. Third, eating more slowly may prevent undesirable gastrointestinal effects like heartburn and burping.

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It should take you 20-30 minutes to finish a meal. The good news? You can easily increase the length of your meal (and whittle your waist in the process) by 5-10 minutes by fixing these everyday mistakes.

Mistake: You're the first to finish.

If you're the first at the table to finish your meal, use a slower eater to pace yourself. If you eat with a bunch of fast eaters, use your watch to pace yourself instead for healthy eating (take at least 1-2 minutes between bites).

BEWARE: 6 Diet Mistakes That Make You Fat

Mistake: You take big bites.
If you cut your food into large pieces or take big bites, you'll probably finish it too quickly. The more steps you take before the food enters your mouth, the longer it will take to finish the meal.

Mistake: You don't chew enough.
Once the food is in your mouth, savor it. The longer the food is in your mouth, the more you can appreciate its flavors. Taste buds are located in different parts of your tongue, but you don't have taste buds in your throat, so once the food goes down the hatch, those wonderful sensations are over. Think quality of mouthfuls rather than quantity.

Mistake: You're not drinking water.
To lengthen the process of healthy eating and help the food travel down your throat, simply take a drink of water between each bite rather than between every two to three bites. Plus, those extra sips will help you feel fuller. (If you're bored with water, here are 3 ways to shake things up.)

Mistake: You're holding your fork too long.
After you take a bite, put your utensils down, chew your food several times, swallow, take a drink of water, wait a little while, and then pick up your utensils and start over. Don't prepare your next bite until you have finished swallowing your previous bite. (Check out these 16 simple ways to eat less.)

Mistake: You don't take a breather.
Who said one bite has to be chased by another bite? Take time to observe your surroundings, especially when you're eating out, or think about pleasant things between mouthfuls. Aim to schedule mini-breaks within the meal of 2-3 minutes.

Mistake: You're not talking.
Chewing, talking, and swallowing aren't a good idea because together they increase the risk of choking. But as long as your mouth isn't full while you talk (which your mother would be so disappointed by), conversation is a great way of increasing the time between mouthfuls.

PLUS: Diet Mistakes Even Healthy Women Make

Written by Angie Makris, PhD, RD for Prevention magazine


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