Are you 'present' when you eat?

jlapey

I'm mindful of the portions I put on my plate so it doesn't matter what I'm doing while I eat or how fast or slow I eat it. It's going to be the same amount regardless.

Prilla04

no I just play with my food.

OMG! That's brilliant. Saves on calories too!

rml_16

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!

Does it have to be about weight loss? OP asked a question on mindfulness during eating.

No it doesn't. I just assumed and that is my fault. What is it about then? There has to be a benefit or else why would it have been suggested to OP. Weather or not it is about weight loss doesn't matter, that was poor wording on my part, I'm just curious what the benefits would be. I'm even more confused now if it isn't for weight loss.

Some people have a hard time judging satiety and this kind of thing can be helpful. It isn't necessarily indicative of an eating disorder. It can help move someone away from constant calorie counting into intuitive eating.

Plus, there are studies suggesting that eating quickly causes the sensation of fullness to lag behind and eating slowly helps you feel fullness when you might not have eating quickly. It's the same idea behind waiting 20 minutes between your meal and having seconds just to make sure you're still actually hungry.

Prilla04

Read a diet tip that advised you to use chopsticks whilst snacking so that eating requires more conscious effort. That's probably assuming that you're fairly bad at using them, sure if I tried to use this tip I'd get proficient in no time

I will definitely try this! Thanks.

Prilla04

Eff Mrs. Manners and Mrs. Post and use your opposite hand for all utensils )

As a bonus to being more present, it develops neural pathways!

Great tip. I'll eat with chop sticks using my left hand! Ha! Although I may starve...

MinMin97

I would hate to turn anything into a ritual, though. I do like to eat without a lot of stuff going on around me. But i'm certainly not going to count my chews GAH!

AglaeaC

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!

Does it have to be about weight loss? OP asked a question on mindfulness during eating.

No it doesn't. I just assumed and that is my fault. What is it about then? There has to be a benefit or else why would it have been suggested to OP. Weather or not it is about weight loss doesn't matter, that was poor wording on my part, I'm just curious what the benefits would be. I'm even more confused now if it isn't for weight loss.

Some people have a hard time judging satiety and this kind of thing can be helpful. It isn't necessarily indicative of an eating disorder. It can help move someone away from constant calorie counting into intuitive eating.

Plus, there are studies suggesting that eating quickly causes the sensation of fullness to lag behind and eating slowly helps you feel fullness when you might not have eating quickly. It's the same idea behind waiting 20 minutes between your meal and having seconds just to make sure you're still actually hungry.

I was taught it takes ten minutes for the brain to register the signal from the stomach that it is satisfied about the amount eaten. Many eat their meal within a few minutes without paying attention at all and then have seconds prior to the ten minutes, hence possibly eating too much.

IHateThinkingOfAUsername

Do you know who was really 'present' when they ate? The guys from the Minnesota Starvation Experiment. They would take hours to eat their small meal, not talking to one another during the meal but focusing solely on the food. Some would save some from the chow hall and then slowly nibble on it until it was gone, hours and hours. Anorexics tend to have elaborate food rituals as well since they obsess about food.

Maybe just eat your food, enjoy it and be done with it. Making it such a strong part of your life, so much that you count chews, won't eat around other people because they are a distraction and other behaviors isn't usually a path towards a healthy relationship with food but an obsessive one.

My point exactly! I think elaborate rituals *around* food might be fine, like, for example, always eating at a table covered with a cloth and fully set, or a wine-tasting ritual before-hand, or family grace with each giving individual thanks, or whatever. I think those things increase your appreciation of food and of your company and make you mindful of your meal. Elaborate eating rituals, however, are not trustworthy--in my opinion.;

Do you know what - I have just remembered - when I was around 19year old. I HATED eating infront of other people. I remember the first time I had tea at my now In Laws. It was horrible, feeling like people were watching me. I'm so glad I 'got over' that. How I did - dunno maybe just matured.

I think 'mindful' eating is a good strategy to have if you aren't counting calories and want to stop when you are full and enjoy your food. For me, I like unmindful eating. I like a big tea, and I like the feeling of a probably over-full belly. That feeling when you just want to have a sleep after a big meal. I love naps!

AglaeaC

Do you know who was really 'present' when they ate? The guys from the Minnesota Starvation Experiment. They would take hours to eat their small meal, not talking to one another during the meal but focusing solely on the food. Some would save some from the chow hall and then slowly nibble on it until it was gone, hours and hours. Anorexics tend to have elaborate food rituals as well since they obsess about food.

Maybe just eat your food, enjoy it and be done with it. Making it such a strong part of your life, so much that you count chews, won't eat around other people because they are a distraction and other behaviors isn't usually a path towards a healthy relationship with food but an obsessive one.

This is an extreme example. Mindfulness has nothing to do with it.

AglaeaC

I've recently noticed that I'm never present for anything I do...honestly....so I'm working on that. I find it really hard work to be present, and not 10 miles ahead of myself at all times. I don't know if it will help with weight loss, but it's sure to help with binges. If I'm consciously thinking about what I'm putting in my mouth as I'm doing it, I actually do make better choices. We'll see how that shows up in my metrics.

