Books and Videos on Bite Counting

 I recently downloaded an old book from Amazon about bite counting! I would recommend it for anyone interested in using bite counting as a tool to lose weight, be healthy, and eat small portions.

 While I do not actually follow everything they recommend,  the basic underlying ideas...

- Small portions

-being aware of actually how small of an amount we need.  

- How large and small portions affect our hormones

-How to focus on variety, texture, taste and a balance with your meals

-How that shrinking your stomach also decreases the "overeating" hormones... How do you shrink your stomach?  By eating less... it happens automatically.  If you shrink your stomach, your appetite /overeating hormones will go down, and thus making it easier to stick with small portions over the long term.  If you never eat more than a certain amount, It will become PAINFUL and maybe distasteful to feel FULL. 

Here is the older Diet Directives book about bite counting , small portions etc

https://a.co/d/f5YKgKm

The updated version (Updated in 2023) is more in depth and has 12 steps. 

https://80bites.com/buy-80

A couple videos on YouTube I found from years ago, and it was interesting! A guy found out that bite counting helped him lose weight, and he re- committed to it and was leading a group of people through it. There are all kinds of little tips and information in these videos, on how he made bite counting work for him and how he recommends it for others. Also he lists out the advantages of bite counting and how that he kept track of his bites in a spreadsheet.

Start at around the 8:40 mark to skip the intro  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NJSaeIwnkk  

And another video by the same person about bite counting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efEABnbLLH4

Eating slowly.....It could change everything!!!

 Years ago when I first lost my big amount of weight in 2013-2014 one thing that was a huge component of my success was eating slow.  I usually ate my bites an average of 1 minute apart....

Here is my 2013 blog post about eating slowly

https://countyourbites.blogspot.com/2013/12/eating-slowly-little-secret-with-big.html

I am re- visiting the "Eat Slowly" subject. It is such a simple yet powerful thing.  If you just change only ONE THING, change this!  Start eating slowly!  Really slowly!  

I downloaded a book off of Amazon called The One Minute Rule years ago....  In the book they describe a  special "rule" that makes all their other principles work in the book.... 

https://a.co/d/8CShZLJ

They say chew your food, swallow your food and then wait one full minute before putting another bite your mouth. They talk about how it is hard for the 1st month but they say to do it for every single bite for an entire YEAR!

It could sound almost ridiculous maybe even foreign!  It means it could be 1 minute 20 seconds or even 1 minute 30 seconds or more from the beginning of one bite to the beginning of the next bite.  

Try it!  It doesn't cost a thing,  its going to feel hard for the 1st month or so,  but it gets easier.

They encourage use of a stopwatch, second hand on a watch ect, or an iphone 1 minute timer

I use the Seconds Pro App

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/seconds-pro-interval-timer/id363978811

I have it set to 1 minute 20 seconds  From one bite to the next on the circuit timer setting.  Bonus, it also audibly says "Take a bite" for me.  It automatically counts bites also at the same time

You may notice after eating this slow...

---your perception may start to change around food.  It may seem like you are eating more when by eating slowly, you are minimizing food intake.

---you may start to notice the textures and flavors of foods more

---you will visually be around the food and take in the food more with your eyes. When we eat so fast, it's almost like, did I actually just eat? By stretching it out it feels like we got a much more "full meal experience" and chances are, even ate less

---as you go along in your slow eating experience you may find it easier and easier to stop sooner.

---you will likely  experience your stomach full and satisfied signals better and be able to recognize them easier and stop quicker.

---It may be much harder to binge. If you eat each bite so far apart, you will likely get bored or satisfied well before you get to the binge amount of food. The PAUSE between each bite really gives way to being able to think and consider if you want to keep eating or stop. Even if you wanted to binge at the beginning of eating,  if you are still eating slow, that feeling may disappear. I have had my share of binges...eating so fast is usually one of the main markers of a binge. 

--Savoring and Enjoying each bite of food is very important and that is what eating slowly helps us to do! It gives plenty of time to focus on the food we have in our mouth and visually take in with our eyes what is on our plate...Notice all the textures, flavors, consistency of each bite!

Try it ! Challenge yourself today!  Give it 30 days! It could change your life!  

The Freedom of Counting your Bites

Some people look at Bite Counting as another Restrictive  "rule".

The thing is, some of us do not eat like naturally thin people. 

And some of us never will eat like naturally thin people without some guidelines and putting forth effort. 

One of those guidelines that has helped me 

is Counting my Bites.

                                  Some of the Advantages...

Counting my Bites gives me a Clear Place to Stop. 

