According to the Harvard School of Public Health, the U.S. Government, and dietitians all you need is 80 bites of food a day. This concept is behind the new 80Bites Diet created by registered dietitian Meredith Luce, M.S. and Pilates instructor Joan Breibart. The 80Bites Diet is promoted as a way to permanently retrain how your body feels hunger, teach it to eat slower, and reprogram the digestive system.
Due to chronic overeating, our stomachs stretch. The more a stomach stretches, the more of an appetite one has which leads to over-consumption and weight gain. 80Bites claims that by simply taking 80 bites of a food a day, your body can learn to intuitively eat a healthy amount. We are assuming that those 80 bites are nutritious foods, and not mouthfuls of cake.
The 80Bite plan is a 12 week plan that is explained very simply: Take fewer bites, your stomach container shrinks, you want fewer feedings, and finally you absorb fewer calories. As the name indicates, you eat 80 bites of food per day, divided into three meals and a snack. To monitor your bites, 80Bites has a smart phone app that you count your bites with. It’s considered the “pedometer for your mouth,” a practical way to track consumption and become aware of overeating. The app records each bite you take as you tap on the screen. If you eat too quickly, the app alerts you to slow down. When you get close to your maximum bites for the meal, the sound changes, too.
We aren’t entirely sure if doing everything for you, and focusing on quantity over quality, is the path to learning intuitive eating, but it does set a pace that can become habit if practiced over a period of time.
In addition to the app, dieters can join 80Bite for $50.00 and receive member benefits to help them along their way. Members receive 12 weeks of information and tools. They are given weekly tasks to build new eating habits. Sample menus, food substitution charts, and guided meals are part of the package. The 80Bites Team provides support throughout the 12 weeks as well.
While the app can be purchased for a low price, it’s suggested that any weigh loss achieved without the low-calorie diet plan you receive with a membership would be minimal or nutrient deprived. All 80Bite dieters are encouraged to follow the plan provided with the online membership for maximum results.
One of the best techniques for weight loss is simply learning to eat slower which allows the body to feel full with less food. If you feel like you need an app and a $50.00 membership to track every bite of food that goes into your mouth, go for it, but don’t rely on it for long: learning to listen to your body and eat intuitively on your own will be the only habit that sticks.