How to Have a 6-Pack at 65 Years Old

Nothing beats Sunday dinner at my parent’s house.

This doesn’t happen as easily anymore since I’ve moved to the other side of the massive land mass called Canada, but it used to be a regular thing when I lived 45 minutes away.

Last August, my fiance and I went out for burger night.

I had just completed a diet for a fitness photoshoot, and at this time, my approach to food was that if I could see it, I would devour it.

There were multiple burgers in my sight this August Evening.

So there I am munching away — I’m about halfway through my second burger, and I look over at my Dad and notice something odd:

He hasn’t even started eating his burger.

He is still putting it together. “Building it,” as he would say.

I’m 1.5 burgers ahead of the guy!

Is this because I’m scarfing down burgers at breakneck speed?

Okay — maybe a little bit, but that’s not the main reason behind the discrepancy.

My Dad is the world’s slowest eater.

He approaches food like an artist.

Aside from burgers, it takes him nearly 20 minutes to complete all the steps into his intricate afternoon coffee.

My Dad LOVES food and expresses that love by putting great care into creating food.

Why am I telling you about my Dad?

Because he’s in great shape: He’ll be 65 in a few months, and the guy has visible abs and can do nearly 20 chin-ups.

He demonstrates one of the most powerful diet hacks that foodies can use to lose and keep off weight: slow eating.

Your brain doesn’t recognize satiety instantly; it takes 10-20 minutes for your appetite to adjust to the food you’ve eaten.

People who eat quickly will overeat because they haven’t allowed the time for their appetite to adjust.

Or they make the even worse habit of heading to the snack cupboard immediately after dinner because they think they’re still hungry.

Slow eating is the best technique to stay lean forever if you love food. It’s effective because it works in harmony with your love of food.

Foodies that choose a diet technique that has them go to war with their love of food (like an extremely limiting diet) usually lose the battle.

Slow eating is a way to express your love of food healthily.

Instead of mindless, excessive consumption, you learn to wine-taste your food — appreciating the experience of every bite.

When you adopt slow eating as a habit, you don’t give up eating exciting meals you love.

You consume less of these meals while enjoying them more.

Here are a few ways that you can build this habit:

Gratitude

Take a minute to pause and be grateful for the meal you’re about to eat. Millions of people throughout history have struggled to get enough food. You’re fortunate to have enough food to eat.

Wine-Taste Your Food

When enjoying a delicious meal, don’t scarf it down — focus on the experience of each bite. Imagine that you’re a fancy-pants wine person savoring a scintillating bottle of Pinot.

Take Pauses

There’s no rush during a meal. Put your fork (or spoon or chopsticks) down for periods. You don’t have to do this neurotically after each bite, but take a few intentional pauses throughout a meal.

Smaller Bites

Instead of trying to cram two-thirds of a burger into your mouth in one go, take smaller bites to enjoy.

Slow eating will let you appreciate your love of food more healthily. The other way people express their love of food is through consumption — they view a good meal as one where they can eat as much as possible and feast until they’re uncomfortably full.

There is a time and place to feast, but if you want to be lean, adopt the slow-eating approach to express your love of food.

Take it from a guy who has a 6-pack at 65 years old.