Are you 'present' when you eat?
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Prilla04
Posts: 174 Member
I've recently spoken with a behavior modification pro and she suggested being 'present' when you eat. Which means, looking at your food, feeling it in your mouth, really tasting it, etc as opposed to watching tv and scarfing your food down with no thought to it. Does anyone have any tips to share on how they stay 'present' while eating? How do you make yourself slow down?
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I chew slowly & thoroughly.. about 20 chews per bite.
I dislike eating around others because of the pressure to talk. I take my eating seriously! :happy:0 -
no. I'm usually next door eating cake.
Seriously though - I too have heard that paying attention will make a lot of difference.0 -
Have you read Paul McKenna for "mindful eating"? Didn't work for me because I actually like mindless eating.0
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Yes, absolutely present. We have a 'put it in a bowl or on a plate' and 'eat at the kitchen table' rule in my house. Unless you're eating peaches. Peaches can be eaten while standing over the kitchen sink. :P0
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just get orthodontic braces. Thats what slows me down plenty0
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See I just can't do the whole mastication thing. The resulting texture just makes me want to gag.0
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Almost always. The exception would be when I make popcorn for the sole purpose of mindlessly eating it while watching a movie.
edit: The only tip I have is to separate eating from any other activity. Don't eat dinner in front of the TV, for example. If you're like me, you could sit and eat until the movie/tv show/whatever is done, regardless of whether you're even hungry.0 -
we don't eat in front of the tv. Always at the table. Even if one of the kids is just having a snack, they sit in the dining room at the table, no distractions.0
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Sit at a kitchen/dining room table without distractions. Or discuss how the family members' day has been. Depends whether I'm eating alone or with someone else.0
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I love to sit and savour my food0
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I love to eat while I'm watching TV. I save my favorite shows for dinner time and we all watch. I guess I'm wondering what difference it makes in regards to weight loss? You're still eating what you put on your plate so wouldn't you get the same results if you just measured what went on the plate?
ETA: Not trying to be a ****. Just curious how this is supposed to help!0 -
I love to eat while I'm watching TV. I save my favorite shows for dinner time and we all watch. I guess I'm wondering what difference it makes in regards to weight loss? You're still eating what you put on your plate so wouldn't you get the same results if you just measured what went on the plate?
ETA: Not trying to be a ****. Just curious how this is supposed to help!0 -
One of the things I found after being on MFP for half a year was I was actually hungry by the time it was mealtime. I realized I had eaten or snacked any time I felt hunger beginning. Now, by lunchtime my simple egg salad sandwich tastes like prime rib and I do notice the taste and textures much more than before.
I had to wake up to the fact hunger is not a bad thing. We get tired as we go through our days but we do not immediately lay down for a nap when we feel we would like to. Eating is now the same way for me. I tell my body when we're eating not the other way around.0 -
I've recently spoken with a behavior modification pro and she suggested being 'present' when you eat. Which means, looking at your food, feeling it in your mouth, really tasting it, etc as opposed to watching tv and scarfing your food down with no thought to it. Does anyone have any tips to share on how they stay 'present' while eating? How do you make yourself slow down?0
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One of the things I found after being on MFP for half a year was I was actually hungry by the time it was mealtime. I realized I had eaten or snacked any time I felt hunger beginning. Now, by lunchtime my simple egg salad sandwich tastes like prime rib and I do notice the taste and textures much more than before.
I had to wake up to the fact hunger is not a bad thing. We get tired as we go through our days but we do not immediately lay down for a nap when we feel we would like to. Eating is now the same way for me. I tell my body when we're eating not the other way around.0 -
I have started focusing on flavor and enjoying the food I eat. I feel more satisfied when I am "present" even though I am eating much less than I was. If I eat without paying attention now and my portion is gone, I feel cheated because I didn't even get to enjoy it...lol.0
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its funny how much we think of food when we're not eating, and how little we think of it when we are0
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I agree, planning out your meal, savoring bites, with less distraction in the room, is a great mindful technique. It can be work, though. IT does feel like meditation, with appreciation for the food on the plate, even if and especially if it is tiny portions. I can not do it all the time. Its great at work, when things can be hectic, and to stop for a purposeful lunch, instead of scarfing it down and not remembering what I ate.0
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I try to be! I do think it's important.0
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Thanks for the replies. I have always been a fast or mindless eater and usually ended up overeating. By the time I registered that I was full I had eaten too much. I am TRYING to slow down and savor my food. It does help me because a lot of times I stop before my plate is clean. Just trying to work on this bad life long behavior. I'm slowing down now but I'm staring at my plate thinking "Yep, there is my chicken on my plate", "Yep that tastes just like chicken", "That's some good chicken", "How long can one actually think about chicken? 30 minutes, no way", "How long should I wait for that next bite?", "Wonder what I should think about now?" And that's all in the first 30 seconds. Just looking for some insight from all of those enviable people who eat so slowly. :bigsmile:0
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