In Part 1, we explored that dreaded overeating feeling that can turn a good experience into something you regret for the next hour or more.
Why do we stuff ourselves instead of just eating?
Impatience.
Temptation.
Low blood sugar.
The promise of feeling good.
All of it can call out loudly.
Now the question is:
HOW DO WE ANSWER THE CALL?
In Part 1, we explored the dreaded overeating feeling that can take a good experience and turn it into something you regret for at least a good hour or more.
Why do we stuff ourselves instead of just eating?
Impatience.
Low blood sugar.
Temptation.
The promise of feeling good.
Sometimes all of them seem to call at once.
The good news is this:
You will get another chance.
Another meal.
Another opportunity to practice.
Another chance to tame the inner animal instead of letting it run the table.
HOW TO ENJOY THE EATING EXPERIENCE
The good news is that you will have another chance to practice discipline and avoid the horror of stuffing yourself like a green pepper or a goose going to the slaughter.
LOL.
Here are a few hints to make the experience more enjoyable.
- LOOK AT THE FOOD
Before you eat it…
look at it.
Notice the colors.
The texture.
The portions.
See what is on the plate.
Take a moment and let the food speak to you.
Yes, I said it.
You can actually LOOK before you ATTACK.
Realize the pull coming from the food.
Then go toward it in YOUR timing.
Gracefully.
Not like the starting gun just went off.
- SMELL IT
Take in the different aromas on the plate.
Think for a second about where it all came from.
Someone grew it.
Someone transported it.
Someone prepared it.
Now it is sitting in front of YOU.
Grab your napkin.
Position yourself.
Fork.
Knife.
Ready.
Relax.
It will be yours soon enough.
PAUSE FOR CAUSE.
You do not have to race food.
It is not going anywhere.
- TAKE A REAL BITE
Slice, stab or scoop up a bite-sized piece.
Let it enter the mouth and be welcomed.
CHEW IT.
Release the flavors.
Let the digestive process begin the way it was intended.
Do not pack the mouth like a squirrel collecting acorns.
If your cheeks are bulging…
that may be a clue.
LOL.
And if you cannot comfortably close your mouth because there is too much food in it…
we have officially crossed into cargo-loading territory again.
Slow down.
- FINISH THE FIRST RUN
Appreciate.
Ponder.
Converse.
Enjoy the bite.
Do away with the first run before launching the second.
Take a sip of water.
Clear the runways.
Then let the next bite make a nice landing.
Continue this until you are about halfway through the meal.
Then…
STOP.
Not forever.
Just long enough to check in.
Are you still hungry?
Are you enjoying it?
Are you comfortable?
Are you just eating because food remains?
That little check can tell you a lot.
- BEGIN AGAIN WITH NUMBER 1
Look at the remaining food.
Notice it again.
Smell it.
Slow down.
Reset the experience.
The second half of the meal should not automatically become faster than the first.
EAT WHEN HUNGRY ONLY
Look…
you are always going to be able to eat again.
There will be another meal.
Another snack.
Another dessert.
Another Tuesday.
PACE YOURSELF.
If you want a more rewarding eating experience, try eating when you are actually hungry.
Consider moving your body first.
Walk.
Exercise.
Work in the garden.
Do some chores.
Piddle around the house.
Work up an appetite.
There is something satisfying about sitting down to a meal when your body is actually asking for one.
And there is something equally satisfying about stopping when the body begins saying:
That was enough.
SWEETS FOR THE SWEET
Now we arrive at the category that gets everybody’s attention.
DESSERT.
No one wants to be told how to enjoy their pleasures.
You can talk all day long about what is good for us…
but in the end, people will reward themselves accordingly.
So perhaps the better question is not:
CAN I HAVE IT?
Maybe it is:
HOW MUCH DO I REALLY NEED TO ENJOY IT?
- CHOCOLATE
Chocolate anything can beckon.
You know the call.
Answer it if you choose.
Just watch the portion.
And as for Adam and Eve…
I am pretty sure it was not a chocolate-covered apple.
But had chocolate been available…
who knows?
LOL.
Temptation is temptation.
- JELLO
Jello can be a lighter way to finish the meal.
And yes…
watch what you pile on top of it.
Sometimes the topping becomes the dessert and the dessert becomes the excuse.
- FRUIT
Fruit is a simple choice.
Fresh.
Sweet.
Natural.
Especially when it is in season and actually something you WANT.
Now I know…
for some people fruit does not feel like dessert.
Fine.
But sometimes the simplest answer is still a good one.
- CAKE
Cake happens to be one of my favorites.
And cake can be serious business.
Sugar.
Butter.
Eggs.
Icing.
Fillings.
All kinds of wonderful things working together.
The point?
Consider it part of the meal.
Do not act like the cake arrived from another nutritional universe and somehow does not count.
LOL.
Some cakes are half meal and half reward.
And they can fill you up fast.
ANY TIME OF YEAR
Somehow we have learned to connect celebration with stuffing ourselves.
Holidays.
Birthdays.
Vacations.
Parties.
Weekends.
Food and drink have long been used as rewards.
And that pattern often begins in childhood.
You did something good?
Have a treat.
Birthday?
Cake.
Holiday?
Eat until nobody can move.
There is nothing wrong with food being PART of the celebration.
The trouble comes when it becomes the entire event.
Make food part of the reward system…
not the main event of the day.
There are other pleasures.
Conversation.
Family.
Music.
Walking.
Games.
Laughter.
Being together.
Memories.
Those things do not require another plate.
RICHIE SPEAKS
Here is one Richie rule:
You do not have to prove you enjoyed the meal by becoming uncomfortable afterward.
Another:
A smaller amount enjoyed slowly can beat a larger amount regretted quickly.
And one more:
The inner animal does not always need to be defeated.
Sometimes it just needs to be told:
“Easy there.”
PEARLS FROM THE BOOKS
From the spirit of Pearls for the Soul:
“Pleasure lasts longer when awareness is allowed to participate.”
From the spirit of God I AM:
“What is given for enjoyment can be received without turning enjoyment into excess.”
From the spirit of It Is Finished:
“A learned behavior can be noticed, interrupted, and replaced with something better.”
PEARLS INSIGHT
Eating slowly, paying attention to portion size, and checking in with hunger and fullness can make meals feel more satisfying and less automatic.
The goal is not perfection and it is not punishment.
It is awareness.
When you slow down enough to notice what you are eating and how you are feeling, you create a little space between impulse and action.
That space is where better choices become possible.
PEARLS CONNECTION
Part 1 identified the inner animal.
Part 2 begins training it.
This also connects with THE LEARNING CURVE.
We repeat patterns until we become aware of them.
Then we begin practicing a different response.
It also connects with DOING THE BEST YOU CAN…MONITOR THIS DAILY.
You do not have to master every meal.
You simply notice.
Adjust.
Practice.
And try again.
FINAL SAY
Eat.
Enjoy.
Taste.
Chew.
Talk.
Laugh.
Have dessert if you want it.
But do not turn pleasure into punishment.
The goal is not to leave the table saying:
“I should not have done that.”
The goal is to leave saying:
“That was GOOD.”
Comfortable.
Satisfied.
Pleasant.
Done.
Make food part of life’s enjoyment…
not the ruler of it.
Eat to live another day…
instead of living only to eat another day.
And when that inner animal starts barking for more…
you already know what to say.
Easy there.
— Richie
Pearls for the Soul
when you feed the soul, you feed everything.
https://pearlsforthesoul.com
Been expecting you