I’m the type of person who is always hungry. And when I say “hungry,” I mean HUNGRY. So when I eat any meal or snack, I scarf that food down like there’s no tomorrow. But on top of always feeling hungry, it also take A LOT for me to feel satisfied after a meal. “I’m full” is a phrase I save for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner—that’s it.
So usually when I try not to overeat, I just look at my portions and stop eating when I say “I think that should be enough food now.” But it kind of sucks when you never truly feel satisfied from your meal (first world problems, am I right?). But really, it sucks.
For a few years now, I’ve known that slowing down while you eat and not multitasking while eating can lead to feeling fuller faster and feeling more satisfied with your meal. So I tried that…and failed. Because back to the HUNGRY thing, I would be so ravenous when I got to my pantry that I couldn’t stop myself from eating too quickly. And even when I didn’t multitask during my meal, I still never really felt full.
So, I finally decided to dedicate one entire week (I know, big commitment) to taking one sip of water between each bite of food that I ate. I don’t claim to have created this brilliant idea, but it was an awesome idea. It forces you to slow down, and the water fills your stomach with calorie-less healthiness rather than more and more food stuffs.
So what happened???
1. I felt fuller quicker: BIG SURPRISE! (hah! I’m joking.) But really, it was such a breakthrough for me. I found myself eating half of the portion sizes I thought I would, AND feeling satisfied after my meal.Image courtesy of giphy
2. I went to the bathroom a lot more. Excess water, heck yeah! But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Actually, it’s kind of a good thing. But I definitely got to know where all the bathrooms on campus are located.Image courtesy of Buzzfeed
3. I felt good about myself. I felt great just knowing that I wasn’t overeating; I was getting the food I needed to continue my day without indulging too much at one time. Drinking more water, in general, just made me feel healthier and more energized to go about my daily activities.Image courtesy of Giphy
4. I got hungrier quicker. Since my stomach was filled with water and less food, I got hungrier more often than I already do. But that was okay, because then I got to do one of my favorite pastimes even more often: EAT!Image courtesy of Know Your Meme
So did I make this into a habit? HECK NO. Taking sips of water between every single bite of food was OBNOXIOUS. But after this past week, I definitely found myself being more intentional with every bite of food. I slowed down when I ate, and that also led to less overeating. But I still like to keep a water bottle nearby whenever I eat a meal, and I definitely still take a sip of H2O every few bites.