Shownotes
It’s all over social media — the three-bite rule.
Influencers savoring desserts, pasta, and pastries with the claim “just three bites.” The message? You can eat anything you want… as long as you stop after bite number three. Stop - Done - Basta!
But what does that really teach us about food, choice, or control?
In this episode of 1,000 Waking Minutes, Dr. Wendy Bazilian weighs in on the trend, separating fact from fiction. .
Drawing on more than two decades of clinical experience and research in mindfulness and eating behavior, she explores why connection and awareness matters more than control.
You’ll hear what the science says about restraint, awareness, and emotional engagement around food experiences and Dr. Bazilian’s own three-bite ‘practice’- a mindfulness strategy she’s taught for over 20 years that is rooted in curiosity, presence, and joy at the table.
This shorter conversation is part of an occasional series where we unpack trending ideas and frequently asked questions with clarity, nuance, and credible science — all in service of helping you make the most of your 1,000 waking minutes each day.
FROM THE EPISODE
WE DISCUSS:
(00:00) Introduction and welcome to the episode
(2:51) What is the TikTok “Three-Bite Rule” and why it’s trending
(7:34) What science tells us about restraint, mindfulness, and emotion
(8:04) Three key studies
(13:29) Why flexibility beats rigid control — in food and in life
(17:11) Dr. Bazilian’s Three-Bite “Practice”
(22:34) How to apply the practice in daily life
(23:46) Reflection: choosing connection over control
(25:51) Closing thoughts
CONNECT WITH WENDY:
Follow me on Instagram: @1000WakingMinutes
Visit my website: wendybazilian.com
Email me topics you want covered on the podcast: 1KWM@wendybazilian.com
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Thank you for tuning in to 1,000 Waking Minutes and being part of this journey–together. A huge thank you to our amazing collaborators including our production and marketing teams and Gabriela Escalante in particular. To the ultra-talented Beza for my theme music, my lifelong friend and artist Pearl Preis Photography and Design, to Danielle Ballantyne, Jen Nguyen, Joanna Powell, and of course, my family and everyone working tirelessly behind the scenes.
HEALTH DISCLAIMER:
The information shared in this podcast is for educational purposes only and should not be considered individual medical or health advice. Always consult with your trusted healthcare provider before making any changes to your diet, exercise, or medical treatment.
RESEARCH & REFERENCES
Watson, P., & Le Pelley, M. E. (2021). A meta-analysis of the relationship between eating restraint, impaired cognitive control and cognitive bias to food in non-clinical samples. Clinical psychology review, 89, 102082. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2021.102082
Pepe, R. B., Coelho, G. S. de M. A., Miguel, F. da S., Gualassi, A. C., Sarvas, M. M., Cercato, C., … de Melo, M. E. (2023). Mindful eating for weight loss in women with obesity: a randomised controlled trial. British Journal of Nutrition, 130(5), 911–920. doi:10.1017/S0007114522003932 https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-nutrition/article/mindful-eating-for-weight-loss-in-women-with-obesity-a-randomised-controlled-trial/FEBA9D60A940E6FC5C1FAD6D5C0B2E2F
Peitz, D., Warschburger, P. What Are You Hungry for? The 9 Hunger Mindful Eating Online Randomized Controlled Trial. Mindfulness 14, 2868–2879 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-023-02263-9
Transcripts
People talk about the three
Speaker:-bite rule trending right now,
Speaker:like it's a secret to
Speaker:control.
Speaker:But what if we stop
Speaker:trying to control everything all
Speaker:the time, and instead learn
Speaker:to build connection and flexibility
Speaker:with our food?
Speaker:Maybe then, strategies like this
Speaker:could simply be what they
Speaker:are.
Speaker:Tools, not rules.
Speaker:We experience 1,000 waking
Speaker:minutes on average every day.
Speaker:How are you spending yours?
Speaker:I'm Dr. Wendy Bazilian, and
Speaker:you're listening to 1,000 Waking
Speaker:Minutes.
Speaker:I can't wait to connect
Speaker:with you here with practical
Speaker:ways to eat well, move
Speaker:daily, and be healthy, to
Speaker:optimize every waking minute you
Speaker:live for a happier, healthier
Speaker:life.
Speaker:Thank you for sharing some
Speaker:of your waking minutes with
Speaker:me today.
