Did you taste it? Really taste it?
If you aren’t sure if you’re actually tasting your food, try “savoring” it. It’s a great way to increase awareness of your food.
With this technique, you eat a very small amount at a time.
But while you are eating, you pay total attention to how the food tastes and feels.
To practice savoring, choose a piece of chocolate or other type of candy that you can eat in five or six tiny bites. My favorite options for this exercise is an Andes™ brand three-layer rectangular mint.
As you eat the mint, bite off each of the four corners, then eat half of what’s left, then finish the rest of it. Focus on the sensation of swallowing.
Picture the bites actually moving down your throat and into your stomach. Let yourself feel the candy as well as taste it.
Next time you eat one of your favorite foods such as a piece of cheesecake or something chocolate, savor it and notice every detail.
Take tiny bites, about the size of a fourth of a teaspoon, and then pay total attention as you eat the food. With each bite, allow yourself to feel contented and satisfied.
Today’s assignment (my answers are in blue)
1. Choose something to savor, ideally an Andes mint or a small square chocolate candy. As you eat, pay attention to the smell, the taste, and the texture as well as the sensation of swallowing it. Write down what you chose for this exercise.
I used an Andes mint because I use it a lot as an example in my classes and counseling work. I wanted to refresh my memory on it.
2. Describe what the candy tasted like as well as how it felt in your mouth.
Lots of mint flavor, smooth, creamy. It sticks to the roof of my mouth. I only ate half the mint and decided I was done with it.
3. When you’ve finished, decide if you need more food or if you’re content with what you ate. Write down your answer.
I certainly did not need another one. It’s amazing how much satisfaction one can get from such a tiny amount of food. Unfortunately, I sometimes ignore this technique and just eat the whole thing!
Excerpted from Day 23 in the book, 100 Days of Weight Loss