Are you 'present' when you eat?

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  • NorthCountryDreamer
    NorthCountryDreamer Posts: 115 Member
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    During childhood, my time in the military and even with lunches in the public schools where I work, I used to eat like a ravenous wolf hovering over fresh meat.

    Since I started in with MFP I stop mid-meal and think about each thing on my plate and type it in my food diary via my phone or desktop computer. That has created the kind of mindfulness that I needed to stop excessive overeating. It is pretty dangerous to the calorie count if you don't think about what you are putting in your mouth.

    It is easier to not be present if your plate is full of pure plant-based whole foods.

    I am present more often now but I didn't use to be.
  • Birder155
    Birder155 Posts: 223 Member
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    Very good question, OP!

    I worked at a job where we had less than 25 minutes for lunch so I became a very fast eater and I haven't learned to slow down now that I'm retired.
    I'm a scarfer and distract myself while eating with the tv or the computer more times than I care to count. Before I know it, the food's all gone and I'm left with a lack of satisfaction that comes with savouring every bite.

    I really have to be mindful to be 'present' when I eat. It would slow me down and probably help to make me feel fuller sooner.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 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!

    The general idea is that if you are not paying attention to what you eat, you can zip through the meal and not really feel like you ate anything. You're still unsatisfied, so you might go get more food. Or decide that your diet is insufficient and increase the amount you serve yourself next time.

    That said, I eat while watching TV all the time. If I like my food enough, I'll still pay attention to it because it's so yummy. If I don't, well, that's why I log my food. So I know whether or not I can go get something else, or just have to suck it up and deal.
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
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    Oh, all bets are off when I eat crisps.

    http://youtu.be/OqL7jyrXhLs

    Mind you, most of the calories end up on the floor so it's not too bad.
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
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    I have no patience or time to eat slow. I've got places to see and people to do.
  • holliebevineau
    holliebevineau Posts: 441 Member
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    I need to do this. I can finish a big salad in 5 minutes. I can finish a meal of fish and veggies in less than that.
  • riosangel
    riosangel Posts: 5
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    Ok, I'm currently on therapy to control emotional eating and impulsive eating. This is what my therapist suggested for me to do. This is use with drug addicts and is proven to help. One way to be present when you eat is to be aware when you eat something when you don't have to. If you become aware, stop and do something for 15 minutes. This is done this way because many people eat out of boredom. Read a book, go outside, whatever works for you. And check if in 15 minutes the craving goes away. With time you will begin to create the habit of not eating when you don't need to. Then you modify by stretching the lengh of time or reducing it. Depending on how easy or hard it is for you. Now keep in mind, if you are actually hungry, then eat something. This is only when you really don't need to eat anything. Like for example, when you walk by a restaurant and smell the food. All you think of doing is to go and get something but were not hungry before you smell it. By becoming aware you are being present whjile eating. I don't know if this will help or if it answers your question.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
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    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.;

    I think this is probably going down the same road as encouraging a healthy person to go low carb because it is a beneficial diet for diabetics.

    Counting chews, etc should be fine if you are mentally healthy and could be a useful tool. Lots of kids were taught to 'chew 20 times before swallowing' and as far as I know, there is not a connection between that and EDs. However, it's probably not a good idea if you have a history of obsessive or compulsive behaviour.
  • mygnsac
    mygnsac Posts: 13,413 Member
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    I've always been a slow eater, but a mindless slow eater. I could slowly plow through an entire bag of chips (cookies, candy, crackers, whatever) without remembering eating them at all. I did read Mindful Eating a couple years ago and it really did strike a chord with me.

    Portion control has really helped me. I don't eat directly out of bags or packages anymore. I only grab what I plan to eat. If I'm eating a meal, I don't put an entire bowlful of food out to get food from. Instead I plate it in the kitchen (if you want seconds, it becomes a conscience choice because you have to get up from the table and go to the kitchen to get it). Another thing that has helped me is after I've finished eating, if feel like I need more, I give it about 10 minutes. More often than not, the hunger quickly fades as the food settles.