Speaker:Let's get started.
Speaker:I'm saying yes to better
Speaker:days, yes.
Speaker:I'm on my way, yes.
Speaker:It's gonna be okay, yeah.
Speaker:Hello and welcome to 1,000
Speaker:Waking Minutes.
Speaker:I'm Dr. Wendy Bazilian, and
Speaker:I'm so happy you're here
Speaker:today with me.
Speaker:I am going to today
Speaker:share a new, shorter format,
Speaker:a chance to take a
Speaker:smart and practical look at
Speaker:something that's trending and timely.
Speaker:Maybe it's a question that
Speaker:comes up, a claim that
Speaker:I keep hearing, and periodically
Speaker:I'll be doing these, and
Speaker:I have a few of
Speaker:them coming up that have
Speaker:been piquing my interest and
Speaker:have come to me through
Speaker:clients and friends.
Speaker:When we look at these
Speaker:trends, I'm going to offer
Speaker:some science, some context, and
Speaker:hopefully some professional perspective that
Speaker:you can actually use.
Speaker:What can you take from
Speaker:this trend, if anything?
Speaker:So today's topic is one
Speaker:that's been making the rounds
Speaker:on social media and probably
Speaker:in conversations that you've been
Speaker:around as well, and it's
Speaker:called the three-bite rule.
Speaker:Like many trends, it's not
Speaker:entirely new.
Speaker:It sort of circles around
Speaker:versions of this, and it's
Speaker:part mindful eating, it's part
Speaker:portion control, it's part just
Speaker:control, this iteration of it.
Speaker:I'm just to insert a
Speaker:little bit of my thoughts
Speaker:and opinions right up front,
Speaker:but people are sharing dessert
Speaker:clips and eating pasta and
Speaker:captioning it like, just three
Speaker:bites.
Speaker:There's certainly something fascinating about
Speaker:how ideas cycle in and
Speaker:out, and it's sort of
Speaker:like the return of a
Speaker:classic fashion style, you know,
Speaker:or a familiar song, but
Speaker:with a new spin that
Speaker:makes it modern into the
Speaker:moment that we're in.
Speaker:So this one came up
Speaker:recently.
Speaker:A client came to me
Speaker:who's really smart and thoughtful
Speaker:and not a person who
Speaker:chases fads, but she just
Speaker:sort of asked, "I've
Speaker:seen this three-bite rule
Speaker:all over social media, like
Speaker:I said, with desserts and
Speaker:pasta, you name it.
Speaker:And people say you can
Speaker:eat anything you want as
Speaker:long as you stop at
Speaker:the third bite.
Key:you stop.
Key:It sort of sounds clever,
Key:but is there anything to
Key:this she wanted to know?
Key:And honestly, I love these
Key:kinds of questions because it's
Key:rarely a simple yes or
Key:no, occasionally, but usually it
Key:just opens the door to
Key:a conversation and context.
Key:Sometimes I haven't heard of
Key:them yet as well, so
Key:I have to dig in
Key:and do a little research
Key:and see what everyone's talking
Key:about.
Key:But I've been seeing this
Key:one too.
Key:And in fact, I've been
Key:teaching my own version of
Key:a three-bite rule, which
Key:I'll get to in a
Key:little bit, but I've been
Key:seeing this version across TikTok.
Key:Well, I get on TikTok
Key:occasionally just to view.
Key:I don't post as much
Key:there, but on Instagram for
Key:sure.
Key:And in the digital and
Key:the glossy magazines as well,
Key:some talking about the trend,
Key:some also critiquing the trend.
Key:Some of my colleagues and
Key:friends have been very smart
Key:to get in on the
Key:conversation and offer their professional
Key:perspective, which I respect very
Key:much as well.
Key:So at first it sort
Key:of sounds, you know, elegant,
Key:like the three-bite rule.
Key:It's not about indulgence, but
Key:it's not restrictive.
Key:It's sort of like right
Key:in the middle, I think
Key:in the three bears here,
Key:it's sort of a neat
Key:and tidy middle ground.
Key:And you'll hear why also,
Key:because I do have a
Key:little bit of a three
Key:-bite rule that I want
Key:to share with you that
Key:I've been teaching.
