Check-in: Mindful Eating
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themedalist
Posts: 3,212 Member
For those participating in our mindful eating challenge this week, how is it going for you? Would love to hear your updates!
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This is such a good exercise for me. I tend to get distracted while I'm eating and start thinking about other things. I eat, but I'm not really paying enough attention to really enjoy what I'm eating.
Little by little, I'm working on changing that.
For snack I had some black grapes. I ate them slowly and noticed the texture, their sweetness with just a hint of tartness. And oh my goodness...how juicy they were. These grapes were delicious.
I've been buying these same grapes for several weeks now. But they tasted so much better today.2 -
I'm traveling this week with a group and our meals are often arranged ahead of time and are always delicious. I've been mindful about choices when I can. I usually leave something on my plate and I'm not snacking much between meals. Today my husband and I shared a hamburger and fries for lunch and tonight I left about 1/4 of my food on my plate and skipped dessert. Snacking is very limited, too, for a variety of reasons. I feel better when I eat less so I'd like to continue that practice. By the time we get to the hotel I'm too tired to snack like I do at home, so that'd been good. Sleeping has not been good so I'm going to bed now at 9:00, about 3 hours earlier than my bedtime when I'm at home. My circadian rhythm is whacko!2
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I'm traveling this week with a group and our meals are often arranged ahead of time and are always delicious. I've been mindful about choices when I can. I usually leave something on my plate and I'm not snacking much between meals. Today my husband and I shared a hamburger and fries for lunch and tonight I left about 1/4 of my food on my plate and skipped dessert. Snacking is very limited, too, for a variety of reasons. I feel better when I eat less so I'd like to continue that practice. By the time we get to the hotel I'm too tired to snack like I do at home, so that'd been good. Sleeping has not been good so I'm going to bed now at 9:00, about 3 hours earlier than my bedtime when I'm at home. My circadian rhythm is whacko!
Mindful eating when traveling is no easy accomplishment! Well done, @nebslp!
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I did not do well with this week's challenge.
I still need to read the resources. However, the infographics were definitely an eyeopener for me. I never really considered being that mindful about my meals.
I am a very distracted, mindless eater. Unless I am eating a meal with someone I will almost always read a book or watch a movie or something.
In fact I often purposely plan and use my mealtimes as an opportunity to take a break, so that I can read etc. I still enjoy what I am eating, but it is definitely not my main focus.
If I am not reading then my mind is planning or wandering.
When I am not purposely eating healthy I also mindlessly graze instead of thoughtful snacking.
Perhaps I need to plan at least one meal occasionally where I on purposely practice mindful eating. Maybe 'occasionally' will become 'more often' over time.
:flowerforyou:2 -
I have been working on this challenge all week, but haven't had time to post much.
I like to take Mason jar salads to work for my lunches.
Tuesday is my long work day - 10 hours, and my lunchtime is my only break away from the computer station. On Tuesday I went to the Adjunct Instructor Office to have my lunch and had a brief chat with a fellow instructor. Then, instead of reading on playing on the internet, I thought about my lovely salad. First of all, I got the chicken absolutely perfect - cooked through but tender. The previous week I had overcooked the chicken pretty badly and my lunches were more like jerked chicken salads. I just love how the various flavors of the salad combine, yet keep their own integrity. The salsa adds a perky zest to all the other ingredients. The smoothness of the black beans add a back note; the green and red peppers, the cabbage, and the different varieties of lettuce add crunch and the little bit of cheese and dressing add some spice and salty goodness. It was delicious.
I usually don't pay too much attention to my hunger signals because my portions are generally smaller than what make me feel full, so I often have to convince myself that what I just ate is plenty. This is probably the result of years of over-stuffing myself. However, for my Tuesday's lunch, I started feeling full about 3/4 into my salad. I wonder if that was BECAUSE I was being so mindful. I thought about putting away the rest of my salad for later, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to eat it and was worried that by the end of my workday I'd be ravenous. So I did eat the rest of the salad and returned to work feeling a bit full, but certainly not uncomfortable.3 -
texasgardnr wrote: »I did not do well with this week's challenge.
I still need to read the resources. However, the infographics were definitely an eyeopener for me. I never really considered being that mindful about my meals.
I am a very distracted, mindless eater. Unless I am eating a meal with someone I will almost always read a book or watch a movie or something.
In fact I often purposely plan and use my mealtimes as an opportunity to take a break, so that I can read etc. I still enjoy what I am eating, but it is definitely not my main focus.
If I am not reading then my mind is planning or wandering.
When I am not purposely eating healthy I also mindlessly graze instead of thoughtful snacking.
Perhaps I need to plan at least one meal occasionally where I on purposely practice mindful eating. Maybe 'occasionally' will become 'more often' over time.
:flowerforyou:
I can relate to this, @texasgardnr. The mind wanders so easily. Mine really needs a leash. I am definitely also a work in progress. But I want to keep practicing. When I really tune in to what I'm eating, I enjoy my foods more. And because I'm eating more slowly, I'm also eating a little less. Both good things that will keep me coming back to mindful eating more often.
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I have been working on this challenge all week, but haven't had time to post much.
I like to take Mason jar salads to work for my lunches.
Tuesday is my long work day - 10 hours, and my lunchtime is my only break away from the computer station. On Tuesday I went to the Adjunct Instructor Office to have my lunch and had a brief chat with a fellow instructor. Then, instead of reading on playing on the internet, I thought about my lovely salad. First of all, I got the chicken absolutely perfect - cooked through but tender. The previous week I had overcooked the chicken pretty badly and my lunches were more like jerked chicken salads. I just love how the various flavors of the salad combine, yet keep their own integrity. The salsa adds a perky zest to all the other ingredients. The smoothness of the black beans add a back note; the green and red peppers, the cabbage, and the different varieties of lettuce add crunch and the little bit of cheese and dressing add some spice and salty goodness. It was delicious.
I usually don't pay too much attention to my hunger signals because my portions are generally smaller than what make me feel full, so I often have to convince myself that what I just ate is plenty. This is probably the result of years of over-stuffing myself. However, for my Tuesday's lunch, I started feeling full about 3/4 into my salad. I wonder if that was BECAUSE I was being so mindful. I thought about putting away the rest of my salad for later, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to eat it and was worried that by the end of my workday I'd be ravenous. So I did eat the rest of the salad and returned to work feeling a bit full, but certainly not uncomfortable.
Your salad sounds delicious, @77tes. I'm kind of amazed how much better foods taste when we pay attention to what we are eating. I have not had a Mason jar salad yet, but I'm now going to try it, thanks to your post!
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