How to Not Get As Fat This Holiday Season: Part 1

What is the cause of much mindless fattening? Speed.

Hello dear reader,

The holiday season is upon us. That means extra treats, drinks, and big meals. It’s such a great time to enjoy yourself, celebrate, and get together with family.

And after all is said and done, most of us will be 5 pounds heavier than we were before.

Then, we spectacularly fail to drop back to our pre-holiday weight. So, in 10 years, if nothing were to change, we would weigh 50 pounds more than we would if we lived in a world where there was no Christmas.

So what can we do about this? Because we are all going to celebrate and eat the special foods, drink the drinks, no matter what we say. We have to live life.

One thing we can do is to be just a little more intentional and minimize the damage. Slow roll the holiday. Maximize our enjoyment, still have our cake AND eat it.

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Intentional Eating: Pace Yourself!

Intentional eating is the opposite of mindless eating. Enrich your life by being less zombie and more aware.

I’m talking about speed. How fast do we eat, and what happens if we slow down a tad? Does eating fast cause problems? Are slow eaters a little lighter, do they fit in their jeans better?

And how can we remember to slow the frick down?

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HI. I’m Tim from Time2Thrive, a newsletter that helps people find simple ways to get healthier, eat with intention, and care for their bodies.

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How did you learn to eat when you were little? Was your family supportive, tension-free, and filled with good role models?

Mine was not.

I had to eat fast when I was small. You never knew if there would be enough to go around. My mom cut our food up into small pieces so it would look like there was more. Sometimes we relied on charity from my grandparents, who dropped off sacks of potatoes and canned mackerel.

We didn’t eat at a table. We didn’t have one.

My brother and I were dished up at the stove, and we sat in wooden chairs in front of the black-and-white TV. Usually, Dad sat with us, but Mom just leaned in the doorway and ate standing up.

This is not the environment to learn good eating habits. We shoveled it in like someone was gonna grab the plate back and let us starve.

Fast forward a few(!) years to the present day. I was still eating super fast, like my life depended on it. Like a seagull eating a hotdog.

Childhood habits are hard to break. I didn’t even realize that I was eating so fast.

What were your childhood habits? It’s worth noticing that we can change, we aren’t stuck reenacting them for our entire lives…

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Podcast recommendation: Just One Thing.

Eat Slowly – why simply eating slower could improve your digestion and lower your blood sugars

This fantastic podcast episode was recorded by Dr. Michael Mosley on BBC Radio 4. Unfortunately, the doctor has passed away, but his work lives on.

Eating more slowly has massive benefits, and it’s free and easy to learn. It’s a basic life skill that you hear of, but it doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Read on to find out why you need to eat slower—like your life depends on it!

Footnote about Breatharians.¹

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Enjoy Your Food More

Imagine you’re in a restaurant, waiting for your food, and you’re hungry.

As you talk to your friend, you glance out of the corner of your eye. Is it coming yet? Is your food on the way? It is!

Trying to look nonchalant, you pretend you didn’t notice the waitress bringing the goods your way. You lean toward your dinner partner and avoid looking at the approaching feast. Yes! It’s almost here! As your nose picks up the tantalising scent of freshly cooked food, drool almost comes out of your mouth, forcing you to swallow.

“Oh! It’s here!” you say with fake surprise. “ I was so engrossed in your witty conversation that I lost all track of time and didn’t even notice they were bringing it! I am SO surprised!”

Then you dig in. And you inhale that food like a vacuum cleaner sucking up easily suckable things.

Seven minutes later, you drop your fork. Groaning, you realize that your stomach nearly burst a little because of the speed at which it was forced to expand.

Would you have a better experience if you slowed it down a little?

• Enjoy the food more

• Taste different flavors

• Show appreciation and gratitude to everyone around you

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Fact: It’s impossible to enjoy your food as much if you eat too fast. You’re cheating yourself!

Let’s consider the social aspect. When we eat with others, are we better able to socialize and have a good time when we hoover like it’s a hot-dog-eating contest, or when we savor each bite, taking moments to talk and sip our drink before the next?

Is this a race? Or a fun experience with our friends and family? Really think about this, as we head into one or more holiday get-togethers. What’s the most important thing for you? Is it leaving the table so stuffed you can barely move? Or is it the family/ friend interactions?

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Improve Your Digestion

As you eat slowly and chew your food better, it gets broken down into smaller, more easily digested bits. At the same time, more saliva gets mixed in. The more spit mixes with the food, the easier it will move through your system, and the better it is for your gums, teeth, throat, etc.