Key:It's more of a practice
Key:and an experiment that I've
Key:used here and there for
Key:the past 20 years with
Key:clients or classes, depending on
Key:what we're talking about and
Key:why it would be relevant
Key:as something to engage in.
Key:But when I hear the
Key:word rule, when someone brings
Key:me a rule, there's always
Key:a little warning light that
Key:sort of sounds off and
Key:sort of like, gets my
Key:brain rumbling because rules, you
Key:know, well, not all rules
Key:are bad, certainly.
Key:I mean, there are rules
Key:of the road and there
Key:are rules that we have
Key:to follow in a classroom.
Key:There are clear rules that
Key:are important and good, but
Key:even seemingly harmless ones sometimes
Key:can shift from,, in
Key:this case, a mindful pause
Key:to a performance of
Key:control, a rule about three
Key:bites.
Key:And I think when it
Key:comes to food and nutrition
Key:in particular, we need to
Key:be very aware of these
Key:things.
Key:And this is where it
Key:gets interesting because in nutrition,
Key:as in life, when guidelines
Key:become sort of performance art,
Key:they're rigid and they run
Key:the risk of disconnecting us
Key:from the very awareness that
Key:they're trying to gender and
Key:build.
Key:So awareness or the ability
Key:to notice our own experience
Key:in real time is good.
Key:That's where our true flexibility
Key:and well-being begin.
Key:So let's talk about this,
Key:the rule, and I'm going
Key:to engage a little science
Key:to help us see where
Key:this all nets out.
Key:It's important to know and
Key:ask further questions when you
Key:hear rule, when it becomes
Key:sort of like more than
Key:a helpful pause and enters
Key:into control.
Key:And I start to ask
Key:more questions.
Key:That's sort of a scientist's
Key:mind, perhaps, or a curious
Key:mind.
Key:Perhaps you have it too.
Key:Like the three-bite rule,
Key:what happens after the third
Key:bite?
Key:You might wonder.
Key:Or what happens during those
Key:three bites?
Key:Because in research and in
Key:the real world, we know
Key:that following strict external rules
Key:instead of our internal cues,
Key:or at least a combination
Key:of those, can lead, when
Key:it comes to food, to
Key:guilt or rebound, mental exhaustion,
Key:and people at risk may
Key:actually enter into some slightly
Key:disordered eating behaviors.
Key:So it's important for me
Key:to say up front, and
Key:then we'll look at a
Key:little science, what does exist
Key:out there in this space?
Key:I want to say this
Key:clearly.
Key:There is no scientific research
Key:on the three-bite rule
Key:itself.
Key:So the three-bite rule,
Key:there's no one who's dug
Key:into the three bites.
Key:There have been some studies
Key:about control, about restriction, about
Key:hedonic pleasure, about the pleasure
Key:that comes from food and
Key:mindful eating.
Key:We do have some evidence
Key:about restraint and mindfulness and
Key:awareness, and that can help
Key:give us a clearer picture.
Key:But there's no science on
Key:the three-bite rule itself.
Key:So one 2021 meta-analysis
Key:in the journal Clinical Psychology
Key:Review examined 57 studies on
Key:eating restraint in everyday populations.
Key:So these were not just
Key:people with eating disorders, but
Key:everyday populations.
Key:And the authors found that
Key:rigid control, the kind that
Key:might say only three bites,
Key:then stop, period, was linked
Key:to more emotional eating and
Key:food preoccupation, whereas flexible approaches
Key:were associated with healthier eating
Key:patterns.
Key:So this review found no
Key:consistent evidence that people who
Key:practice eating restraint are more
Key:distracted by food or cognitively
Key:fixated on it.
Key:It's a common assumption in
Key:some of the older theories,
Key:but the authors did note
Key:that restraint, how we define
Key:it and how we measure
Key:it does matter greatly, and
Key:that rigid rule-driven forms
Key:of control can create mental
Key:fatigue, surprise, and reduce eating
Key:satisfaction when they override our
Key:internal cues.
Key:Think about that for a
Key:second.
Key:And I think that food
Key:should be satisfying, and it
Key:should be pleasurable.
Key:Maybe not every single meal,
Key:but in general, we should
Key:go in thinking that it
Key:can be.
