Over the past few weeks, I have been fine tuning my eating style, trying to make it my own and trying to make it work. It all started with my health coach wanting me to try her preferred diet. I appreciate her help, however, there is not a one-fits-all solution. Plus, her diet is rather extreme in my opinion (no fat, no dairy, no meat, no sweets ever), not something I could maintain in the long run or even for a month as it turns out. I started this journey with the absolute conviction that if I did could not maintain a behavoir for the rest of my life, then it was not for me.
So, I spent a month, trying it her way and ending up in a war with my food again. Food was my enemy. I was grumpy, hungry, and not really loosing any more weight than before. I do think it did help me to bust through my plateau though. *yay* What I learned is that I have to make this journey my own. OK, I knew that but needed to test that theory to prove it to myself.
That brings me to this past weekend. I have always been intrigued with the Mediterranean (French) style of eating. I love eating real foods: whole grains, berries, nuts, real fat dairy, beans, and the like. I am not a big red meat fan, mostly because I cannot afford to eat the healthier variety. I do love chicken and I am learning to love fish. The other component to this way of eating is not to worry about amounts and calories. They enjoy their food, slowly. This in itself allows them to eat less amounts.
This past weekend, I decided that I had had enough of the low fat, high carb lifesyle. It dawned on me that my food choices were not really the problem, but my portions were out of kilter. The reason for that is that I wolf down my meals so fast and guzzle so much water at a meal to wash it all down, that I never taste my food. I have to fill up a plate so that I know I had something! The connection between my brain and my stomach is off. If it takes 20 minutes for your brain to know you are full, then a meal should be eaten more slowly to allow this natural connection to happen.
So, I did the following:
- use a much smaller plate.
- put a small amount of food on the plate and know that if I need more after eating slowly, I can get more.
- eat slowly.
- do not drink water during my meal.
- take small bites.
- put my fork down between bites.
- if there is food in my mouth, there is nothing in my hand.
- wait 5 minutes after I have finished my food to determine if I want more.
- enjoy the food, really taste it.
- enjoy my family
- end the meal with a small dessert, eaten slowly, too (dark chocolate.)
Are you a fast or slow eater? Have you ever tried slowing down? Did it help you?
~Jenn
Good Plan Jenn! That's one of my problems, I eat tooooo fast and can scarf down as much as my hubby eats, easily. I'll have to really make an effort to do that. I usually do have a smaller plate, just because I like little plates :), and I'm working on replacing my snacks with fruit & veggies. I also need to MOVE more...a big change for me in that department. Thanks for sharing your experiences!!!
ReplyDeleteI agree completely, and though I've fallen off the eating slower band wagon, I can say it does help TREMENDOUSLY. I know for a fact it helps me with my weight when I eat slower. I agree with all you've listed, and I try to incorporate it as much as possible. Like Jane said, I can easily eat as much as my husband, which is not good. I have to be diligent about eating slower when I eat. If I don't 'think about it' while eating, I wolf down everything. And I've been aware that the past few weeks I've been eating too fast again. I've also looked at the Mediterranean diet, and I like a lot of those foods too. This site has some yummy recipes, http://oldwayspt.org/ . :)
ReplyDeleteOoooh, can I say "IDENTIFY" here???!!! I so get the food battle. I think you're on a good track here, Jenn...
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Lori