    I savour and appreciate food more these days. And, after each bite, I put my fork down as I chew the food. A little breathing space between bites is alway good. :)
  • Icandoityayme
    Icandoityayme Posts: 312 Member
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    I just eat it. I watch tv while I eat. Eating is just a necessity for me.
  • Prilla04
    Prilla04 Posts: 174 Member
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    Ok, I'm currently on therapy to control emotional eating and impulsive eating. This is what my therapist suggested for me to do. This is use with drug addicts and is proven to help. One way to be present when you eat is to be aware when you eat something when you don't have to. If you become aware, stop and do something for 15 minutes. This is done this way because many people eat out of boredom. Read a book, go outside, whatever works for you. And check if in 15 minutes the craving goes away. With time you will begin to create the habit of not eating when you don't need to. Then you modify by stretching the lengh of time or reducing it. Depending on how easy or hard it is for you. Now keep in mind, if you are actually hungry, then eat something. This is only when you really don't need to eat anything. Like for example, when you walk by a restaurant and smell the food. All you think of doing is to go and get something but were not hungry before you smell it. By becoming aware you are being present whjile eating. I don't know if this will help or if it answers your question.

    Thanks for sharing. Great info.
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
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    See I just can't do the whole mastication thing. The resulting texture just makes me want to gag.

    Absolutely this. ^ "Mindful" eating and "being present" while eating recommendations seem to make eating into a ritual, too.I distrust rituals when it comes to food. Pay attention to what or when you eat. That's enough, in my opinion.

    I agree with you. My mindfulness comes with pre-logging and weighing my food. I don't want (for me, YMMV) a ritualistic feeling about the actual eating. If I want to eat in front of the computer or TV, I'm going to do that, and do it mindlessly (but pre-measured mindlessness, lol).
  • Prilla04
    Prilla04 Posts: 174 Member
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    I need to do this. I can finish a big salad in 5 minutes. I can finish a meal of fish and veggies in less than that.

    I have always been the same way. I could always pack away an obscene amount of food in under 10 minutes and my husband is across the table eating like a sane person while I have finished everything that is not tied down. This is going to be a HARD change for me. I need all the help I can get! :smile:
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    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.

    I do have a healthy relationship with food. I'm passionate about eating, and for me that means eating slowly, and minimizing distractions like co-workers who chit-chat about unimportant stuff because they aren't comfortable in silence. I tend to be in better shape than them.
    But thanks for watching out for me. :bigsmile:
  • Prilla04
    Prilla04 Posts: 174 Member
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    See I just can't do the whole mastication thing. The resulting texture just makes me want to gag.

    Absolutely this. ^ "Mindful" eating and "being present" while eating recommendations seem to make eating into a ritual, too.I distrust rituals when it comes to food. Pay attention to what or when you eat. That's enough, in my opinion.

    I agree with you. My mindfulness comes with pre-logging and weighing my food. I don't want (for me, YMMV) a ritualistic feeling about the actual eating. If I want to eat in front of the computer or TV, I'm going to do that, and do it mindlessly (but pre-measured mindlessness, lol).

    This "ritual" theory keeps popping up in the conversations and, to be clear, a ritual is not what I am looking for. My goal is to slow down so that I don't overeat, which has historically been an issue for me. I don't want to become fixated on food, I want to become focused on me and my body and be able to recognize my own personal "full" or "satisfied" trigger. When I force myself to slow down, I usually don't eat all of my food.
  • Leggylass
    Leggylass Posts: 215
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    Im not present... i completely zone out because if i sit down and enjoy my food i'll want to eat more so i just blank out, don't even sit down and eat it between running about cooking feeding everyone else :P
  • Kelly1552013
    Kelly1552013 Posts: 18 Member
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    See I just can't do the whole mastication thing. The resulting texture just makes me want to gag.

    ^^^ Oh so very much this. And I am mindful when I measure and plate my food so that I can mindlessly eat it. I do not care to think about the texture/tase of most protein sources. I don't enjoy those tastes as much, but I know I need to eat more protein. So the less I can think about how it tastes/feels the better off the world is. We do not have a dining table and by necessity eat in the livingroom in front of the TV. Sometimes it is on, sometimes it is off. I find that needing to go back to the kitchen for seconds is a good way to gauge whether or not I really need more food or just want it. Also, since we're watching TV (when it's on, of course), waiting until the next commercial break to go for seconds is a nice way to build in the wait time to see if I'm full.

