I’ve always inhaled my food and it’s a habit I’m determined to break. I’m trying to eat slower and it’s not as easy as you’d think. Mindful Eating. Have you googled “mindful eating”? There are an amazing amount of resources dedicated to this.
I want to adopt this concept, but eating has always been a social thing for me. My favorite time of the day is dinner with my family when we’re all sitting around the table enjoying a home cooked meal and talking about the details of our day. How can I talk and listen to my husband and kids when I am focused on every bite I put in my mouth? I’m not complaining - I’m just trying to figure out how to make this all work. Until I address the obstacles, I’ll never overcome them.
Mindful Eating. How do you enjoy a dinner out with friends? I can’t listen and count in my head how many times I’ve chewed my food. Is this something you work on until it becomes second nature? Does it get easier with practice? Has anyone mastered this?
Today, I tried to eat my snack, cottage cheese & crushed pineapple, slowly and mindfully. I did great for the first few bites and then the next thing I knew it was gone. Seriously. It was completely gone. I felt like an alcoholic who blacked out. I really don’t remember eating the rest of it.
Please tell me this gets easier.
Yes, it gets easier. I don't count how many times I chew my food anymore. I used to but it became kind of a chore. Now I just eat with a smaller fork and make sure I take smaller bites. I was a fork loader pre-surgery. I mean, I would LOAD my fork until there wasn't anymore room on it. I was quite good at it...and my was proof of it. I have found that eating with a small fork really helped me control the amount of food that was in my mouth so I couldn't swallow too much at a time. I carry a fork with me everywhere. It has been nearly a year since surgery and I don't travel without my trusty cocktail fork and baby spoon. People may look at you funny (they did and still do for me) but when you let them know that you are in control people will respect your choices a whole lot more.
ReplyDeleteEveryone has a little trick about what works for them. For me it was the utensils. Once you figure out what works best for you, stick with it and it will become second nature.