Key:So in other words, the
Key:three-bite rule is not
Key:supported by science as either
Key:helpful or harmful on its
Key:own, but what matters is
Key:the mindset and flexibility around
Key:it.
Key:Another study looking at weight
Key:and emotional regulation, so I
Key:wanted to share this one.
Key:This is in 2022 at
Key:the end of the year.
Key:It was a randomized controlled
Key:trial in Brazil, and it
Key:was published in the British
Key:Journal of Nutrition.
Key:They ran a study, the
Key:researchers, that asked a very
Key:interesting question.
Key:What happens when you combine
Key:mindful eating with or without
Key:a traditional diet plan?
Key:So the researchers followed 138
Key:women with obesity for six
Key:months, and they divided them
Key:into three groups.
Key:One practiced mindful eating only.
Key:One followed a moderate calorie
Key:-restricted plan, and the third
Key:did both together, a moderate
Key:calorie-restricted plan plus mindful
Key:eating.
Key:Everyone met regularly with seven
Key:monthly sessions, and they focused
Key:on awareness, reflection, and mindful
Key:connection to food.
Key:By the end, all three
Key:groups lost some weight, but
Key:the real change wasn't on
Key:the scale.
Key:The group that practiced only
Key:mindful eating showed the biggest
Key:improvements in emotional and in
Key:their uncontrolled eating.
Key:So even without calorie restriction,
Key:simply paying attention to why
Key:and how they were eating
Key:helps some people feel more
Key:in charge of their choices
Key:and less driven by their
Key:emotion or the habit of
Key:it.
Key:This was mindful eating.
Key:This isn't rigid control or
Key:rules, but the practice over
Key:the course of many months.
Key:The third study and the
Key:final study I want to
Key:share today is about mindful
Key:attention and self-compassion.
Key:In a 2023 paper that
Key:came out, researchers from Germany
Key:tested a simple two-week
Key:online mindful eating practice, and
Key:this was published in the
Key:journal Mindfulness.
Key:They asked more than 200
Key:adults online to pause once
Key:a day and notice why
Key:they were eating, and they
Key:used what was called a
Key:nine hungers model.
Key:Like was it physical hunger?
Key:Was it boredom or stress?
Key:Was it out of habit?
Key:Sometimes I think of the
Key:HALT [acronym].
Key:Are you hungry, angry, anxious,
Key:lonely?
Key:Are you tired?
Key:But these type of things,
Key:the nine hungers model, and
Key:that's all.
Key:It was just short daily
Key:moments of awareness.
Key:After the two weeks, the
Key:participants reported less emotion and
Key:loss of control eating, stronger
Key:intuitive eating patterns, and greater
Key:self-compassion.
Key:I think that's important.
Key:So it's a good reminder
Key:that some small daily pauses
Key:perhaps, not food rules or
Key:restrictions, might change how we
Key:relate to food in meaningful
Key:and lasting ways.
Key:So while the three-bite
Key:rule might claim control without
Key:restriction by like one, two,
Key:three, stop, a mindful check
Key:-in might be more helpful
Key:in helping you chart progress
Key:and reflect.
Key:And that's exactly what my
Key:version was getting to, and
Key:I'm happy that science supports
Key:it because it was something
Key:that I looked at the
Key:science at the time, and
Key:it was something that seemed
Key:intuitively a good practice.
Key:So while there's no research
Key:that directly supports three as
Key:a magic number, there is
Key:some strong evidence that even
Key:small moments of mindful attention,
Key:just a few minutes a
Key:day in a way that
Key:we can reasonably apply, can
Key:help shift our patterns and
Key:our peace of mind as
Key:well.
Key:So I want to just
Key:mention to you and share
Key:how we take the science
Key:that is there about mindfulness
Key:and flexibility and self-trust
Key:and compassion, how can you
Key:make it something that you
Key:use?
Key:And that's where my version
Key:of the three-bite practice
Key:comes in.
Key:And I'd prefer to change
Key:its name to three-bite
Key:practice versus three-bite rule
Key:now that this three-bite
Key:rule is really creating a
Key:very strong line on one,
Key:two, three, stop.
Key:When I first saw the
Key:trend, I was a little
Key:taken aback because I'm like,
Key:oh my goodness, it's bubbling
Key:up.
Key:This is something I've been
Key:talking about for a while.
Key:I wonder what they're talking
Key:about.
