Can You Lose Weight By Only Chewing Gum

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You probably have your favorite flavor when it comes to your gum of choice—you may go classic peppermint, spearmint, cinnamon, or bubble gum. The flavors are endless, but the pleasure of chewing gum doesn't just stop at which flavor you pick up.

In fact, many people rely on chewing gum for weight loss. Some say it helps them control cravings. For others, it keeps them from eating otherwise calorie-laden junk. But the debate about whether chewing gum is a legit (and healthy) weight loss strategy is more encompassing than a yes or no answer.

Does Chewing Gum Make You Fat? Well... It May Do The Opposite

There is mixed data on whether chewing gum can produce weight loss, says Danielle Staub, MS, RD, CDN, Clinical Dietitian at New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Breaking down the different sides of the debate, let's look at the evidence that supports—or refutes—whether chewing gum can help you lose weight.

Chewing gum may aid in weight loss by reducing cravings and subsequent calorie intake, increasing energy expenditure and by reducing stress levels, says Staub.

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For some people, it can be really helpful in weight loss if you struggle with mindless eating. If you gravitate toward pantry-based items that are full of empty calories, then that's a great time to swap that behavior for a piece of gum, says Jessica Crandall Snyder, RDN, registered dietitian nutritionist at Vital RD.

Or if you're a big snacker (who especially craves sweet things), gum can be a no-brainer to cut sugar cravings and simply keep your mouth preoccupied.

Chewing gum may be a useful tool for someone who constantly feels the need to snack or who frequently engages in emotional eating. It can be used to distract someone from mindlessly eating outside of scheduled eating times and can potentially decrease cravings for sweets, says Staub.

Experts Debate: Can Chewing Gum Help With Weight Loss?

For people who tend to eat when they are stressed, chewing a piece of gum could offer a good (calorie-free) solution, she adds.

Of course, if you're skipping meals and hoping that gum will offer some sort of relief from hunger, this is not a healthy weight-loss strategy.

For some people chewing gum between meals can help to reduce grazing and manage cravings. However, many people benefit from eating planned snacks during the day as a way to stabilize energy and prevent cravings, says Staub. We should make sure to not swap out purposeful snacks for a stick of chewing gum as this may derail weight loss efforts in the long run.

Ways Chewing Gum Can Help In Weight Loss

For those who have digestive complaints such as bloating or gas, chewing gum might not be the best option. Chewing frequently introduces more air into your GI tract, says Staub.

While sugar-free gum is also low in calories, the artificial sweeteners found in most are also controversial when it comes to gut health.

Most gums contain artificial sweeteners which can disturb the gut microbiome, and possibly lead to increased hunger signals and increased fat storage, says Monica Auslander Moreno, MS, RD, LD/N, nutrition consultant for RSP Nutrition.

When You Chew Gum Every Day, This Is What Happens To Your Body

Furthermore, sugar-free gum contains sugar alcohols, which can ferment in the GI tract and cause gas, bloating and alteration in bowel movements, says Staub.

While you may want to stay away from those with artificial sweeteners, those with sugar alcohols may still be the best choice depending on your stomach. But if they bloat you, go with a gum that has the least amount of added sugar.

Sugar-free gum is a good option if you can tolerate sugar alcohols. There are natural gums on the market that have minimal added sugar as well, says Staub.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Chewing Gum For Weight Loss? How True Is This Claim

However, if you can swap out a bad behavior (like mindless or emotional eating) for one that saves you from crushing extra calories or added sugar, chewing gum could have an impact on your weight loss.

[Chewing gum] may be good for some, but not for others when it comes to weight loss. It's important to note that chewing gum on its own is unlikely to result in significant weight loss unless you also work on improving dietary habits and incorporating routine exercise, says Staub.

Planning ahead meals and snacks can be extremely helpful for people trying to lose weight, says Staub. Eating on a regular schedule and avoiding meal skipping is also important for keeping stable energy and reducing cravings during the day, as is drinking plenty of water.For years, my roommate kept a magnet on our fridge that read: Snacking is the least but tastiest of my problems. So true. Because I'm an unapologetic snacker, I typically keep my dietary intake in check by eating mini meals throughout the day: breakfast, a mid-morning handful of almonds, two mini snack-like lunches in the afternoon, and then a balanced plate at dinner followed by a sweet snack before bed. My snacking strategy is what gets me through the day in lieu of three major meals.

Love Chewing Gum? 7 Reasons Why You Must Not!

But the experts say in some cases a serious snacking habit is more of a behavioral response. Which makes me wonder, Am I just eating because I'm bored or stressed or am I actually hungry? When it's the former, some experts said that your waistline might benefit by popping a stick of sugar-free gum in your mouth instead of adding needless calories.

To find out if skipping snacks in favor of gum would help me shed a few pounds, I decided to try it for a week. Here's what happened.

Around 9 a.m., like clockwork, I wander into the kitchen to grab my usual handful of almonds, crackers, or a KIND bar. (I eat breakfast at 6 a.m. So within a few hours I'm jonesing.) Oops. Then I realize I have to grab a stick of gum instead. This isn't too hard, but by 11 a.m., I am so hungry it's distracting. When it is time for my regular mini lunch of hummus and veggie chips, less than two hours later, I get hungry again (this is usually when I'd have a snack of edamame or fruit), so I grab a stick of gum. With my dinner plans still about six hours away, I keep chewing, tearing through half a pack. By the time dinner rolls around, I am so hungry that I finishe off the bread basket and order an appetizer before my meal arrives.

Does Chewing Gum Help You Lose Weight?

Okay, my normal mini meals are clearly not going to cut it here. Coffee and gum get me through the morning, but if I'm going to make it all afternoon, I'm going to need a big-ass lunch. I order a huge salad packed with all the extras (a.k.a. all the extra calories), and that helps. Typically, I crave something sweet after every meal, and I'm guilty of reaching for a square or two of dark chocolate to cleanse my palette. Though reaching for a minty stick of gum isn't quite as indulgent, it does the trick. Around 3 p.m., when I start to get antsy for my afternoon snack, a few sticks of gum seem to distract me until dinner. But again, I eat more than usual and tack on full dessert.

I start the day with a heartier breakfast than I normally do to see if it will help tame that mid-morning gnawing in my gut. It does (woohoo!), but it also makes me feel super-sluggish during my morning workout. I'd definitely prefer to have a lighter morning meal followed by a snack to keep my bod feeling lighter. By this point in the week, I'm into the heartier lunches, but I also notice that I feel a lot sleepier after the big meal. Honestly, I still want either a pre- or post-dinner snack, and I'm reaching for the gum more resentfully.

Phew. A full week with no snacks! The result: I actually gained a pound from not snacking. Taking snacks off the table made every meal feel like I was storing up for winter, and I definitely overcompensated with the calories.

Is Chewing Gum Good For Weight Loss?

On the upside, I learned that some of my eating habits had become automatic—like post-meal dark chocolate. In that case, chewing gum is a perfectly satisfactory sub. Chewing gum also helped me stop grazing. In a typical week, I'll grab little bites of things like a couple of blueberries, a slice of cheese, a single cracker, just to absentmindedly pop something in my mouth. For all those moments, gum helped me nix the mindless eating.

Overall, I don't think I'll be trading in my healthy snacks for a stick of gum. Ultimately, I feel more energized and satisfied when I can eat light and often throughout the day. But my little experiment did teach me to start paying more attention to what my body is telling me. Do I actually want a sweet treat after lunch or will a stick of sweet mint do? Do I need to grab a cracker every time I head into the kitchen? From now