夏日瘦身有新招

The secret of staying slim could be as simple as keeping your mind on your meals.

保持苗條身段的秘密也許就像只需要你將注意力都保持在進食這件事情上那么簡單。

A wealth of research suggests that freeing ourselves from all kinds of disturbance and distractions， and concentrating completely on the food that is in front of us， can help us stay in shape.

Such “mindful eating” ensures that “the mind is in tune with the body”， enabling it to “hear” the chemical messages clearly that tell it that we are full.

In studies， including some from the respected Harvard University in the US， dieters who focussed on their food rather than what was going on around them lost an average of half a stone.

有大量的研究顯示，將我們從各種干擾和分散注意力的事物中解脫出來，而將關注的焦點都放在我們眼前的這餐食物之上，這樣做就能幫助我們體態輕盈。

這樣一種“意念進食法”其實是使得我們的“身心合一”，同時讓我們的身體更清晰的“接收”到某種化學信息，它將告訴我們，自己已經吃飽了。

來自美國備受推崇的哈佛大學的一些實驗表明，節食者將注意力集中在食物之上，并不受周遭所發生事情的影響之后，他們的體重都有不少的減輕。

“Mindful eating”， named after the Buddhist principle of focusing on the present， has also been shown to help binge eaters get their splurges under control， with the number of binges cut from eight a fortnight to just three.

The researchers say that the digestive system involves a complex series of hormonal signals between the gut and the nervous system and it takes about 20 minutes for the brain to register that the body has eaten enough.

This means that if you eat too quickly， the signals will lag behind， leading to over-eating.

“意念進食法”的名稱源于佛教中關注當下的教義，同時這也能幫助到不少暴飲暴食的人戒掉這個不好的習慣，沒有節制的狂吃一通的情況也從兩周八次降低到了三次而已。

研究者表示，消化系統中，腸道與神經系統之間存在一系列復雜的激素響應信號，這一過程大約需要20分鐘的時間，大腦才能接收到身體已經吃飽了的信號。

這也就意味著，如果你吃得太快的話，這一信號將被大大延遲，這將導致你吃得更多。

Distractions also play an important role， with a recent British study concluding that eating at your desk could make you fat.

They say that distractions， such as playing on the computer or checking emails， make it harder for us to remember what we have eaten for lunch.

This absent-mindedness stops us from feeling full—and sends us reaching for afternoon snacks.

注意力的分散同樣也扮演著重要角色，英國最近發布的一個報告稱，在工作桌前吃飯會使你變胖。

研究者表示，例如玩電腦、收發郵件這樣的干擾會讓我們很難記住自己在這頓午餐中都吃了些什么。

這樣開小差的狀態會讓我們很難感知到身體的飽足感，這便使得我們產生了吃午后零食的想法。

Forty-two men and women were given a multi-course lunch by Bristol University researchers， with half playing the card game Solitaire on the computer as they ate.

Half an hour later， they were given chocolate biscuits to eat and asked to recall the various items they’d eaten for lunch， in the correct order.

Not only did the computer-gamers feel less full after eating， they tucked into twice as many chocolate biscuits afterwards and struggled with the memory test.

It is thought that our memory of what we have eaten plays a key role in dampening appetite. This means that distractions stop us from remembering the detail of what we have eaten—leaving us feeling hungry.

在一項由英國布里斯托爾大學所進行的試驗中，研究者安排了四十二位男男女女中一半的人一邊進食一邊玩電腦上的紙牌游戲。

在半小時之后，研究人員給他們分發了巧克力餅干，并且讓他們回憶一下剛才午餐中所吃的不同的食物，并且要按順序羅列出來。

這些玩電腦的人不光在飯后感到沒吃飽，并且吃掉了兩倍的巧克力餅干，而回憶測試的表現也很吃力。

據認為，記憶在進食過程中有著重要的作用，它能抑制我們的食欲。這就意味著，轉移注意力和分心將使我們難以記住吃了什么，并且讓我們感到饑餓。

TVs， radios， newspapers and even mobile phones should be cleared away—and at least 20 minutes of time set aside per meal.

Those who find it hard not to wolf down their food could try eating with their non-dominant hand—or even using chopsticks rather than a knife and fork.

Before snacking， dieters should ask themselves if they are really hungry—and if not， distract themselves by going for a walk or reading.

Done properly， “mindful eating” may not only leave us slimmer—we may also enjoy mealtimes more.

電視、廣播、報紙、甚至是手機都應該遠離我們的餐桌，并且保證每頓飯至少有20分鐘的時間進食。

對于那些放慢進食速度有困難的人來說，他們可以嘗試不同的進食方法，使用不順手不熟練的餐具。

在吃零食之前，節食者應該好好問問自己，是否真的餓了；如果答案是不的話，就去散散步或讀讀書看看報來轉移注意力。

如果實施手法得當，“意念進食法”不僅可以幫助我們保持體型，還能使得我們更加享受美食。

People from related fields say that simple measures， such as stepping away from the computer for a few minutes at lunchtime or finding some time in the evening to eat without being distracted by TV or computer， will allow people to notice the flavour and texture of what they are eating and enjoy it more.

“Mindful eating” is a remarkably simple but powerful tool which can help us focus on not only what we eat but also the way we think about food and how much we enjoy it.

相關領域的人士透露，比如說在午飯時離開電腦幾分鐘，又或者晚餐時專心進食，而不是被電視或電腦散開注意力，這些簡單的方法會使得我們更加真切體會食物的口感與味道，盡情享用。

“意念進食法”不僅操作起來非常簡單，同時也有重要的作用，可以幫助我們不僅關注自己吃的食物，還有對于食物的認識和想法以及我們有多么享受它。