Key:And long before it became
Key:a trend, it was something
Key:that we would do in
Key:the spa environment and classes,
Key:even one-on-one sometimes,
Key:not about rigid stops, but
Key:about noticing.
Key:And when I would work,
Key:you know, sometimes spending a
Key:week alongside different groups or
Key:individuals at the spa, we'd
Key:try on different strategies together.
Key:We would see what worked
Key:together for that person or
Key:that situation, having situational practices
Key:and working on them, actually
Key:practicing practices.
Key:That was the key to
Key:this.
Key:So sometimes it was about
Key:experimenting, like how to handle
Key:a trigger or navigate a
Key:moment of stress or a
Key:new behavior for now.
Key:And I put that in
Key:air quotes.
Key:How do you do this
Key:for now?
Key:Is it something you're going
Key:to do with flexibility?
Key:Are you going to use
Key:it in instances like this?
Key:How do you do that
Key:for now when you're working
Key:on a goal?
Key:How do you build that
Key:awareness and that particular habit?
Key:Other times, it was simply
Key:about finding tools that you
Key:can practice and return to
Key:again and again, depending on
Key:the moment or the goal
Key:that you're working on.
Key:Come back to it later,
Key:especially when life feels really
Key:noisy and busy around you.
Key:What I found from the
Key:conversations that I've had with
Key:clients and groups is that
Key:people don't usually crave rules.
Key:They crave clarity, a guideline,
Key:a roadmap of sorts.
Key:And I can't tell you,
Key:however, how many times people
Key:have just said to me,
Key:though, that said, just tell
Key:me what to eat as
Key:if like it's the absolute.
Key:And I totally get it
Key:because clarity is what people
Key:are seeking.
Key:They're not really looking for
Key:a strict list.
Key:You have to do this
Key:or rigid plan.
Key:Not really.
Key:Anyway, I have learned that
Key:they're looking for some structure.
Key:They're looking for some tools,
Key:something that will help them
Key:feel more confident and less
Key:overwhelmed and more in control.
Key:They're really saying to me
Key:sort of like, help make
Key:this whole thing easier for
Key:me, please help me make
Key:this easier.
Key:And they want a little
Key:structure, but they want some
Key:flexibility, too.
Key:So this is what the
Key:three by practice that I
Key:applied.
Key:You know, these are smart
Key:people that I work with.
Key:You're a smart person capable.
Key:I mean, you've eaten hundreds
Key:of meals, many, many, many,
Key:21 a week on average
Key:over the course of your
Key:life.
Key:You probably have a number
Key:of practices that already work
Key:for you when everything's calm
Key:and the stars align.
Key:The day started.
Key:Well, they work.
Key:But when you're faced with
Key:so many options, sometimes we
Key:need a framework or a
Key:way to pause or slow
Key:down long enough to actually
Key:connect with what's on the
Key:plate and how we feel
Key:about it and to pay
Key:attention to it.
Key:So my version of the
Key:three by practice is really
Key:about that.
Key:It's not a diet tactic,
Key:but it's about pausing long
Key:enough.
Key:And it's a moment to
Key:have a stopping point where
Key:you can pause to reflect
Key:and then say, what's next?
Key:What does come during those
Key:three bites and what comes
Key:after those three bites?
Key:So this is the way
Key:that I approach that three
Key:by practice, just to frame
Key:it up for you.
Key:Bite one, I call it
Key:the expectation check.
Key:You put food in your
Key:mouth and you say, what
Key:did I think this would
Key:taste like?
Key:Is it what I hoped
Key:for?
Key:Is it better?
Key:Not quite.
Key:For example, you put a
Key:strawberry in your mouth.
Key:You've probably had lots of
Key:different types of strawberries, one
Key:strawberry, but it's the flavor,
Key:the texture has varied depending
Key:on season, where you got
Key:it, if you picked it.
Key:Is it not as sweet
Key:as the one that you
Key:picked last summer at a
Key:you pick farm, for example?
Key:Or if you're eating a
Key:pastry, did the croissant you
Key:just bit into live up
Key:to the one you had
Key:on that trip to France
Key:a couple summers ago or
Key:in your favorite bakery?
Key:Is it flaky and buttery
Key:like that?
Key:Is it less?
Key:Maybe it'll surprise you and
Key:be even better.
