Break the Nonstop Noshing With Mindful Eating

Americans eat while walking down the street, snack in front of the television, grab a bite in the car, gobble food at their desks and munch midnight snacks while lying in bed.

Is it any wonder that this nonstop noshing is helping to expand waistlines nationwide?

‘“People say, ‘I can’t understand why I gain weight because I hardly eat anything,’” says Marvin H. Berenson, clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at USC’s School of Medicine. “But if they look at what they are eating, they will find that they are eating a lot more than they think they are.”

For this reason, we should all try to engage in “mindful eating” at least once a day. There’s no rocket science here. It begins with paying attention to portion sizes and “being mindful not just about food but also about your body,” says Debora Burgard, a psychologist in Los Altos, Calif. “It means being aware of when you are hungry and of your stomach as it is actually becoming satisfied so that you know how to make a decision about when to stop eating.”

Think a little mindless eating--a cookie here, a slice of cake at the office, a handful of candies--can’t add too much? Think again. Studies show that the typical overweight American underestimates daily caloric intake by up to 40%. On a 2,000-calorie diet, a typical amount recommended for many adults by the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, that works out to an extra 800 calories a day and adds up 5,600 calories a week, or about enough to pile on almost a pound per week.

Here’s what experts recommend:

* Rev up before coming to the table. That’s right, instead of rushing to eat, do one to three minutes of brief exercise just before sitting down to the table. “Do anything at all,” says Berenson, author of “The Five Keys to Permanent Weight Control” ($16.95; 2002). “Take a little walk, swing your arms, go up and down the steps.” Just a minute or two of exercise, he says, “increases blood flow to the muscles, away from the stomach, and actually decreases appetite.” Yes, it’s only temporary, but it’s a way to ease into eating.

* Savor the flavor. Take the time to enjoy food. Focus on what is being consumed. Guilt--especially about eating so-called “bad” foods--fuels a lot of fast overeating. “Instead of sitting down and saying, ‘I’m going to have two chocolate chip cookies and really enjoy them,’ people often eat 10 cookies quickly, don’t taste the stuff and wind up being full and unsatisfied,” says Tracy Sbrocco, a psychologist and weight-control researcher at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md.

* Chewing counts. Yes, Mom was right when she said to chew slowly, but no, you don’t have to chew everything 30 times. “Chew more slowly, count the number of bites and if you find you chew three times, then increase it to five times,” Berenson says. The point, he notes, is to slow down.

* Establish no-eat zones. In other words, eat at the kitchen or the dining table, but not throughout the house and especially not while watching television. Same thing goes for establishing no-eat zones at the office and in the car.

* Examine why you eat. The obvious question: Are you really hungry or eating for some other reason? “People eat out of habit,” Sbrocco says. “They eat out of emotions. They eat out of boredom because they are trapped in their car.... People eat because they are stressed, anxious or feeling out of control. By doing this mindless eating, they keep their emotions at bay.” And, unthinkingly, add unwanted pounds.

* Take a seventh-inning stretch. Postpone second helpings until at least 10 minutes after finishing the first to enable your brain to catch up with the satiety signals from your stomach. Dish out single servings and keep platters in the kitchen rather than on the table, where they provide temptation. “People will just finish what is on their plates or in front of them without waiting for the internal cues to catch up,” Sbrocco says. Be especially careful at restaurants, where serving sizes are often large.

* Water liberally during--and in between--meals. Sip water between bites even if you’re only snacking. It helps increase satiety and slows consumption. “Anything that slows up eating is apt to decrease calories,” Berenson says. Another tip: Put utensils down between mouthfuls.

* Engage in guided eating. “Before putting a spoonful of food in your mouth, imagine the food, imagine filling up your mouth and then your stomach,” Berenson says. “The next bite you take will be much smaller. It becomes a psychological game.”