Eating slowly is an elusive and complicated beast. So far I have tackled four methods for three weeks each in the eating slowly experiment. Today marks the final method as defined at the beginning of the experiment, the 20-minutes method. Brace yourselves, this one requires equipment...
No, I don't have a Garmin. Yes, I am still awesome.
Eating Slowly Method #5
Method to be Tested. Time 20 minutes and stretch out meals accordingly.
How to do it. At the beginning of each meal, time 20 minutes (the amount of time it takes your brain to register satiety). Start your timer and eat your meal slowly enough so it lasts the entire 20 minutes. I would also suggest to pause at the halfway point and assess your experience and satiety (mindful eating).
Dates for Implementation. Thursday, May 31 to Thursday, June 14.
Remember this experiment is designed to be interactive and this is the last test method so you should play along if you haven't already! No really, you should. E-mail me (mylessseriouslife@gmail.com) or leave comments on this post to provide me with feedback as you try this method along with me.
Find other eating slowly methods on my food experiment page.
Ready, set, eat (for 20-minutes)...
A 20 minute meal? HA! The only time I make mine last that long is when I'm wasting time on blogs at lunch break. That kind of defeats the purpose, no?
ReplyDeletehaha a little. although my breakfast takes me notably longer than all my other meals because that is my blog reading time. better than scarfing at least.
DeleteHuh, I like this! I'd love to eat meals a little slower, and actually scheduling out a specific time sounds like a great way to do it. Not just to enjoy food more, but to take a good 20 minutes to just relax!
ReplyDeleteyeah that is a good point. in general i need more relaxing time too so this is a good goal all around!
DeleteSoo, tried this last night--ended up taking only 15 minutes, but I had a feeling it would take some practice. And it was a really small meal, so I'm happy with it taking that amount of time. Definitely made me more conscious of enjoying the food/slowing down. Giving it another go tonight--thanks for the inspiration!
Deletecool! i'm glad to have inspired. 15 minutes for a small meal doesn't sound too bad! my dinner last night was 21 minutes - i was astonished that it took me that long. but, it was also outrageously massive. let's see how tonight goes...let me know what you get!
DeleteI SOOOO need to do this! I always inhale my food in record speed! Maybe I'll try this to help with it! Thanks for the idea! :)
ReplyDeleteyou are quite welcome. i hope it works for all of us!
DeleteThis is a great method! I remember I did this a few years ago when I first got into looking into intuitive eating. I made sure all my meals lasted 20 minutes. It helps if you're eating with others, because you can focus on conversation. But I had to be very patient when eating alone!
ReplyDeletehaha yeah i think eating alone will be the trick. luckily my boyfriend eats REALLY slowly and he will be here this weekend <3 so that will help me get started at least...
DeleteThis sounds sooo difficult! But I'll give it my best shot with you!
ReplyDeletemy first attempt (last nights dinner) wasn't too bad. i made it and it took me 21 minutes actually!
DeleteGosh I would love to be able to do this, but I am such a fast eater it's ridiculous! I may give it a go with my breakfast tomorrow and see how it goes, although most of the time I am eating it out the door!
ReplyDeletekeep me posted!
DeleteI feel like this is so much easier when you spread your meals through out the day. I've found by doing this, you really pay attention to what your eating and know if you benefit from certain meals or not. There's too many times when people ignore feeling drowsy or having cramps.
ReplyDeletegood idea! i try to eat snacks and spread things out. but, sometimes it is hard to do. i also find my stomach handles the food better when i eat smaller portions.
DeleteI NEED to participate... but it's so hard to do at work between meetings. Maybe I'll concentrate on 20 mins at dinner. Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeletei think a goal for at least one meal a day is admirable!
DeleteTotally interesting!! I'm already a slow eater - Max hates it! But I'll be interested to see how everyone else likes & does with it :)
ReplyDeletegood for you. i envy those who do this on their own. it is such a hard thing for me!
Deletehaha well considering it takes me 40 minutes to eat most meals I don't worry about the 20 minute rule, but I do think its an important one because my dad eats so much since he wolfs down his 2 hot dogs in 10 minutes....
ReplyDelete40 minutes is impressive! really, it is!
DeleteThe last time my boyfriend and I shared a really decadent dessert, I challenged us to make it last 20 minutes so that we'd really enjoy it... we managed to draw it out for 20 minutes and it was so much more satisfying than just hoovering it down the second it's served.
ReplyDeletei love the idea of really focusing on a dessert like this. desserts are really a splurge and i love to take time with them. i can imagine this was that much more satisfying!
DeleteThis is a great experiment, Sara! I'm definitely going to jump on board, seeing as that I scarf down my food WAY too fast. I find that I feel MUCH better after a meal when I eat slowly, and that my digestion is greatly improved. However this only happens when I'm chatting with a friend at a restaurant or reading blogs/writing papers while I'm eating. There's definitely room for improvement! :) I'm going to try timing myself during dinner tomorrow night. :)
ReplyDeletethanks, sara. how did the timing go?
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