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Well, Monday and it's still Winter and still Cold and still Cloudy.
::::Note to self: when it's 108 degrees in July and you feel like you're going to burst into flames come back and read this and regret you didn't enjoy it more. :::::
So I'm still bouncing around the chapters in the book: 'Love What you Eat, Eat What you Love'. I read like I do everything else in my life ADD life - something akin to a hurricane on crack.
I don't remember where I heard the comment 'I used to have ADHD but as I got older I lost the energy to be hyper so now I just have ADD' but that pretty much sums me up too.
Here's the link to the article that led to my Angel encouraging me to explore beyond the single article and read the whole book: caloriecount.about.com/love-you-eat-mindful-eating-b425500.
Mindful eating instructs the reader to really enjoy their food. For example, the writer discussed how she likes truffles so she'd cut one into 8 pieces and place it on a china plate then sit, quiet and totally undistracted, and really enjoy it. Give the truffle it's due ~ so to speak.
Her theory is some overweight people claim they are overweight because they 'love food too much' but often the food isn't given it's due. If one really loves it ~ well ~ it won't be eaten mindlessly while reading, working on a computer, watching TV, driving, walking, preparing other food, etc.
If you love food, it deserves the full attention of something 'loved'.
This approach was a tipping point for me. Like when I stopped 'partnering' foods just because they've been together forever.
I broke another partnership today: Linguine and Alfredo sauce. I really love cheese but realized I can live without pasta. I know this because I don't like pasta by itself. Sort of like figuring out I really never liked chili - I just liked the cheese and chips.
So with that I'd probably dissolve the partnership of spaghetti & meatballs as well because I like tomato sauce (and parmesian cheese) but I can live w/o the meatballs or spaghetti. Well, maybe one meatball.
So there's no point in consuming foods I don't like. Not anymore as my goal is to continue to make peace with the war between food and my body. I need to referee better.
Speaking of cheese, on my outing Saturday I picked up this cheese -
http://www.sartoricheese.com/products/reserve-cheese/balsamic-bellavitano/
((my, I'm full of links today!)) and it is sooooo good. This is not a paid endorsement.
I read a post recently where the person took a position against the higher cost of food at a 4Star restaurant or hamburger vs steak saying: "dude, it's just food".
I disagreed with that comment, still do.
The Sartori is an example. At the cost per a pound I'm not going to just mindlessly chew a mouthful and wash it down with a big gulp of coffee.
Additionally, I consider the calorie cost. At 120 per ounce, I'm going to freaking ENJOY every little GRAM of it.
Yesterday I sliced an ounce, broke it into little bites, looked at it, smelled it, looked at it again, and then allowed it to melt on the tip of my tongue and savored it. It was fabulous and I was satisfied.
I discovered something by accident yesterday. I'd boiled an egg for something then decided I'd have the cooked egg white portion with my cheese - some protein to balance out the dairy and fat. A tiny picnic of sorts.
Eaten by itself (as I wondered if I really liked egg whites because I DO love yolks,mmmm) the egg white had a very cleansing effect on my tongue and tastebuds. Kind of like a sorbet between courses at one of those 4Star restaurants without the numbing. Therefore, each and every bite of the cheese was as fresh and enjoyable as the first. Totally loved it. Feel free to borrow my tip and let me know if it works for you.
Not sure if it would work with chocolate - something to try.
But the point is (what was the point?... oh, yeah ... ) the point is, I love cheese. If food is a drug, then cheese has always been my gateway.
And the reason I shelled out the $$ for the Satori is I have tried this technique with kraft, velveeta, babybell, brie, string cheese, basically the normal grocery store stuff ... just NOT the same. While I'll probably use it up in my omlets, it won't be my 'pleasure cheese' nor will it likely be replaced.
Does this make me a cheese snob? Not sure. I know I lived many years with the same 'dude, it's just food' attitude and look where it got me.
So I am going to be snobby with my body. I'm not going to mindlessly consume something just because it's cheap and plentiful. I'm going to decide if I really like the way it tastes. If I don't, I'm not going to eat it. I've been through enough, already.
Well, the countdown begins to the Westminster Dog Show tonight. I love watching those when time allows. I even gave my furbaby a bath & grooming yesterday so she'd feel spiffy watching with me.
Bark... er ah... Bye!
