Relearning How to Eat

It's day 6. I'm learning a lot about my hunger signals and how to react. I am trying to eat every 4 hours, but honestly? I'd love to munch in between those times too! Does this mean I'm not having enough at those meals? Maybe.

The other major lesson I’m learning is what we’ve all heard Jennifer Hudson say on Weight Watchers before, “you CAN eat the foods you like and still lose weight”…

Now, just like you, I NEVER believed that. Well, now I think I’m starting to get it. It’s really about restraint and satisfaction. People like us hear the words “portion control” and we’ve heard it SO many times before that… well, your ears don’t HEAR it anymore!

On this blog, I’m really hoping to help find new ways for me, and hopefully you too, to understand these concepts.

So, my dissection of the idea of self control: You know how sometimes you go shopping and look a nice top or shoes and admire them, but you don’t actually buy them? You’re happy to just go home and think about it, possibly buy them later? THAT’s the trick!

We just have to do the same thing with food. You can appreciate the yummy, even have a little bit, and then step away to “think about it” and later you might not need any more. With practice, you can learn to find the joy in admiring something from a little more distance, and finally decouple the desire for HAVING that item. Know what I mean? It’s two separate things, like:

Oh I really like those shoes! Vs. Oh I want to buy those shoes!

Applied to your eating:
Oh that's a pretty muffin! Vs. Oh I want to eat that muffin!

A subtle difference, which makes ALL the difference. 

So case in point, I actually had Nutella last night. GASP, I know! But I had only a little spread on only one single slice of whole wheat bread. Now, is this something I think I should have daily? Definitely not. I ate this because I was definitely hungry after dinner, as in, my stomach was truly empty and not just bored. And I knew I had points left to still use in the day and I had climbed 11 flights of stairs at work that day.

So there you go! You can still have a taste of something rich, without totally blowing your diet.
My advice to you, eat slowly, enjoy each bite. Don’t multitask while you eat. Make eating more of a refined ritual where you take your time.

How about you? Got any fun ideas for fitting in yummy favorites without derailing your diet?

Or have you been able to retrain the way you eat? Comment or email me at missnutmegblog@gmail.com to let me know!
xoxo,

missnutmeg