Key:So the expectation check is
Key:that first bite.
Key:It's like so explosive.
Key:It's like your whole mind
Key:is trying to measure up
Key:against expectation.
Key:I mean, what if you
Key:bit into a juicy plum,
Key:for example, and it started,
Key:you know, registered in your
Key:head like broccoli?
Key:I mean, you'd be like
Key:shocked.
Key:Even if you like broccoli,
Key:you'd be shocked because you
Key:bit into a plum expecting
Key:plum.
Key:Or if you bit into
Key:broccoli and it tasted like
Key:ice cream.
Key:Well, you might like ice
Key:cream, but you're not expecting
Key:ice cream.
Key:That's nonsensical, of course.
Key:But the point is you're
Key:measuring on that first bite
Key:and it's so much in
Key:your brain.
Key:You taste it, but you
Key:don't savor it on that
Key:bite.
Key:The first bite is about
Key:noticing.
Key:Is it as expected and
Key:what's happening right now in
Key:your mouth?
Key:Bite two is savoring.
Key:This is where you let
Key:yourself like actually experience it.
Key:You're like, ah, yes, I
Key:had that first bite.
Key:Now you can savor it.
Key:You can use all your
Key:senses.
Key:You can feel the texture,
Key:the temperature, the aroma.
Key:Is it related to a
Key:memory in your mind, in
Key:your life?
Key:The second it's about being
Key:present to enjoy the food,
Key:not rush past it.
Key:And it's the moment to
Key:slow down and really enjoy
Key:it long enough to notice
Key:before it's gone.
Key:You can really get the
Key:senses involved here.
Key:And bite three is the
Key:context.
Key:You ask yourself, where does
Key:this food fit right now?
Key:Is it part of my
Key:meal?
Key:Is it a joyful extra?
Key:Am I seeking comfort?
Key:Am I celebrating?
Key:Am I just doing this
Key:out of habit?
Key:The third bite brings in
Key:the meaning of the moment,
Key:the why behind what just
Key:went in your mouth.
Key:And importantly, and I've always
Key:said this third bite is
Key:like the punctuation mark.
Key:Sometimes it may be a
Key:period, like a natural pause
Key:point.
Key:Yeah, I'm done.
Key:It might be a stop.
Key:It's the end of the
Key:meal.
Key:I just wanted to taste
Key:that.
Key:I'm good.
Key:Other times it might be
Key:like an exclamation point.
Key:It's like a wow moment
Key:when something tastes that good,
Key:even better than you're expecting,
Key:than you imagine.
Key:Like this is amazing.
Key:And sometimes it's just a
Key:comma and not a 'just'.
Key:I shouldn't have said 'just'.
Key:Sometimes it is a 'comma'.
Key:It's part of the sentence.
Key:The meal goes on.
Key:You're having the meal and
Key:you may have many more
Key:bites beyond number three, but
Key:the practice of the three
Key:is what matters in the
Key:mindfulness.
Key:So either way, whatever the
Key:punctuation is there, it brings
Key:experience to awareness instead of
Key:autopilot.
Key:And it also isn't a
Key:rigid, you must stop.
Key:It's not a judgment on
Key:your behavior.
Key:From there, you choose.
Key:You might keep going.
Key:It's part of my meal.
Key:I am not done with
Key:my meal.
Key:I need to eat a
Key:well-balanced, quality, nutritious meal.
Key:Or you might not.
Key:It might be a dessert
Key:that you said this was
Key:extra on top of it
Key:anyway, but I'm looking forward
Key:to it and now I'm
Key:done.
Key:The decision is up to
Key:you.
Key:And this isn't about guilt.
Key:It's about awareness.
Key:It's not a stop unless
Key:contextually you're at some end
Key:or if you were just
Key:experiencing the food to try
Key:it, frankly, or if that
Key:plum tasted like broccoli.
Key:Even if you like broccoli,
Key:you might say, you know,
Key:I've had enough.
Key:Thank you.
Key:Probably not.
Key:But just the idea of
Key:the three bites.
Key:So the goal again is
Key:not stopping.
Key:It's evaluating what's next and
Key:you choose.
Key:From that comes some clarity.
Key:That's what people are craving.
Key:And some self-trust.