Bella
Diet Calendar Entries for 11 February 2013:
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1355 kcal
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Fat: 37.70g | Prot: 93.58g | Carb: 174.66g.
Breakfast: Schwans Blueberry, Coconut Oil, Flax Seed, Quaker Old Fashioned Oatmeal, Chobani Non Fat Yogurt, Coffee. Lunch: Albacore Tuna Chunk, Whole Spicy Pickles. Dinner: Low Sodium Broth, Brocolli, Celery, Onion, Coleslaw, Carrots. Snacks/Other: Peanut Butter, Fat Free Fig Newton, Schwan Triple Berry, Fat Free Cottage Cheese. more...
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 Comments
Bella..I try to do that when I am with my family..I really like to eat at the table so I can enjoy the food..they laugh at me..so I just tell them I'm afraid I will spill it..and they leave me alone..LOL..Its true if you eat slower you won't eat as much and it does taste better..
Thanks for the reminder...:O)
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I had lunch with a co-worker last week at this darling little place in downtown Phoenix. We sat outside, there was a wonderful breeze, and the food was OMG amazing. It was just a plate of greens under a slice of smoked salmon that was wrapped around some crab meat. The guy I was with was cracking up because I moaned with every bite. I guess if you are making yummy sounds, you are mindful, right?
11 Feb 13 by member: Djburney
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Thanks Bella! I can't beleive how much my tastes have changed since I started this journey! My pallet has really learned to enjoy the subtleties in food. I can't imagine how sugary a candy bar would taste - I have learned that salad with no dressing can be mighty tasty when accompanied by fresh sweet red pepper. I am not as good as you at mindful eating. I still wolf down meals while working. But, I have come a long way. I didn't realize how far until shopping for that token heart shaped box for kids yesterday. I typically would have bought the Russel Stover box noting that the thought and event were enough. But, this year, I remembered how my two teenagers had gushed over how good Lindor chocolate is. I got them each a box of those instead of the heart-shaped box. They will be happier for it. Thanks for the inspiration to be considerate of what I put in my body. I needed that!
12 Feb 13 by member: RiverRes
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Great journal... again, my friend! I've been trying to eat more mindfully too, as you know, & find it very rewarding. I especially have found it helpful when traveling & not able to know the calorie counts of everything I'm eating or have the time to log it all. I am amazed & thrilled at how if you pay attention to your body & its signs, it does tell you when you are pleasantly, comfortably full. It's been a process, like everything else in this weight loss journey, but so well worth it to me too! xoxox (P.S. One other comment in the book that I have to pass on because it really hit home to me. Eat the best bites first! Especially when eating out, I would save what looked like the best bites til last, which meant I had to eat the whole thing to get to them. I was setting myself up to overeat... but no more... so beware best bites as I'm gunning (or should it be gumming!) for you!)
12 Feb 13 by member: Ruhu
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I've been practicing the conscious eating techniques you describe on and off for several years. They really DO work - as long as you remember to use them! I find it so easy to slip back into unconsciousness! Cheese has long been my downfall but my discovery of my dairy intolerance has forced me to break off the relationship in a very blunt and unceremonious way - kind of the "it's not you, it's me" sort of thing. Keep up the explorations into this whole weight loss/food debacle - your discoveries are interesting to hear about!
12 Feb 13 by member: evelyn64
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Thank you everyone for reading and commenting. I had heard the 'eat slower, put your fork down between bites' a long time ago but had never translated it (until the article) to the 'taste, small bites, savoring' process. I would just shovel a huge amount in my mouth, try to chew it for a really long time and look around the room. Taste it, not so much. Now I actually feel like I get it. And now I'm understanding how some people can sit and moan when they take a bite of something (rather than after it's all gone and their stomach hurts) and how they can comment on the actual ingredients in a dish. And yes, I'm noticing how my taste is changing continually and am rejecting some old things and enjoying new things. As I record in my journal today - this is the healthiest approach I've ever had toward food but it's definitely not finished. And yes, Angel - I remember doing that very thing on Thanksgiving thinking 'well, I will have my 'healthy food' first before I enjoy 'that chocolate thing' but had read the article first and thought 'No, uh uh... I'm not stuffing myself just because I want 'a thing' and feel I need to earn my just desserts. One day at a time.
12 Feb 13 by member: FullaBella
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