    I think being mindful about eating can take on many forms. I make sure I use a smaller plate, serve myself less in the beginning, don't usually eat out of a container (I count/measure out one serving and then eat it), consciously eating a variety of foods/colors, limiting my choices, etc. is mindful enough for me at the moment.
  • LoupGarouTFTs
    LoupGarouTFTs Posts: 916 Member
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    See I just can't do the whole mastication thing. The resulting texture just makes me want to gag.

    Absolutely this. ^ "Mindful" eating and "being present" while eating recommendations seem to make eating into a ritual, too.I distrust rituals when it comes to food. Pay attention to what or when you eat. That's enough, in my opinion.

    I agree with you. My mindfulness comes with pre-logging and weighing my food. I don't want (for me, YMMV) a ritualistic feeling about the actual eating. If I want to eat in front of the computer or TV, I'm going to do that, and do it mindlessly (but pre-measured mindlessness, lol).

    This "ritual" theory keeps popping up in the conversations and, to be clear, a ritual is not what I am looking for. My goal is to slow down so that I don't overeat, which has historically been an issue for me. I don't want to become fixated on food, I want to become focused on me and my body and be able to recognize my own personal "full" or "satisfied" trigger. When I force myself to slow down, I usually don't eat all of my food.

    If you attach meaning to a behavior and make that behavior a habit, it's pretty much a ritual. Not all rituals are bad. If you feel that mindfulness is a valuable part of eating and have rituals to slow you down, that's fine. However, food is not an addictive drug (with all due respect to the person who suggested the drug addiction treatment). It is fuel. We can make fuel we enjoy, but it performs its function whether we think about the food or not. We can talk ourselves into rituals, grow anxious when we forget them, and then caper merrily toward an unhealthy mode of eating when none of that existed before. I am intrinsically opposed to any eating ritual, save for perhaps how we use utensils and closing our mouths while chewing. Open-mouthed chewing is just gross. Other than that, eating how you feel comfortable, where you feel comfortable, and with whom you feel comfortable is probably enough. "Mindfulness" begins and ends with what you put on your plate and into your mouth. As long as you are aware of that, the calories will do their work (whether we want them to or not).
  • __freckles__
    __freckles__ Posts: 1,238 Member
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    I love eating, so I am present for every.single.bite.
  • Prilla04
    Prilla04 Posts: 174 Member
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    See I just can't do the whole mastication thing. The resulting texture just makes me want to gag.

    Absolutely this. ^ "Mindful" eating and "being present" while eating recommendations seem to make eating into a ritual, too.I distrust rituals when it comes to food. Pay attention to what or when you eat. That's enough, in my opinion.

    I agree with you. My mindfulness comes with pre-logging and weighing my food. I don't want (for me, YMMV) a ritualistic feeling about the actual eating. If I want to eat in front of the computer or TV, I'm going to do that, and do it mindlessly (but pre-measured mindlessness, lol).

    This "ritual" theory keeps popping up in the conversations and, to be clear, a ritual is not what I am looking for. My goal is to slow down so that I don't overeat, which has historically been an issue for me. I don't want to become fixated on food, I want to become focused on me and my body and be able to recognize my own personal "full" or "satisfied" trigger. When I force myself to slow down, I usually don't eat all of my food.

    If you attach meaning to a behavior and make that behavior a habit, it's pretty much a ritual. Not all rituals are bad. If you feel that mindfulness is a valuable part of eating and have rituals to slow you down, that's fine. However, food is not an addictive drug (with all due respect to the person who suggested the drug addiction treatment). It is fuel. We can make fuel we enjoy, but it performs its function whether we think about the food or not. We can talk ourselves into rituals, grow anxious when we forget them, and then caper merrily toward an unhealthy mode of eating when none of that existed before. I am intrinsically opposed to any eating ritual, save for perhaps how we use utensils and closing our mouths while chewing. Open-mouthed chewing is just gross. Other than that, eating how you feel comfortable, where you feel comfortable, and with whom you feel comfortable is probably enough. "Mindfulness" begins and ends with what you put on your plate and into your mouth. As long as you are aware of that, the calories will do their work (whether we want them to or not).

    I understand your point but the term "ritual" is so far out in left field for me. It just sounds like the question is being way over-thought or maybe I am under-thinking it. I view it as breaking bad habits or avoiding self-sabotage. But c'est la vie. :smile:

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