WHEN IT COMES TO EATING – BE THE TORTOISE
Almost all of us have busy, over-scheduled, rushed lives. We’re pushed to live faster and faster.
And we want to lose weight immediately! Six-pack abs in six weeks! Or six days!
Our bodies struggle to keep up the pace.
You can feel it when you’re living — and eating — too quickly.
Rapid results don’t last. Everything worthwhile takes time and patience. (Think: Parenting, relationships, getting a degree, mastering a skill, building a career, etc.)
So what can you do?
It’s so simple, you won’t believe it. But it works.
At every meal, today, eat more slowly than you normally do.
How to eat slowly
At each meal today, take a few extra minutes to simply… pause.
Put your utensils down between each bite. Take a breath.
When you take a bite, notice — and enjoy — the taste and texture of the food.
Then put down those utensils again, and take another breath. Or a sip of water.
Relax.
Wait a few more moments before picking up your utensils again.
Repeat.
That’s it.
Be consistent, patient, and persistent. Keep showing up.
Day after day. One step at a time.
You probably won’t lose weight right away.
That’s normal.
We’re building a foundation of good habits for life. This isn’t a crash diet.
(Which is good, because you’ve probably had enough of those.)
Let yourself be slow and steady.
You’ll enjoy the process a lot more. You’ll feel much more relaxed. And you’ll get better results, too.
A quick tip: Try a timer
If you’d like to track your progress, try simply timing yourself today.
Check your watch before you start eating. Or start a timer.
When you’re done eating, see how long you took.
Now you have a baseline for improvement! Cool.
And if you add only 1 minute per day, by the end of 2 weeks you’ll have added nearly 15 minutes more. Smooth ‘n’ easy.
“Benefits of intuitive eating
There are now more than 100 studies documenting the benefits of intuitive eating. These include:
more self confidence
healthier body image
greater well being
positive impact on mental health
reduced rate of eating disorders
higher “good cholesterol (HDL)
lower triglycerides”
Eating slowly is one of the most important habits we use with our clients.
But in a rushing-around and busy society, it’s hard to remember at first.
And changing a habit will take a little extra effort in the beginning. That’s OK.
Here’s how to stay on track.
Make a note of your goal to eat slowly on a Post-it note, your computer, or your phone.
Put it somewhere that you’ll see it often, especially before you eat.
If you’ve used your computer or phone, set a reminder to go off before your regular meal times.During your meal, try using a timer method we spoke about before to check how fast you’re eating.
You can also use an app.
Here are some that we like:
eat slower (for iPhone / iPad | for Android)
WaitPlate (for iPhone | for Android — if you want to get serious, check out theWaitPlate Chewing Timer
VibrEAT (for iPhone)
eat slowly (for iPhone)
Having a bit more information about what you’re actually doing can help you track your improvement with this habit over the next couple of weeks.
Even if you add only 1 minute per meal, that counts as progress!
What to do today
Slow down.
Take a deep breath. Do one thing at a time. Relax. Savour your food and the experience of eating.
Ahhh. Doesn’t that feel better?
Consistency trumps speed.
When life gets busy, focus on these 3 things:
Consistency – Practice the habit each day.
Persistence
Patience
If you’ve got these covered, you’ve got absolutely nothing to be anxious about. Results will be yours. Guaranteed.
We hope you’ve found this post useful – if you’ve any questions, get in touch using the comments box below. If you’re interested in finding out more about how you can prioritise your wellbeing, book a complimentary 20-minute consultation with one of our experts. Click here to book your slot.
