Mindful Eating

"...mindful eating is an approach that says that there is no right or wrong way to eat but rather that the goal is to be totally aware of the eating choices you make and why you make them."                -Lindsay Reinholt, Meant to Eat

In practice this looks like me slowing down, appreciating every part of my food (look, feel, smell, taste etc.) and being thankful for it. I am getting much better at this but I have a ways to go. Lately I find myself snacking on cheese or wasabi peas while I make dinner. I want to curve this to vegetables or to wait until I sit down. It's so easy to loose track of how much I eat if I'm just picking at food while I cook. Sometimes I measure out a portion and that is better but this too is a slippery slope that could lead me into landslides of over carb vice eating.

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I was thinking about my not weighing myself and how I know this is the right thing for me, it has been revolutionary. I in-tune with my eating choices, activity and energy levels. Being accountable to those things honestly is vital. I have had other seasons in my life where me not getting on the scale was a rebellious act that went along with overeating and being lazy. I shared in an earlier post, Birthday Eve, about how I monitor clothes fitting, these types of check-ins are very crucial.

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My husband and I ask each other, "what do you want for ____?" when it comes to birthdays and Christmas. I replied, "a Garmin Watch" for this past birthday. I am really enjoying it as I am very motivated and encouraged by the amount of steps it says I take by just doing my job. It sets a daily goal for me which has increased by 3000 steps over the last 2 weeks due to my daily trends. Most days I take it off as soon as I get home other times, when I haven't reached my goal amount yet,  I wear it until I've done my 15 minute pleasure walk. One thing that's sort of annoying about it (in a good way) is that if I sit too long it sends me a message that says, "Move!"  I really don't want to sit too long and I tend to do that on the weekends and during school breaks. "Sitting is the new smoking." is a phrase I want to live by, I have been an avid non-smoker my whole life and I very much want to be an avid mover as well.

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I keep a list on my large kitchen white board of ideas I want to share on this Blog. If I'm away from home I write the idea in a memo on my phone.

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I bought a dark chocolate candy bar over 2 weeks ago and I haven't even opened it. I have had other treats such as ice cream but I actually forgot it was in there until I spotted it yesterday.

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 Last night I wanted something sweet after dinner, I ate a marshmallow and it was delicious.