Are you 'present' when you eat?

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Prilla04
Prilla04 Posts: 174 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
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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Replies

  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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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:
  • harribeau2012
    harribeau2012 Posts: 644 Member
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    no. I'm usually next door eating cake.


    Seriously though - I too have heard that paying attention will make a lot of difference.
  • logg1e
    logg1e Posts: 1,208 Member
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    Have you read Paul McKenna for "mindful eating"? Didn't work for me because I actually like mindless eating.
  • JustSomeEm
    JustSomeEm Posts: 20,222 MFP Moderator
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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. :P
  • ninav1980
    ninav1980 Posts: 514 Member
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    just get orthodontic braces. Thats what slows me down plenty :)
  • IHateThinkingOfAUsername
    IHateThinkingOfAUsername Posts: 568 Member
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    See I just can't do the whole mastication thing. The resulting texture just makes me want to gag.
  • mathandcats
    mathandcats Posts: 786 Member
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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.
  • Jennloella
    Jennloella Posts: 2,286 Member
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    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.
  • AglaeaC
    AglaeaC Posts: 1,974 Member
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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.
  • emilyisbonkers
    emilyisbonkers Posts: 373 Member
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    I love to sit and savour my food
  • TheHeathBar
    TheHeathBar Posts: 22 Member
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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!
  • AglaeaC
    AglaeaC Posts: 1,974 Member
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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!
    Does it have to be about weight loss? OP asked a question on mindfulness during eating.
  • Lonestar5775
    Lonestar5775 Posts: 740 Member
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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.
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,676 Member
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    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?
    I totally had to relearn this and yes, I think I'm there again. I really like it when I see others doing this, it reminds me to do it too.
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,676 Member
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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.
    I like this!
  • cld1075
    cld1075 Posts: 25
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    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.
  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,067 Member
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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 are
  • Amandatkm
    Amandatkm Posts: 3
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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.
  • Mariachicat
    Mariachicat Posts: 311 Member
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    I try to be! I do think it's important.
  • Prilla04
    Prilla04 Posts: 174 Member
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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:

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