 Counting Bites is virtually free

    Food choices are many
       
       You dont need to follow a special diet or foods, but if you choose to, counting bites can work with that too!

      It doesn't require that I spend alot of time pouring over calorie counting books, apps, and websites

  The concept of bites is so simple, A bite is a Bite! When your bite limit is up, you are done, you can always eat that food the next time/day etc...

      When I go to my mother-in-laws for a meal with the family, I don't have to worry about how many calories are in a certain food. I know how many Bites I can have, and I know where to stop.

   When you go to a restaurant for a fancy dinner with your spouse, you can enjoy a nice amount of food and feel full without overdoing it! Simply stop at 25 normal sized bites, and enjoy it slowly. ( I use the Eat Slower app, setting it to about 1 minute between bites)

You can precisely control the rate of weight loss by decreasing and increasing bites as needed if you desire to lose a bit faster, slower,  maintain, or gain.

It's all about STOPPING! That is where bite counting comes in, a place to stop, eating any food you desire/in your plan, without spending hours of your day obsessing over calories

 I will close with this little bit from the chapter on The Mouthful Diet by Edward Abramson, etc

The more we do a behavior, the more it becomes automatic and reinforced 

One Quote from the book in the Mouthful Diet Chapter... page 95

Learning to stop eating is the most difficult part of dieting.  When you practice stopping frequently enough, it becomes easier to continue this pattern.  At first, stopping at bite 150 is as difficult if not more difficult as stopping at bite 75 or less later on.  This is especially true when you stop and don't see weight loss. Don't give up. Keep cutting down and keep stopping.  You are rehearsing  the behavior which is going to make the difference later.  You are controlling your own eating behavior.  You are stopping when you don't want to stop.

So practice STOPPING! This really seems to be a lot of Dieting/Maintaining  in one paragraph. When we STOP eating when our allotted Bite count is eaten, and Accept it, make a habit of it, that is when the results come. The results that Follow Behavior. 

Count bites project

Just saw this video tonight! It has good things to say about Counting Bites, not Calories!

Don't stretch your stomach!

Revisiting the topic again of your stomach shrinking/stretching again, you can find my other blogpost about that here http://countyourbites.blogspot.com/2013/11/your-stomach-shrinks.html


Keeping your stomach pouch small and your hungerstat down is part of the secret of losing and maintaining weight. It only takes 14 days or less of eating less food and your stomach shrinks down to a smaller pouch. It begins to be painful to eat over your normal "set" amount of bites that you usually take in.

As your stomach shrinks, your hormone levels begin to shrink. The hormones that make you want to eat actually go down...leptin and ghrelin and start to return to more normal.

 The larger your stomach the more leptin you produce. Stomach size and tissue DO have something to do with weight loss and satiety.

A smaller stomach also means Satiety, being satisfied with less food. If you feel FULL with only 5-10 bites, think how much easier it would be to stop than if you felt full on 40 bites.

Your stomach knows size/volume of what you put in it, not calories! If you eat a large amount of food, you get a  larger amount of hormones that stimulate more hunger, etc... Quantity...how much you eat! You are stimulating less hormones if you eat less, that is where Counting Bites come in. 80 bites program recommends somewhere between 15-18 bites for meals. 25 or less Bites  is a good goal for a maximum amount of bites at one meal or eating occasion  for your stomach.

If you are actively losing weight, your bites may be much lower than this, even down to 10 bites a day. (see 5 bite diet)


The long term plan Bariatric Patients are supposed to eat 7-10 bites per meal for the rest of their lives long term, with a maximum of 16 bites (16 Tablespoons/1 cup) If they eat more than this, they run the risk of starting to stretch the stomach back out again and possibly begin to gain the weight back.

Too much water/fluids can also stretch the stomach! Bariatric Surgery patients are recommended NOT to drink water with the meal, only 1/2 hour before and  1/2 hour after meals.

Study showing the stomach can shrink in capacity up to 36%
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/22/health/22real.html?_r=1&

Article about 5 bite diet, Hungerstat and your stomach shrinking
http://ezinearticles.com/?Explaining-the-Hungerstat---Read-This-Before-Considering-a-Gastric-Bypass&id=4730702


Meredith Luce Introduces 80Bites Diet from 80 Bites on Vimeo.


Water Intoxication from 80 Bites on Vimeo.

3 Bite Rule: a tool in portion control

 

 The 3 bite Rule is something I found on the internet while searching a few years ago or so.  Just another variation of bite counting!A tool in portion control. A tool to help us enjoy all those delicious yummy foods in tiny portions,and still reach our weight loss goals/ maintain our weight.

