With some conscious effort and a bit of practice, you can probably slow the pace of your eating tremendously and, as a result, likely enjoy your food more while consuming less. According to research published in the BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal), people who eat more slowly tend to weigh less. So, what would eating more slowly and enjoying your food more look like for you? Is it a matter of pausing to be fully present with your food – seeing and smelling it before digging in? What else comes to mind?
What about while eating? What would savoring your meals look like for you? Is it a matter of enjoying the individual bites more fully by chewing slowly and noting the flavors and textures as never before? And what about allowing for more space between bites? What else comes to mind when you think of eating more slowly?
The idea isn’t to overwhelm yourself with creating a bunch of rules and rituals for eating more slowly, but rather to bring a mindset of curiosity and experimentation for figuring out ways to eat more slowly that bring you more pleasure while supporting you in consuming less. Consider what might work for you, make a plan, and give it a try, tweaking it along the way as needed to do what best meets your needs. For additional support, I consider reading Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program that Works by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resche.