Why enjoying your food will allow you to lose weight

When ashamed of eating food, we need to eat fast, or pretend we aren't eating (watching television etc). Not allowing our brains to work out that we have eaten, so our brains keep telling us that we are hungry. Many publications tell us that it takes 20 minutes for our stomachs to tell our brains that we are full, so we need to eat slower. So enjoy that steak, don't just eat it, chew it, taste it.

If we think about this it makes so much sense, because our bodies would prefer to be healthy and ideal not over weight and not under weight. Just very logical.

Reasons why diets don't work and we gain weight

When your brain believes that it is being deprived, the metabolism slows down,
so after coming off the diet it comes back on faster.
The want of food becomes heightened, your body is trying to survive.
You crave foods you enjoy and can't have.

Simple version of the 8 rules

1. Eat breakfast
2. Enjoy what you eat
3. Stop eating 4 hours before you going to bed

Well first weigh in for these rules

5th April 2008 138.9 pounds

I'm going to try being a rules girl (Suz's food rules that is)

My Rules are:

1. Eat Breakfast.
2. When you're hungry, eat. Are you hungry? leave it 10 minutes if still hungry eat.
3. Eat what you want.
4. Enjoy what you are eating, savor each bite, chew at least 20 times.
5. If you find its not an enjoyable experience stop eating.
6. Eat consciously.
7. When you're full, stop. Eat slowly to ensure that you stop at the right time.
8. Don't eat 4 hours before bed.

I bought the book, but obviously not read the instructions - till reading this intelligent article from http://www.roanoke.com/columnists/nair/wb/155882

"McKenna's first four "Golden Rules":

1. When you're hungry, eat.
2. Eat what you want.
3. Eat consciously.
4. When you're full, stop.

Well, those seem like fairly simple rules, but McKenna elaborates. By "eat what you want," he means don't deprive yourself. By "eat consciously," he means set down your utensils after every bite, chew slowly and don't watch TV or read while eating.

McKenna maintains that if you chew your food slowly and concentrate on the flavor for at least 20 chews, you will feel full sooner and eat less food."