The 1st bite is delicious
The 2nd bite is confirming the first.
The 3rd bite your palate has had it it's fill--STOP


There are a few different variations of The 3 bite Rule.  


Variation #1 of the 3 bite rule: This is where one would eat 3 bites of each food offered at a meal. For example if you set down to a meal of meatballs, potatoes, salad and dessert, you would eat 3 bites of each of those foods and stop after that. 

Quote from http://weightomaintain.com/how-to-eat-dessert-and-stay-skinny-3-bite-rule/

 The 3 Bite Rule also works well at buffets or potluck parties.  There may be a large variety of dishes to try, which normally sends dieters like me into a panic.  No worries!  Just have three bites of each.  Can this rule be taken to extremes and abused?  Absolutely. We are adults here, so if you follow the letter of the law but break the spirit of the law you are only hurting yourself.  In other words, three bites of 100 different foods could be a slight problem. Just use your good judgment

 Quote from https://ritadate.wordpress.com/2011/04/06/3-bites-published-in-pune-mirror-april-4-2011/

  In the well known book, “Why French Women Don’t Get Fat,” author Mireille Guiliano explains how French women can eat pastries, breads and chocolates on a regular basis and not put on weight. One of her most important points is that the French savour their food and use all 5 senses when eating their meal and that French women don’t eat until they are full. She believes that three bites of a dish are all you really need to enjoy and be satisfied. She applies the 3 bite rule especially when eating her favourite — pastries.
3 bites of gulab jamun, 3 bites of tiramisu, 3 bites of rasmalai…go ahead and indulge in 3 bites of the foods you love. The 3 Bite Rule is a wonderful tool for those who want to maintain their weight. The concept is that we should not deny ourselves any of our favourite foods, instead should be allowed to eat 3 bites of the food, just enough to satisfy our craving. Studies show after three bites, the food loses its initial appeal and most of us just keep eating out of habit. The first bite is delicious, the second confirms the first and with the third your palate has had its fill — you should say thank you and stop.

 Quote  from http://eatknowhow.com/2013/06/28/ounces-pounds-losing-weight-an-ounce-at-a-time/

3 bite rule. Once meal is in front of them, 3 bites (1 Tbsp=1 bite) per food is eaten. Uses sandwhich plates for all meals. Sticking with the pla, they reinforce this philosophy when eating out and puts the remainder food into the garbage. This has helped with portion control, quality of nutrients, quick weight loss. Total weight loss in 4 months 20 pounds.

Quote from http://www.skinnyvscurvy.com/victoria-beckham/victoria-beckham-plans-follow-the-3-bites-diet-christmas.html

Victoria Beckham will be following the ‘three bites rule’ over the Christmas holidays

She will join everyone in tucking into the big turkey, but will only have three bites from everything that is on offer – from three bites of smoked salmon on blinis to the turkey and mince pies. 

Quote from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-french-women-dont-get-fat-12-01-2005/

 The other key factor, she says, is that French women don't eat until they are full. She believes that three bites of a dish are all you really need to enjoy, and she really applies that rule personally when it comes to her weakness: pastries.

Quote from http://facethis.blogspot.com/2012/05/exercise-wont-make-you-lose-weight-3.html 

 Overwhelmed? Start with a simple rule that I sometimes follow when the scale is tipping up - The 3 Bite Rule! Whatever you're serving for dinner, whatever is on your plate, pizza, cupcakes, or cheese ... Have it, but just 3 bites.

Quote from http://weightomaintain.com/how-to-eat-dessert-and-stay-skinny-3-bite-rule/

Three bites of ice cream or pizza or a Big Mac never made anyone fat.  Three bites of cheesecake, or buffalo wings or fried anything, is not the cause of the obesity epidemic.  Now entire portions of those foods on a regular basis would certainly having the scale moving in the wrong direction, since it is an overall calorie surplus that packs on the pounds. Not an innocent bite or two here or there.
With the 3 Bite Rule you get 100% of the enjoyment, and 0% of the guilt.  The first delectable taste of a food is the most pleasurable.  The second is often just as fantastic.  But then the pleasure factor starts declining.  I’ll be the first to admit that many bites of ice cream taste good, but after a small portion it’s not quite as amazing as it was to start.

 Variation #2 of the 3 bite rule: This is where one would eat 3 bites of  ONE item, like dessert at the end of a meal, or something else you are craving.

Quote from http://www.shape.com/blogs/weight-loss-diary/3-bite-rule-road-famous-food

 The first bite is as good as you think it's going to be, flavorful and delicious.

The second bite is also good but not as good as the first bite.

