DAY ONE - Weapons

So, today I made sure I was armed with two things recommended by two people who were very successful at losing weight. The first thing was sugarless gum. I was grabbing one package of everything that sounded good. Trident, Extra, Dentyne, Orbit, etc. I shoved about 14 packs into a big Ziploc bag and distributed some spare packs around in my house and car in case I forget this monstrous bag. My mother recommended gum. Considering how we both started at Weight Watchers at the same time and she hit her goal MONTHS ago, I figured I should listen to any advice that she felt was helpful. "If you want something sweet, chew gum. When the flavor runs out, you wont want something sweet any more." Sounds like a plan.

The second thing was a few bags of little Dove dark chocolate bites. The woman baking my wedding cake suggested them. Her one restriction was that you should limit it to two pieces a day. She's a size 4.....but she always wasn't. So, I tend to listen to people who are poster children for success. Especially if they are a size 4 and spend their life around baked goods.

I did make a discovery today while acquiring artillery. I took an awesome Nutrition course in college taught by a brilliant woman named Annemarie Colbin. She told us that we should chew every bite at least 20 times before swallowing. I makes sense in so many ways but the thing that stuck in my mind was a comparison to a trash compactor. If you have a bunch of gigantic chunks of food, you really have to work hard to push it down the drain to the compactor. Turn the compactor on and that sucker is grinding and making noises like you shoved a shoe in it.

But anything that's already liquefied to some degree goes in the sink drain easily. You don't even have to turn the compactor on most of the time. No work involved. Our digestive system works in a rather similar way. If you want a detailed explanation of how this all works, buy one of her books or Google her and I'm sure you'll find an answer. I'm not even going to pretend to be able to explain it.

Anyway, Janice mentioned chewing food well during our coaching session this week and it reminded me of Annemarie's advice. My big discovery today occurred while I was chewing on my FiberOne breakfast bar. Healthier things definitely take a lot longer to chew.

Okay. So that's not going to earn me any great prize in the world of great discoveries, but when was the last time you actually contemplated this fact? In 37 years, I think this may be my first time.

Ever try to chew pancakes? After about 10 chews, it's already gone.... having slid down your throat. Then I started thinking about other things. Veggies, meat, fruit.....they all require some quality chewing. Donuts, toast, cake.....they break down very easily.

My A-HA moment for today...... most healthy food requires substantial chewing, therefore I should buy chewy foods. A-HA!

So, now I'm on a chew mission. Between the gum and chewing every bite of food 70 gazillion times, I thing I'm well on my way to TMJ.