Key:So this practice has actually
Key:helped many people I've worked
Key:with to rebuild trust with
Key:food.
Key:So it's not asking permission
Key:or following a rule, but
Key:helping open the door to
Key:have an inexperience.
Key:Having a tool in your
Key:toolbox that you can practice
Key:and feel steady with and
Key:empowered by about figuring out
Key:where things fit when life
Key:gets busy.
Key:So that's the practice.
Key:If you want to try
Key:this, if you're curious, experiment
Key:with it.
Key:Pick a food you love,
Key:something you tend to eat
Key:maybe quickly or automatically would
Key:be a good one.
Key:And then practice the three
Key:bites.
Key:Number one, the expectation check.
Key:What am I experiencing?
Key:How does it measure up?
Key:Number two, savor it.
Key:Involve those senses.
Key:And that's a mindfulness awareness
Key:experience.
Key:And number three, what's the
Key:punctuation on this?
Key:What role is this food
Key:playing right now?
Key:Period, exclamation point or comma.
Key:Do I want more?
Key:Am I satisfied?
Key:Do I need something else
Key:entirely?
Key:There's no right answer.
Key:No test to pass here.
Key:It's simply an invitation in.
Key:One mindful moment to experience.
Key:So take that as it
Key:may be.
Key:I think that the three
Key:bite rule reentering the sphere
Key:allowed me to talk to
Key:you about it today.
Key:So is the three bite
Key:rule good or bad?
Key:It depends on why, I
Key:suppose, and how you might
Key:be using it.
Key:So if the version that
Key:I mentioned to you sort
Key:of resonates, then you get
Key:to choose.
Key:The rigid TikTok version, however,
Key:I think is rigid.
Key:It's about control and I
Key:think it has a potential
Key:risk and may backfire.
Key:Any behavior that becomes so
Key:rigid that there isn't flexibility
Key:built in, with rare exception,
Key:can become problematic, especially in
Key:the food and nutrition space.
Key:When you impose rigid limits,
Key:what happens?
Key:What's the opposite of that?
Key:You're not really practicing the
Key:so-called moderation.
Key:So I love when it's
Key:in a guided way.
Key:So when you do it
Key:with a group or you
Key:do mindful awareness, then it
Key:can be really fun and
Key:meaningful.
Key:And when it's in a
Key:context with other behaviors that
Key:support your health, it can
Key:be positive too.
Key:When it can be supported
Key:by a person with credentials
Key:in this area, not simply
Key:a TikTok influencer, like a
Key:registered dietitian or a therapist
Key:or a healthcare practitioner versus
Key:the 'do-like-I-do'
Key:social media influencers that are
Key:abundant out there.
Key:And I think that it
Key:can help in that regard,
Key:if you call it the
Key:three-byte practice, in giving
Key:you one strategy to try
Key:on and see if it
Key:fits for you.
Key:It's not about being good
Key:or messing up or doing
Key:it right.
Key:I really don't think that
Key:food is like that.
Key:It is about awareness over
Key:automation though.
Key:We become automatons sometimes when
Key:we're eating.
Key:We're not even aware of
Key:what we're eating as we
Key:put it in our mouth.
Key:It brings awareness.
Key:It is about internal permissions
Key:over external rules.
Key:So allowing you to tap
Key:your internal cues and sense
Key:that.
Key:And maybe it's even more
Key:about connection to your food
Key:and your choices over control.
Key:So connection over control.
Key:So thank you for sharing
Key:a few of your waking
Key:minutes with me today.
Key:If you've enjoyed this episode,
Key:please share it with a
Key:friend, subscribe, or leave a
Key:kind comment.
Key:It certainly helps us grow
Key:this community and keeps the
Key:conversations going.
Key:This idea came from listeners
Key:like yourselves who said, you
Key:know, what's up with this
Key:trend?
Key:Can you talk about it?
Key:You can find me at
Key:wendybazilian.com and you can
Key:follow along and please do
Key:on Instagram at @1000WakingMinutes.
Key:I'm Wendy Bazilian, your host
Key:and partner on this journey.
Key:And you've been listening to
Key:1,000 Waking Minutes.
Key:Until next time, be well.
Key:Thank you for tuning into
Key:1,000 Waking Minutes.
Key:A huge thank you to
Key:our amazing collaborators, including our
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