This was nice to read. Being present in the moment is a skill these days.

brower47

Do you know who was really 'present' when they ate? The guys from the Minnesota Starvation Experiment. They would take hours to eat their small meal, not talking to one another during the meal but focusing solely on the food. Some would save some from the chow hall and then slowly nibble on it until it was gone, hours and hours. Anorexics tend to have elaborate food rituals as well since they obsess about food.

Maybe just eat your food, enjoy it and be done with it. Making it such a strong part of your life, so much that you count chews, won't eat around other people because they are a distraction and other behaviors isn't usually a path towards a healthy relationship with food but an obsessive one.

This is an extreme example. Mindfulness has nothing to do with it.

Hence why I mentioned specifically people who count chews and refused to eat around other people because they were distractions. Those seemed like the extreme sides of mindfullness.

AglaeaC

Do you know who was really 'present' when they ate? The guys from the Minnesota Starvation Experiment. They would take hours to eat their small meal, not talking to one another during the meal but focusing solely on the food. Some would save some from the chow hall and then slowly nibble on it until it was gone, hours and hours. Anorexics tend to have elaborate food rituals as well since they obsess about food.

Maybe just eat your food, enjoy it and be done with it. Making it such a strong part of your life, so much that you count chews, won't eat around other people because they are a distraction and other behaviors isn't usually a path towards a healthy relationship with food but an obsessive one.

This is an extreme example. Mindfulness has nothing to do with it.

Hence why I mentioned specifically people who count chews and refused to eat around other people because they were distractions. Those seemed like the extreme sides of mindfullness.

You talked about starvation and experiment. I still don't get how you connect that to Buddhist mindfulness.

brower47

Do you know who was really 'present' when they ate? The guys from the Minnesota Starvation Experiment. They would take hours to eat their small meal, not talking to one another during the meal but focusing solely on the food. Some would save some from the chow hall and then slowly nibble on it until it was gone, hours and hours. Anorexics tend to have elaborate food rituals as well since they obsess about food.

Maybe just eat your food, enjoy it and be done with it. Making it such a strong part of your life, so much that you count chews, won't eat around other people because they are a distraction and other behaviors isn't usually a path towards a healthy relationship with food but an obsessive one.

This is an extreme example. Mindfulness has nothing to do with it.

Hence why I mentioned specifically people who count chews and refused to eat around other people because they were distractions. Those seemed like the extreme sides of mindfullness.

You talked about starvation and experiment. I still don't get how you connect that to Buddhist mindfulness.

There, I bolded the bits in my post that you missed. I doubt the spirit of Buddhist mindfulness had those situations in mind. I'll admit that I should have put those bits at the front of my post, perhaps avoiding your perception of my post.

jang711

I have learned to eat slowly and savor every bite. By doing so I find that I take my time enjoy each bite, and I reach the level of "fullness" long before my plate is clean. I stop for five minutes and if I'm still hungry I will resume eating. I very seldom resume eating as I'm full and satisfied. It has helped take 10 pounds off in 10 weeks, works for me!

Prilla04

I have learned to eat slowly and savor every bite. By doing so I find that I take my time enjoy each bite, and I reach the level of "fullness" long before my plate is clean. I stop for five minutes and if I'm still hungry I will resume eating. I very seldom resume eating as I'm full and satisfied. It has helped take 10 pounds off in 10 weeks, works for me!

So what do you do in those five minutes if I may ask? I'm just curious. Do you sit at the table or do you get up and move around? I want to get my mind in the right place as far as being mindful.

Meerataila

See I just can't do the whole mastication thing. The resulting texture just makes me want to gag.

I can't deal with that either. My idea of chewing is generally good enough not to choke and that's about it.

amusedmonkey

I'm usually not. Not eating in front of the computer when I don't have company feels "lacking" to me, overchewing muddles the flavors, and not chatting when I have company detracts from the social part of social eating.

I wish I could be more mindful, but these habits are so ingrained and I enjoy them so much that trying to change puts extra stress on me. I know I always savor the first bite of chocolate or ice cream, so maybe it won't be hard to change after all?

The_Hungry_Atheist

I eat whenever I am hungry and it just so happens I am always watching TV and playing my online game. I must be a great multi tasker because I manage to savor and enjoy and be thankful for every delicious bite. I also find having to put my food to the side for 10-30 second increments to type online has had me look at my plate and think....I am getting pretty full. I have learned to make smaller portions and just eat more often. So for me it is not so much minding what I eat, where, or how.....it is more so eating when I start to get hungry not when I am starving and stopping when I am satisfied. I have set food in the microwave or fridge and finished it off an hr or so later.

mrsgoodwine

I mostly just remind myself to slow down and enjoy. I also remind my husband

RHachicho

I definitely do focus on my food if that's what you mean. I don't take my time over it. But I hate eating while watching tv or something. I feel like I can't really enjoy either activity properly. So when i watch TV I enjoy it. And when I'm eating food I relish it. Seems to work for me as I rarely get strong inappropriate food cravings. It happens sometimes yeah but I am hardly tortured by them. I never stopped to think that this habit might actually be helping. But it does make sense. It's like I've had my fill of "food enjoyment" for the day.