 By the third bite, the food isn't going to taste any better, so you might as well stop

  Other Variations of the Bite Rule: I found two more varieties of this rule: the Two Bite Rule and the 4 Bite Rule.  It all comes down to Portion Control... and the bite measurement helps us to do this without counting calories, just by portion control--counting our bites.

The 4 Bite Rule:
Quote from https://www.pinterest.com/barbbgal/the-4-bite-rule/

This Board is about GOOD FOOD....and not eating TOO much of a good thing. My rule regarding high calorie food that I HAVE TO HAVE- is that I eat only 4 bites.

Honestly, the first bite is THE BEST, 

the second bite is GREAT, 

the third bite is GOOD, 

and the fourth bite is OKAY...... 

after that mostly it is just because I want to finish it. So, save the rest and have it later when the first bite is THE BEST again! See? You CAN have your cake....and eat it too! Just not all at once!!

 The 2 Bite Rule:

Quote from http://foodaddict-fromfattofab.blogspot.com/2009/08/two-bite-rule.html

 I also had a family reunion to go to a couple of weeks ago, and that's where I employed the Two-Bite rule. There were so many things I wanted to try, but knew I was only going to eat one plate, so instead of getting a whole spoon of everything I wanted, I only got a little...two bites worth. I learned this technique from a lady who was in one of my previous Weight Watchers classes.

She was new to the class, and within a couple of weeks of joining, was faced with a mega buffet that she couldn't avoid. She told us that she decided the best two bites of anything we eat are the first and the last....so why bother with all the extra calories in the middle? Total epiphany for me. The heavens opened up and I'm certain I heard angels singing. This way, you still get to have what others around you are having. You don't have to smell the scrumptiousness and not get to sample it. You don't have to feel deprived. Just grab a couple of bites and make them the best-tasting two bites of anything you've ever had.

5 bite diet vs Gastric Bypass diet

Comparing low bite counts to Gastric Bypass Surgery Diet

Patients who go through Bariatric Surgery can only eat 5-10 bites per meal.  We can all do this without surgery, by shrinking our stomachs!




Quote from
 http://ezinearticles.com/?Explaining-the-Hungerstat---Read-This-Before-Considering-a-Gastric-Bypass&id=4730702

 After 14 days of easily taking in only 5 bites twice a day, the stomach naturally shrinks down. In other words, after 14 days of eating only 5 bites twice a day, the stomach shrinks to a point where eating more than 5 bites makes you feel drastically full. Your thermostat for hunger goes down to a point where it feels satisfied with smaller amounts of food. Your portion sizes, from that point forward, are naturally controlled as if your stomach had gone through a gastric bypass.

 After a gastric bypass, you end up eating 3 bites 3 times a day. When my patients come to me for pre-operative counseling, I put them on Dr. Alwin Lewis's "Five bite diet" and they lose the same amount of weight, have the same effects on their hunger, and avoid the surgery altogether. While on this diet, they lose 1 pound a day. And best of all, the diet costs NOTHING. You save from the surgical costs, and the costs to your body as you avoid life-threatening surgery.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4730702

 Quote from
http://rapidweightlosshypnosis.com/rapid-weight-loss-hypnosis-the-new-diet-that-revolutionized-fast-weight-loss-the-five-bite-diet%E2%84%A2/ 

"His basic premise: Why not use the diet they give people who have had a gastric bypass to people who haven’t had one, and see what it does to the hungerstat? In doing so, he discovered amazing things.
1. You don’t need a surgical gastric bypass to eat as if you have had one. In a few days, your body will get used to having smaller amounts of food and set that as your new hungerstat!
2. You’re stomach naturally shrinks down when you fast or eat smaller portion sizes. After a few days, you will feel full just eating 6 or 7 bites of food if you eat 5 bites for a short period per meal.
3. 1 pound of weight loss daily is safe and reliable with the guidance of a physician.
4. You don’t have to be morbidly obese to lose weight using the gastric bypass diet.
5. Coaching a patient through a diet can be as successful and satisfying as a gastric bypass that forces it.
6. A patient’s self esteem is much better preserved when they lose their weight naturally and through their own willpower than when forced through a surgery.
7. Whether you want to lose 5 to 200 or more pounds, the gastric-bypass-diet will work safely and effectively without the surgery so that the surgical risk is eliminated!
8. Many of the myths of weight loss regarding metabolism and mealtimes are disproven based on our experiences with patients on this diet."

