Put Down the Fork and Chew.

How fast are you eating each meal?  Have you implemented the 20-minute meal yet?  It's free... and no one will even know you're doing it! Trust me. Let's keep slowing it all down!

Another huge tool that helps you lose weight while eating is putting your fork down between bites. Sounds simple, right?  Well.  It is.

If you consistently practice chewing your food, you’ll be amazed at how much better your digestion works, how much less you actually need to eat and how much more energy you'll feel.  And all this happens because chewing is not only slowing down your eating but grinding up your food’s nutrients so you can properly absorb all the vitamins and minerals into your system!

In order to get in the habit of actually chewing our food enough to help the digestive system (which for many of us is a new phenomenon because we tend to just swallow our food superfast without chewing) try chewing each bite of food starting with your very next meal, about 20-30 times. This sounds like a ton of chewing, but again, trust me - you'll get used to it.

Putting your fork down, and breathing between bites, will help. Even if you only have 5 minutes in which to eat a meal instead of 20, allow the act of chewing to relax you and use it like you would a meditation.

Here's what that looks like:

Before Your Meal

• Wash your hands
• Close your computer and turn off your smartphone or tablet
• Light a candle or play music you enjoy
• Do an EBT check-in
• Give gratitude to your body for the meal it is about to digest
• Set your timer for 20 minutes (or for as much time as you have)

During Your Meal

• Breathe
• Take a bite of food
• Put your utensil down
• Chew slowly (you can practice counting 30 chews)
• Swallow
• Breathe
• Pick up your utensil and take another bite
• Put your utensil down
• Chew slowly (you can practice counting 30 chews)
• Swallow
• Breathe
• Repeat until 80% full (aiming for energized, not full)

Super simple!  And free.  And you can start right now.  Go do it.

xoxo,

AAA