Slow Down!

Maintain, Don’t Gain CHALLENGE WEEK 1

Holiday season is approaching quickly and the Health & Fitness Team has created a “Maintain, Don’t Gain” challenge to help get you through the holidays without adding on those unwanted extra pounds. Stay tuned to the weekly blog for tips to help you through this 12 week challenge.

First thing is first! We had such a great turn out for the challenge weigh in on Friday, Sept 30, that we have extended the weigh in 1 more week! Aren’t able to make it in, or don’t live around the area, but still want to join the challenge? Just reach out to the Health & Fitness Team and we’ll make it possible!

Now, for the most important part, the tip of the week!


“SLOW DOWN”


Wait…what?! Slow down is the tip of the week? How is this supposed to help me not gain weight? Learning to eat slowly is one of the simplest, yet powerful things you can do to improve your overall health.

Did you know slowing down while eating can lead to better digestion, better hydration, easier weight loss or maintenance, and greater satisfaction with our meals? Meanwhile, eating quickly leads to poor digestion, increased weight gain, and lower satisfaction.

Think about it like this. Have you ever eaten a meal and, shortly after, regretted how much you ate? Felt bloated? Sick to your stomach? Just way to full? That’s me…everytime I eat at Olive Garden! Yummy chicken fettucine alfredo!

Did you know it takes about 20 minutes for our satiety mechanisms to kick in? In other words, the communication from our gut, to our brain, and back to our gut is slow. Because of this, if you eat quickly, you’re likely to eat far too much in the 20 minute time period before your brain finally says, “I’m content. You can stop eating now.”

So how do you know if you’ve eaten slowly enough? Or if you are full enough? Or still hungry?

To help you get a handle on this, here are some tips and cues from Precision Nutrition that will be extremely useful.


The “How You Should Feel” Timeline

     *Eating until SATISFIED, rather than eating until FULL*

Hour 0 Immediately after eating
     You’re probably still a little hungry. It will take roughly 15-20 minutes to get a sense of satisfaction from a meal. If you’re a fast eater, wait it out before you go for more.

Hour 1 One hour after finishing
     You should still feel satisfied with no desire to eat another meal.

Hour 2 Two hours after finishing
     You may start to feel a little hungry, like you could eat something, but the feeling isn’t overwhelming.

Hour 3 Three to four hours after finishing
     You should feel like it’s time for the next meal. Your hunger should be around a 7 or 8 out of a 10 (where 10 I the hungriest you’ve ever been), but may be more or less depending on when you exercises and what your daily physical activity level is.

Not really hungry yet? You may have had too much food at your previous meal.

Hour 4 More than four hours after finishing
     You’re quite hungry, like nothing is getting between you and the kitchen. You’re at 8 or 9 out of 10. This is when the “I’m so hungry I could eat anything” feeling appears.

Whether it’s the 4 hour mark or 7 hour mark, if you’ve let your hunger get to this point, you’re likely to make poor choices, eat quickly to get rid of the hunger sensation, and as a consequence, overeat.


In the end, this habit can be as simple as chewing each bite more, setting a timer, stopping just short of your usual intake, or setting reminders (post-it note, phone alarm, rubber band on your wrist). It could mean eating until full rather than overfull. Anything that takes you one step closer to slowing down while eating is improvement and progress!

For you learners out there, check out more details on eating slow, provided by Precision Nutrition at http://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-slow-eating.

Need help and accountability? The HFA’s Spooky Special on Personal Training is still running through October 31. Check out some amazing deals and get the one-on-one attention you desire to help you succeed through the holidays. Email me, Hayley, at hearley@mvhospital.net for more details or call the HFA Team at 208-557-2823.

Until next time,
Hayley Earley, BS, CSCS, Pn1
Mountain View Health & Fitness Academy Supervisor
hearley@mvhospital.net
208.557.2823