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Monday, November 10, 2008

Slow weight loss with pills

A few months ago, there was an interesting piece of research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Before I start to explain the research, I should make it clear that it's not a full scientific study. Only a small sample of participants were involved and the conclusions have not been independently verified. But it is, as you might say, certainly food for thought. Most people who want to lose weight play around with their diet, talk about exercising and buy phentermine to use as an appetite suppressants. The combination of diet and a weight loss medication will, over time, reduce those pounds. All it takes is the self-discipline to stick to the diet.

When you were young, you probably remember your mother telling you to eat more slowly. In my family, there were standing jokes about how many times you were supposed to chew each mouthful before swallowing it. We agreed a different number of chews depending on whether it was toast in the morning or meat for dinner. But it now seems we were ahead of our time - unscientifically speaking. The most recent research was carried out by the University of Rhode Island. On two separate occasions, it invited thirty young people who notoriously eat large quantities, and gave them a meal of pasta, cheese and tomatoes. On the first occasion, they were asked to eat the meal as quickly as they could. On the second occasion, the participants were encouraged to socialize as much as possible during the meal and to eat slowly. Although they were not given an actual number of chews for each mouthful, they were told to make sure that the food was thoroughly chewed before they swallowed it. The results of this experiment showed that the participants ate an average of seventy fewer calories when they ate slowly. When you use the drug phentermine, it works by using the brain's messaging system to send a signal that the stomach is full. People stop eating when they feel full. Without the aid of phentermine, it takes about thirty minutes for the stomach to send that message to the brain indicating fullness. The natural process relies on physical changes to the stomach which distends as food enters and the release of appetite-related hormones. This new research confirms the theory that the more time you give yourself for the natural system to work, they less you will eat. The researchers also speculate that the more you savor and enjoy the food, the more you will be satisfied by eating fewer calories. Eventually you should be able to retain your eating habits to the point of not having to take any drug to either maintain or lose weight.

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