My New Year's Resolution for 2008 isn't complicated. It isn't typical. It doesn't even sound very life-changing. And yet, my perspective has been changed since sticking to it.
"What is this mysterious resolution?" you ask. Drum roll, please...
I made a promise to myself to chew more slowly, thus eating more consciously.
My inspiration came mostly from Dave, who has told me over and over again at dinner, "You know, you don't have to eat so quickly." Usually I would just snap back, "Yes I do! I'm hungry and my food might get cold." But the more I thought about it the more I realized those were pretty stupid reasons to wolf down a meal, feel stuffed and uncomfortable, and eat more than I should, all without really enjoying the tastes and textures of a nice, home cooked breakfast/lunch/snack/dinner.
The beauty of this resolution seems to be its simplicity and small scale. I wasn't trying to force myself to "Eat Less", "Eat Better", or do something else that's too unrealistically vague to affect change.
Instead, my whole relationship with food is different with one, small adjustment. By chewing slower my head and my stomach are on the same page (instead of my stomach not realizing I am full, causing me to overeat). Suddenly, I'm no longer craving sweets like I did and those I do eat are just too sweet. I see the meal as the main event, rather than just a precursor to the "prize" at the end. And overall, I'm eating better and fewer foods. Hurrah!
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1 comment:
Brilliant post. I love how you described goals such as "eating less" as "unrealistically vague." Concrete definitions always hold up better than ideas that are way too open for interpretation. Like, for example, my resolution to eat whole foods. It's difficult to not finish off the whole bag of whole foods especially when in reference to home made chips and salsa.
Bless :-) and happy training!
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