Get in the mood andmasticate . And be sure to enjoy it . That ’s what aware eating boils down to – mastication and knowingness – and also what expert say is the No . 1 affair you ’re forgetting to do if you ’re trying toshed the pounds .

Like mostweight - loss strategies , aware eating is bare , but not easy . You have to be cognisant of your food pick , homework , and use . Eventually , you ’ll incorporate all your senses , including hunger and satiation , to value and understand your family relationship with nutrient .

Are you hungry, or are you bored?

mass use up for a variety of reasons , actual hunger to boredom , broken centre to societal pressures . The challenge is empathize why you prefer the foods you do , and how you eat and delight them .

" Mindless eating , or feeding while distract , can lead to overeating and the consumption of foods that are n’t really what you or your body want at that minute , " Lara Felton , a registered dietitian , says . " aware eating , this practice limits gluttony , is better for your push and emphasis level , and may even help you let on some foods that you just do n’t wish . "

Mindless eating can lead to unintentional weight gain

Mindfulness has morphed into a buzzwordfaster than a runaway hoverboard , but it ’s been around for thou of days . The Buddhist tradition of oryoki is aware feeding that focuses on noticing when you ’re full , and around the twist of the 20th century , Horace Fletcher – who bring in the unfortunate nickname " The Great Masticator " – preached a cast of aware feeding that emphasized jaw .

" When we slow down down , we can bask the mo . For those seek system of weights loss and helper with weight management , eat slowly can delay us from clear our home , " say health motorcoach Isadora Baum . " As we check out in with our bodies to see how hungry we feel , we often get that satiation is hand before complete our repast . "

That can be a job for officious multitude , peculiarly when there are phones to check andshows to stream . forget to take the time to eat advertently can cause the punt to mob on , mostly because you are n’t looking .

group eating cheese pizza on checkered tablecloth

Cole Saladino/Thrillist

How to start eating mindfully when there’s never enough time

" The life of a working pro can be hectic and stressful , and the thought process of taking a lunch break , well , that ’s probably not even a condition . you may practice mindful eating in small steps , " suggest Felton . She encourages taking lunch forth from the office , and lay your phone away while you ’re at it .

Some people go a step further , recommend chewing each collation 40 times before swallowing , but who has time for that ? If that ’s not your crush , you could just try paying better attention to your body , since there’spretty good evidencethat mindfulness techniques can curtail binge eating and emotional eating – and corrode too much food for thought , as you in all likelihood know , can head to weight profit .

Now you just have to start doing it

So you ’re sitting at the table . First , notice your food , and wrap up your fountainhead around what it looks like , where it descend from , and how it was prepare . Then , note your skeleton of head – are you unquiet ? Relaxed ? Hangry ? work out out what your hunger floor is .

Breathe profoundly – not too audibly , that ’s weird – and develop a reasonable pace for the repast . Chew and enjoy , enjoy and chew , call up about the grain , tone , and how they may bear upon your mastication . Then swallow . Repeat . Take regular sips of water supply .

OK , sure , that sounds like a lot to just … chew . But if you ’re going to be eating anyway , you might as well give it a scene .

Nachos with cheese and meat

Drew Swantak/Thrillist

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