Many times when working with people on their nutrition, their goal is to reduce bodyfat. We often hear people say that the issue isn't what they eat necessarily, just that they over do it a bit..... many times we've heard people say 'if it's on the plate, I'll eat it!'. A lot of us do this, but those extra calories add up over the weeks, months and years.

So, how can we deal with this? Well, we can measure and weigh everything to get our portions right, and this is the most reliable approach, however, for many of us this might seem a bit daunting or may just be too time consuming.

There's another method that can help that won't really need any of your time. You simply need to slow things down! Consciously slow down how fast you are eating your meals. Simple right? But it can be extremely effective.

What are the Benefits?

Eating slowly has a load of benefits including:

• Slowing digestion

• Better hydration

• Easier weight loss

• Greater satisfaction with our meals

If you think about it, we have busy lives, we're often distracted and rushing, as a result most people eat really fast. Our fullness signals don't have a chance to kick in when we need them to and as a result we feel overstuffed and uncomfortable. Often, the meal feels shorter than it should and we just aren't as satisfied even though we've eaten (often too much).

So - I challenge you to slow down your eating for just one meal in the day, it doesn't matter which one, but it's best you choose the one where you're likely to have a bit more time to enjoy your food and won't be rushing.

How should I do this?

Try following these steps:

• Put down your cutlery in between mouthfuls

• Finish what in your mouth before putting more in there

• Have a sip of water

• Pick up your cutlery

• Go back in for the next mouthful

• Stop when you feel 80% full

One of the most important benefits of eating slowly is recognising when you're full. It takes about twenty minutes from the start of a meal for your brain to send out the signals to say you've had enough..... most meals don't even last that long! Imagine the extra calories we ingest simply because we don't give the brain and body the time it needs to register when we've eaten enough? Now imagine the effect those extra calories could be having on your bodyfat percentage?

Eating in this way may take a bit of getting used to, but it will give you a chance to get to know your fullness cues and get a feel for how much you should be eating in one go. You won't have to do it like this forever, in the long term, you should naturally slow down your eating, but this is a great way to start and re-calibrate!

Another benefit is that you might even take the time to actually enjoy and savour the food that you're eating and you'll leave the table comfortably full and satisfied!

Give it a try and let us know how you get on!

CHALKBOX Nutritionist - Laura