Ok, I know how it gets; you nibble on this and that throughout the day so that you can save up your appetite for that awesome dinner at the new hotspot restaurant. Come six hours later, you are ravishing everything on your plate and barely giving yourself time to gasp for air in between bites.

Or let’s say that you have long periods of time in between meals — maybe you are super busy throughout the day and don’t even think about what you will put in your stomach next. Breakfast, lunch and dinner come and go in about 2.5 minutes, and you don’t even realize that you ate a whole foot-long sandwich with a bag of chips because you were too hungry to walk one more block to Panera to get a salad.

Slooooow things down a bit, hungry people; the food isn’t going anywhere and you can actually hurt your metabolism and waistline by rushing through your meal. Want to know how you can actually accelerate and maintain weight loss by taking the time to savor and cherish every bite? Well let me tell you.

1: Better Digestion: You should count to 15 while chewing each bite. Why? Because when you break the food down in your mouth first, the enzymes in your stomach can do a better job breaking down what is left. This leads to better digestion, which leads to more toxic output … or “bathroom breaks” (wink wink).

2: More Satisfaction: When you take the time to focus on what you’re eating, it will lead to more satisfaction and less cravings. Really center your mind on the flavors you’re experiencing. After your meal, you will be more satisfied because you actually tasted what you were eating instead of by-passing that sensation to fill up your stomach.

3: You End Up Eating Less: When you eat slower, you naturally end up eating less because you give your brain the time to tell your stomach that it is full. If you rush through a meal, you can end up over-eating and then suddenly you feel overly stuffed. That is never a good feeling!

4: Increased Mindful Eating: When you focus on what you’re eating and center that time around the flavors and the experience, you will end up making healthier choices. Take some time to actually consider what you are ingesting, and if you are eating something processed, think of the chemicals and added fillers that you are putting inside your body as you chew. With natural foods, know that with every bite comes nutrients and illness prevention of some sort.

So, as you start your day with breakfast or lunch, and when you end it with dinner, take some time to slow down and enjoy, process and think about what you are eating. Meals should be a ritual for keeping your body and mind healthy, and your internal system will thank you for it!