Put Down Your Fork

Usain Bolt or Brent Haydey? Ferrari or horse and wagon? Rabbit or turtle? Which are you when it comes to the speed of eating your meals?

We are all busy and life is speeding up. Our schedules are packed. We are stressed and overwhelmed. Eating? Well that is usually fit in on the fly commuting to and from work or appointments, quickly in your office while checking emails, in front of the TV or at the kitchen counter just as you get home or just as you are heading out the door to something else.

We’ve become conditioned to wolf down our food quickly taking massive bites, chewing madly while shoving in the next bite before the one before is finished. It has become an unconscious habit, that it happens even when we are not in a rush.

The problem with speed eating while distracted is that it leads to OVER eating.

By consuming fast you race well beyond the point of full and end up over full with all its negative ramifications. Consuming too fast means your body’s inner ability to detect and indicate that you are comfortably full cannot act quick enough or loud enough when you add distractions like emails or TV.

A lack of Thriving Health results perpetuates.

Transforming your lifestyle does take time. The marathon approach is the right approach. The turtle won the race, remember! While shifting your lifestyle, baby step by baby step, there are things you can do to set yourself up for success to counteract unconscious patterns such as speed eating.

Try this.

Every time you take a bite put down your fork, spoon, or the item of food.

Actually physically let go of it. Now focus on chewing, slowly and steadily. Take a moment to taste and enjoy your food. Engage your other senses to take in the texture, the aroma, the sight of what you are eating.

Don’t talk.

Don’t pick up your fork and have another bite until the first one is completely done.

Do this and you will experience a heightened appreciation of your food. Let this become a habit so it occurs automatically and you will slow the pace of your eating. While doing so allow yourself to connect to your inner feeling of fullness and STOP eating just short of it.

This approach comes from Buddhist concepts of mindfulness and specifically mindful eating. It can go much deeper which has tremendous benefits in releasing stress and connecting with your ideal life. I would encourage you to pursue this even more if it is an interest.

For now though lets focus on the benefit it will have on preventing over eating, connecting with your hunger levels, and reclaiming your power and control over your eating.

Progress slowly and steadily not letting the change overwhelm you. Begin with evening meals then add more each day and each week until it is your new normal. Embrace and affirm the results it will give you.

“Life is meant to be embraced, enjoyed and fully lived, not merely endured!”

Yours in health,

Brent

 

NEED HELP WITH THIS: To set up your kitchen and home to support healthy mindful eating consider my Environmental Overhaul.

Be an advocate of Thriving Health. Forward this to anyone you feel would appreciate receiving this message. Thanks for your support. I appreciate it.