In any weight loss effort, you and your mouth are in joint partnership to chew and/or drink less to lose your weight. So in addition to raising your awareness as to the types of food that you’re going to now eat to lose weight, it’s also an added bonus to make your mouth your friend since at the end of the day that’s where your food begins it’s chewed on or drank journey.

So first let’s talk about how you eat or as I like to call it “chew”.  Do you chew your food slowly or quickly?  Do you enjoy each chew in each bite?  You see the more aware you become of   “each”   chew in each bite the slower and longer your eating experience will last.  This type of slowed down “chewed “   awareness will also heighten the relationship that you have with the texture and the flavor of your food.  So that slowing  down your chewing will ultimately satisfy you in new and exciting ways which will help to support you in cutting down on your caloric intake.

Now, the next way that you can support your mouth to help you reach your weight loss goal is to watch your relationship with your fork and spoon when you’re eating.  Do you put your fork or spoon down between each mouthful or do you rush that food to your mouth like when you want to make the light before it changes?  Slowing down the rate at which you bring your fork or spoon to your mouth will support slowing down your chewing behavior and as a result in time you’ll want less.

So what’s another way, that your mouth can support you in eating less and reaching your weight loss goal?  Well, as surprising as it may sound it lies in your aftertastes.

What is an aftertaste?  I think of aftertastes as the food that’s left in your mouth after you’ve finished the food that you had planned (or not planned) to eat.  Knowing that there will be aftertastes can help you stop yourself before you consider potentially overeating.  Connecting with your aftertaste and then asking yourself, “Do I still want more?” will slow you down from potentially having more and therefore potentially deciding not to have it.

Just a new way to think about using your aftertastes!

Now two more ways that you can use your mouth to support your weight loss are to not eat on the run and to know what you’re going to do after you eat.

So first let’s talk about eating on the run.  With the hectic schedule in so many of our lives today, a lot of people often eat on the run.  Eating on the run doesn’t help to make you aware of what you’re eating and you’re probably going to eat more than you’re comfortable with, again not letting your mouth support your weight loss goal.

And last but not least what will you be doing after you eat?

I believe that it’s just as important to plan your food for your weight loss as it is to know more than less what you will be doing after you eat.  If you know what you will be doing after you eat, then you’ll have a greater sense of motivation to move to your next activity instead of “over chewing”.  So what will you be doing after you’ve “chewed” your planned food?  Again, planning for it, might help you stop.

So don’t forget your mouth when you’re chewing, it’s really one of your best friends on your weight loss journey.

Can you think of any other ways to slow down your chewing or drinking behavior so that

you can support your weight challenge?

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(C) 2011 Sora Vernikoff and Sora can be found on Facebook as Sora Vernikoff.