What if losing weight did not go through a draconian diet or an infernal sports routine? Doctor Jimmy Mohamed shared a method of which no one spontaneously thinks and which, however, made the difference on the scale.
On set, facing Amandine Bégot and Thomas Sotto on RTL morning, Jimmy Mohamed recounts an American study which has tested a simple hypothesis: does our way of eating influence our feeling of hunger? To verify this, researchers invited volunteers to lunch in very specific conditions. Two dishes were offered: a chili con carne and a Tikka Masala chicken. Same recipe for everyone, a detail. Some have eaten them in a “classic” way, others in a very raised version. And so that everything was observed with a magnifying glass, the participants were filmed during their meal.
Scientists have scrutinized each movement: a number of foods swallowed, chewing speed, water sips. Result: those who ate the very spicy dishes took more time to finish their plate. And above all, they ate less. 11 % less than those who had a dish without fire or flame. At first glance, 11 %, it’s not huge. But if we do the calculation, it represents about 200 kilocalories on a day of 2000. Or right what it takes to create a caloric deficit sufficient to start losing weight.
It is not the burn of the pepper that melts the pounds, warns Jimmy Mohamed. What plays is time. “Since it takes 20 minutes for the satiety hormone to arrive and we are told: we are no longer hungry”, recalls the doctor. Eating quickly, as is often the case with meals taken on the go or fast food, pushes to swallow large quantities before the brain understands what is going on. Conversely, slowing down makes it possible to listen to your hunger signals more finely, and to stop without frustration, simply because we are reputted. So, to lose weight, nothing better than eating more slowly. And to do this, eating very spicy, maybe the key.
Another interest in this strategy: it is not based on the will or restriction. No need to remove a meal, nor to count your calories. This is what pleases Jimmy Mohamed: “Often, when we diet, we’re going to say: we’re going to jump a meal, we’re going to reduce your calorie intake, you lose a little weight but we crack.” There, the effect is softer, more progressive, but above all more durable. Because the body does not feel a lack, it just follows a more natural rhythm.