Saliva also jump-starts digestion and helps your body regulate insulin.

Eating slowly avoids stressing the system and pushing it to its limits. Fast eaters cram food in so fast that there isn’t time for all of the stomach fluids to mix properly with everything. It’s like rush hour downtown instead of a steady trickle of traffic.

The stomach and its functions are crucial to the body's overall health. We owe it to ourselves to give ourselves every advantage, and that means eating more slowly.

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Fast Eaters Gain Weight

Fast eaters weigh more than slow eaters. Not only do they eat more at each meal, but they also snack more. It has a lot to do with the hunger hormones released when you pound back the food like you’re racing. That leads you to eat larger amounts of snacks.

Researchers consistently find that eating more slowly results in taking in about 10% less food over time. That 10 % adds up. The average person will gain 1 to 2 pounds per year, up to about 10%. There seems to be a correlation here. I’m no mathematician, but NOT EATING as much food will probably lead to weighing less?

So.

Eating more slowly could keep us from gaining as much weight.

Fast Eaters Are More Stressed

What is the feeling produced by rushing your food instead of slow-playing it?

Many of us rip open the fridge, grab something, then eat our snack quickly by the sink, dump the knife on the stack of dirty dishes, and walk away. High-stress eating.

Have you ever eaten in a rush? This is zombie behavior. I’ve been guilty of it for most of my life.

Do you want to relax? Then you need to slow down your food intake.

Sit down at a table if possible, take a deep breath, and take it one bite at a time.

Slowing down will activate your vagus nerve and allow you to calm your storm. Cortisol levels will drop, and heart rate will be slower. Your stomach will be happy and digesting properly.

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The holiday season can be super stressful. So if eating just a bit slower could lower those Christmas cortisol levels, I say that’s something we ALL need to be doing.

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How to Do It

Alright, Tim, you’ve convinced me.

So how do I do this slow eating thing?

Here are some ideas specifically for the holiday season, although they are good anytime.

1. At holiday gatherings, don’t eat anything that you aren’t going to enjoy A LOT. These treats and meals aren’t your regular fuel. These are supposed to be special. So if it isn’t special to you, get something you really, really enjoy. If that cookie looked delicious, but it turns out it’s only half-ass holiday food, throw that motherfucker away. And. Why waste your time on bullshit Christmas cake if you hate it? Hold out for those Dog Damn butter tarts!²

2. Sit down to eat. At a table, if possible. No standing by the sink, no leaning in the doorway, no nibbling while preparing the food. You can’t enjoy it half as much unless you take that time to focus on what’s going in your mouth.

3. Take sips of water (or whatever you’re drinking) between bites. Pause, and you can enjoy the next bite more.

4. Stop and put the fork (or the butter tart!) down every so often.

5. Take small bites— half as big as usual.

6. Make a point of tasting the food fully.

7. Chew twice as long as you used to. Minimum of 10 chews? Just do your best.

8. If you’re eating with someone else, ask a question or listen to what they’re saying between mouthfuls before returning to the next bite. Stop and tell Grandma (or your loving spouse!) how much you’re enjoying that butter tart that they made.

   

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The Holiday Challenge

I challenge you to maximize the pleasure from the special foods and drinks this holiday season. Don’t jam that treat in your mouth. Stop and really enjoy it.

Sample each drink like you are a connoisseur at a wine tasting event.

It’s a simple challenge that could pay off big time for you.

• Enjoy your food more

• Digestion works better

• less stress

• Be a bit less fat

• enhanced street cred!

Would you like to join me? For the month of December, do your best to follow some or all of the slow-eating tips above. Then, report back here on how it went. Keep an eye on the Time2Thrive chat for updates.

If you’re in, leave a comment below.

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Just think: Eat slower, and you will reduce your chance of choking to death on unchewed food to almost zero!

I mean, there’s still that tiny chance that a small bird will fly in your mouth unexpectedly…

1. A breatharian is someone who believes humans can live without food or water, sustained solely by “universal energy,” light, and air. And yes, they tend to be a tad bit thinner and less lively than everyone else. Hardly any of these people do labour jobs, work as waitresses, or run marathons.

2. The butter tart, my favourite holiday treat, is a Canadian dessert from early French settlers in Canada. The first published recipe appeared in a 1900 cookbook from Ontario.