Diet Derailers

Fast is Fattening
Maybe you eat fast because you're always in a rush. Maybe you inhale your foods because you're just so eager to taste them. Maybe you don't know why you speed eat. But you should know this: Japanese researchers who queried more than 3,000 people found that those who eat quickly until the point of fullness were three times as likely to be overweight as slow eaters who stopped before they were full.

annnna. on flickr

Get the Signal
Dr. David Katz shares in The Oprah Magazine some of the science behind eating and fullness. When we eat, he says, hormones travel from the gut to the brain, offering feedback on how the eating process is coming along. Stretch receptors in the stomach must tell our brains that it's nearing capacity. But it takes food a little time to reach the stomach, which means it's entirely possible for us to keep eating, thinking we're not yet full, when really we are. Our full signals just come too late. Slowing down your eating pattern, however, can ensure that the signal reaches you in plenty of time.

Grzegorz Łobiński on flickr

Slow Down
Try eating until you're 80 percent full, so that when that signal from belly to brain arrives, you'll realize that you are in fact satisfied. You'll want to avoid fast food when you can, because, well, it's too fast. Also, put your fork down between bites, and pay attention to what you eat, says the Slow Food Movement -- instead of wolfing down your food, really taste it, enjoy the flavors and note the textures. Slow Food is all about counteracting fast food and fast life, and rediscovering the joys of eating. If you find joy in a shrinking waistline, then you might want to jump on board.

hiddedevries on flickr