Week 40’s Task of 50 Weeks to a Lighter More Loving You is Food Raiser!

This time of year is full of festivities and food. Many people dread the holidays because  of the food–the calories, the weight gain, the horror of getting on the scale, falling off a diet, the inner battle to enjoy the food and be wise.

Personally, I like to eat!  Thanksgiving and Christmas meals are may favorites.  Anytime I have been on a diet, or even now as a clean eater, these favorite meals would cause a bit of anxiety.

I enjoy every bite of my holiday dinners, including the gravy and pumpkin pie, without feeling the need to head to the gym for a three-hour work out, or putting myself on some kind of diet before or after the holidays.   How?  By doing the following task often through out the year.

This week’s task is to FOOD RAISE!   Similar to Week 37: Shop Lift where the task was to LIFT your awareness of your SHOPPING habits. 

This task is to RAISE your awareness of how you interact with your FOOD.   Most specifically, how you eat, what you eat, where you eat, how long you eat, how mindful you are about eating. 

This week eat…

1. Sitting down  (Don’t eat anything standing up this whole week…or notice how many times you do or are tempted to eat standing up.  Samples at the grocery store? Candy off of someones desk?)

2. Use nice dinner ware, silverware, clothe napkins, even a tablecloth (get out that china or special dinnerware you save for guests)

3. Light a candle

4. Sit at a table instead of the kitchen counter

5. No TV, radio, book, newspaper, or anything else that might be a distraction (if you have a family, see if you can try one meal in silence)

6. Look at or smell your food before you eat it

7. Take smaller bites than your norm

8. Chew your food a couple extra times than your norm (meaning you might have to count your chews or be aware you chewed!)

9. Put down your utensil or piece of food between each bite

10. Look at the clock before you start eating and when you are finished.

This is not about dieting or eating less.  Again, it is about raising your awareness of you and your food.  There are so many things we do in life MINDLESSLY.  Eating is easily one of them as we need to do it and do it several times a day.

It doesn’t matter if this is a home cooked meal or McDonald’s, as long as you follow the guidelines above.

 Bon Appétit!

Cheering You on to a Whole Food Raised Heart,
Barbara