Weight Loss Secret #5492

For the past couple of years, I have chewed gum nearly every weekday (except when I was pregnant).

Upon reflection, I figured out a few years ago that sometimes, when I think I'm hungry, I'm actually just in the mood to chew. After I figured that out, I began to chew gum regularly.

Gum is an awesome help in my battle against the extra pounds. I pop a piece in my mouth every afternoon at work, and it helps me in the following ways:

• It gives me something to chew on, so that I don't go looking for food that I don't actually need because I'm not feeling hungry.
• It puts a pleasant flavor in my mouth and freshens my breath (my favorite flavor: wintergreen).
• If someone offers me some food, it is easy to decline because I am enjoying my gum.
• It cleans my teeth a little (I always chew sugarless gum).

It was really hard on me to quit chewing gum when I was pregnant. (I quit because of concerns about acesulfame potassium, an artificial sweetener that is in almost every type of gum, including sugared gums.) I would guess that not engaging in afternoon gum-chewing contributed to the extra weight gain I experienced while pregnant.