I don’t agree with diet advice that says you should NEVER do anything else when you are eating.
Certainly, to eat with awareness you have to pay attention to what’s in front of you. But that doesn’t mean you can’t focus on other things as well.
If you’re like most people, you probably multitask by working on the computer, talking on the phone, and doing laundry all at the same time.
I don’t think you have to completely avoid doing anything else in order to stay conscious around food. But you DO have to pay attention to your actions.
If you’re doing other activities at the same time, remind yourself that you are eating and stay aware of what you put in your mouth.
Today’s assignment (my answers are in blue)
1. Do a conscious eating exercise with someone such as your spouse, a friend, ?or one of your children. Write down a few notes about your plan.
I did this exercise a few weeks ago. My husband and I were sitting in our upstairs loft, eating with TV trays, the dog running around, and me talking to my husband. My plan was to try and stay focused on my nice salad at the same time I was doing other things.
2. Intentionally create several distractions such as watching TV or having a conversation, but stay totally aware of your food intake. Record what you did.
I got up and looked outside, talked to the dog, asked my husband to challenge me with tough questions such as what do you remember most from the school you went to as a kid.
On another day, I practiced multi-tasking when I was watching an engaging program on TV while eating a snack.
3. Describe what you learned from this experience.
For me, it was totally possible to divide my attention, but I have to remind myself to keep focused on the food. It’s the easiest piece to forget about and start being on auto-pilot rather than doing conscious eating.
Excerpted from Day 22 in the book, 100 Days of Weight Loss