 Quote from 
 http://www.ucsfhealth.org/education/dietary_guidelines_after_gastric_bypass/

"For the first two months following surgery, your calorie intake should be between 300 and 600 calories a day

It is important to know that following surgery, your stomach size is very small - less than 1/4 cup, or about the size of an egg"

 Quote from
http://eightbites.blogspot.com/2010/02/more-than-eight-bites_27.html 

"The focus of this blog has been the recipes and dishes that I have used to help me (and hopefully others) deal with the dietary restrictions placed on us by the weight loss surgery we have had. I have discussed the reasons I had the surgery (vertical gastrectomy, June 2008), issues involving the foods that I have eaten, the various formal and informal gatherings, and the culinary experiences that I have had on this interesting journey through my weight loss. Eight Bites has been my personal mantra for the last two years as it was with my wife’s surgery done in 1981. I have literally lived the majority of my life Eight Bites at a time. I have found that the restrictions placed upon me by Eight Bites have not influenced my appreciation for the actual act of eating good tasting food; in fact I believe it has been enhanced. I have found that I can evaluate a restaurant menu and choose between an interesting antipasti plate with a variety of bites, or a single dish from the secondo menu and have Eight Bites of the same thing. It allows  me an infinite flexibility.

 So where am I going here? The restriction of Eight Bites has been placed upon me by my surgery, but changing the way you eat regarding controlling portions has a more universal application. So todays entry is about portion control. Whether its Eight Bites, twelve bites or fourteen bites, what is important is examining the way we eat and looking at the concept of portion control as a means to change our weight, and our lives.

 The physical restrictions place upon me by my reduced stomach, limits me to Eight Bites (or so). But even if you haven’t had a weight loss surgical intervention you can still reduce your portion size. Think about an option where you limit your meals to 14 bites (or 12 bites)"

Quote from
http://www.thinnertimesforum.com/topic/97147-5-bites-per-meal/

 "Up to 5 bites per meal, put your fork down between bites, and chew, chew CHEW!!!" ABSOLUTELY, no more than 5 bites!!!"

Quote from
http://www.7bitesshow.com/#!about-us/cjg9

" What is 7 Bites?

It's an eating philosphy ingrained in the brains of many bariatric patients. 
The idea is that we eat around 7 bites with each meal: 4 Protein, 2 Vegetable, 
1 starch.  Then we wait for a few minutes. If we're still hungry, we go 
back for more protein (usually 3 more bite's worth). By this point 
(up to 10 bites) we should start feeling fullness (aka "restriction") 
and should stop eating.

This is the philosophy we've based our show around!"

Quote from
http://www.wikihow.com/Lose-Weight-by-Eating-Candy-and-Nuts

"Examine the liquid diet and pureed soft food starvation in the surgeon's process, eating about enough for a small child, after a radical weight loss operation. So, compare 10 bites per day, a radical diet choice -- to be explained below -- see the Mayo Clinic diet for after surgery (more detail in the tips section):^[1]

• "Recover:" nothing by mouth, not even water -- about 2 days.

• Phase 1: "Crash" on the surgeon's clear liquid diet -- 1 to 2 weeks -- healing inside.

• Phase 2: "Starve" on 6 one tablespoon pureed "soupy-pasty 1 bite meals" daily -- 2 to 4 weeks.

• So far! -- almost 2 months' total -- crash-diet on doctor's orders!

• Phase 3: "Starve" on six meals of two tablespoons per day, that's about six 1/4 cup "meals" of soft, mashed foods -- 2 to 4 added weeks of this.

• Phase 4: "Starve", for life. 3 tiny 1/2 cup -- 2 to 4 weeks and finally get up to a mini-feast of three "1-cup meals" of soft, chopped foods."

This is what Gastric Bypass Patients can eat:
adapted from http://evans.amedd.army.mil/ncd/PDFs/Bariatric%20Booklet.pdf

 Six Weeks through Six Months Meal progression - 

8  weeks after surgery you should be eating up to 9 teaspoons/3-4 bites (Tablespoons) per meal.

 Three months after surgery 12 teaspoons (4 bites) (1/4 cup) should be your meal maximum. 

 Six months after surgery 8 tablespoons (8 bites)(1/2 cup) should be your meal maximum

One-third to ½ of each meal will consist of a high protein sources, the other 2/3 should provide variety. 

Six Months and Beyond Meal Progression - 

Gradually increase meals by 1 tsp every 2 weeks. - 

At six months post surgery meals can be as large as ½ cup. (8 bites)

 - At nine months post surgery meals will be up to ¾ cup. (up to 10 bites)

one year post surgery you will have reached your goal of ½ to  1 cup per meal: ( 8-16 bites)

; this will remain the size of your meals for the rest of your life. -