Controlling Overeating at the Holidays
December 2nd, 2009Mindful Holiday Eating
Controlling Overeating at the Holidays
Take some time before you have additional helpings of food to make
sure you really want it. It takes about 20 minutes for food to enter the stomach, so sit back, relax, and give your body a chance to assimilate what you’ve already eaten before you take more. Ask yourself, “what
part of me is hungry”? Our eyes are frequently more hungry than our stomachs and the second or third serving never tastes as good as the first few bites. It also helps to ask ourselves “how will I feel later if I eat
more now. You may decide to eat more, but at least it will be the result
of a conscious choice rather than out of habit. Choosing to eat brings
our mind to our food thereby enhancing our awareness and potential for enjoyment and satisfaction.
“Resting Between Bites Exercise”
This very simple exercise is intended to help us create space and time between bites of food and is a great way to begin s-l-o-w-in-g down as we eat. Here’s all you have to do. After each bite of food, set your fork or spoon down and place it on the table so that you are no longer holding or touching it. Take a moment to be aware of the food in your mouth and when it is fully chewed and swallowed, then pick up the fork or spoon and take another bite, placing the utensil back on the table. Continue repeating this until you are finished eating. You may decide you don’t really need another serving!
Coping With Leftovers
This is a great way to make sure you don’t end up with so many leftovers that you end up overeating “because the food is there”, or throwing out perfectly good food. Use old shopping bags and label one for every person or family attending your holiday meal. As you are clearing the table, divide the leftovers into portions for each person/family place them in plastic containers and put them right into the bags. Have a set of containers for storing a portion in the fridge for your family as well. Your guests will be thrilled to get a “goodie” bag of leftovers to take home and you won’t end up with too much temptation. This is a great way to clear out all the plastic containers from salad bars, take out food, and groceries that are cluttering up your kitchen shelves and to clear off cooking containers and trays so they can be washed and put away, saving refrigerator space as well as your waistline!