Eat food thoughtfully and appreciate every mouthful

I’m just going to make a determined effort tomorrow to do this, starting with breakfast I’m going to take more time to eat – for lunch I’m going to either sit at my desk and take my time to eat or I’m going to make sure I have enough time to eat slowly if I go somewhere else for lunch. If I can do this just for tomorrow then I can maybe get into the habit.

with K about this today, he always says I look like I really enjoy my food, but I eat way to fast (and that’s probably why I end up eating too much too). But eating feels so gooooooood, I said; all the more reason to spin it out, was his response.
He’s right, I think. I’ve spent my whole life in fear of what life would be like without the periodic ecstacy of stuffing my cakehole. Eat smaller bites, chew more, have the ecstacy last longer and consume less – sounds like a win-win-win-win idea to me!

I want to try again at doing this but its so difficult, especially for breakfast and lunch when I’m in a hurry to get to work (or get back to work), I really want to do this though as I think it will force me to eat less and by thinking of the actual food I’m eating I think I will eat less junk fund.

Well the cookbook caff turned out to be a little too exclusive so instead we went to this quite fantastic Indian place near Piccadilly – slightly different set-up, refreshingly modern feel and just look at the plates! It was a total joy to eat there and the food was lish!

In terms of portions it was on the large size, but I did just have one of the set menus without millions of side orders like I usually do with curry – but felt nicely stuffed afterwards! It was all so delicious!

Thanks SL for coming up with this brilliant idea on the hoof!

because I don’t think I often take into account how much I enjoy my normal meals, and that sets me off hankering after the next one! If focusing on it ends up making me eat more I can always quit! Although this goal may turn out to be insane, of course…

Last night I made veggie sweet and sour with noodles and some of those mini spring roll things – that was a great meal, and after it was finished I just sat and savoured and digested without spoiling the memory by having something else!

And I just had the most fantastic sandwich for lunch, we have some BBQ sauce left over at work, really nice M&S stuff with lumps in it. Had that on lovely soft nice fluffy thick bread, with turkey and salad. Was lush.

Feeling very appreciative!

I am completely in love with food! I love cooking and I love eating. I can get very excited about the subject and talk about it for ages, usually boring people to tears! I enjoy junk food sometimes, but I was brought up eating healthily (my parents are vegetarian and these days are eating a completely Ayurvedic diet) so eating thoughtfully is very much ingrained into the way I think about food. The way I see it (as a bit of a pauper at the moment) it’s also much cheaper to cook and eat a healthy meal of, say, vegetable curry and rice at home than it is to spend my money on Burger King! I have, however, had to train myself in the last few years to eat slower and to stop before I overdo it. I think, because I have always been slim, I’ve never had issues about putting on weight – I’ve always felt like I can eat as much as I want. However, I was often eating to the point of stuffed-ness and then getting stomach-aches that would sometimes last hours. So now I only take second helpings if I’m really hungry for them. I also try not to get the point where I’m too starving before a meal because this results in me eating too fast and then getting a stomach-ache. I make sure I get enough to eat during the day, usually having a snack between each meal, and then I can eat my meals like a human being, not like an animal!

I want to change the way that I eat. Currently, I rarely wait until I’m hungry before eating, I sometimes eat junk food for comfort I usually eat food really quickly taking mouthful after mouthful without really tasting the food and letting it settle in my stomach before I have more. So I’m going to try to do the following :

1. Eat only when I’m physically hungry
2. Eat slowly and thoughtfully, concentrating on each mouthfull at a time and completing a mouthfull before starting to load my fork up again
3. Wait a period of time after eating something to see if I really am still hungry
4. Eat what my body wants and works best with (I suspect that’s rarely junk food…)
5. Really taste and appreciate the food I’m eating (that’s for all food not just really nice food!)

This is going to be really hard and I’d love to hear from someone else that’s done it. I think if I can do this I will change a few compulsions and personality traits in myself that I’d rather be without and also be more peaceful and reflective in life.