Bob had developed the habit of doing a lot of things at the same time.
While he was eating dinner, he would read the paper, watch the news on TV and try to talk with his family.
Often Bob would finish his entire meal and wouldn’t even realize it! His family members always laughed when he began searching for the bread he’d already eaten, exclaiming, “Who ate my biscuit?”
When you eat with no awareness, you simply miss out on the flavor, texture, and sensation of your food. Because you didn’t “get” the taste you wanted, you may still yearn for it, so you eat more.
Train yourself to slow down and spend more time with your food rather than wolfing it down on the run.
Today’s assignment (my answers are in blue)
1. Prepare yourself for having a “mindful-eating” meal by setting a table with your good china and silverware, lighting a candle, and playing quiet music in the background. Describe your setting here.
I’ve actually done this exercise many times, and I love creating a nice setting for a meal. We have a loft in our home where we light candles, play nice background music, and put our feet up to relax a bit before we eat.
2. Sit down for your meal. While you’re eating, don’t do any other activities—just focus entirely on the food. Notice details such as the food appearance, flavors and textures, and even the temperature. Record your observations.
This always brings me back to noticing the tastes of food instead of just wolfing it down. Even a grilled chicken breast can become a treat when I take time to notice the details of the texture and the seasoning.
3. Add a few notes about how it feels to eat a meal using that much focus and total awareness.
This exercise forces me to slow down, which I need to be reminded of now and then. It also helps me appreciate how blessed I am to have access to healthy food and good flavors.
Excerpted from Day 21 in the book, 100 Days of Weight Loss