Faded Jeans Living

Pausing to ask myself, “Am I hungry?” before eating is a significant step forward. This simple question has illuminated some of the dark corners of my eating habits. Much like my relationship with alcohol, I’ve used food as a coping mechanism for a range of emotions—happiness, sadness, stress, worry, anger, fear, and even as a reward. None of these are good reasons to eat; they are all external influences. I am learning to look inward for signs from my body.

Notes

Last night, I cooked beef flautas from Hello Fresh. The recipe made six, with a serving size of three. I often pride myself on not having a TV out, keeping it in the closet until football season. However, I am usually guilty of watching YouTube on my iPad while I eat. Last night, I decided to change that. I lit a candle, placed three flautas on my plate, and slowed down to actually chew my food.

I had to laugh because I realized I probably couldn’t taste my food before since I never gave my taste buds a chance. I made sure to swallow each bite before taking another and did the same with my water. After the first flauta, I asked myself if I was still hungry. After the second, I realized I was no longer hungry and knew it can take up to 20 minutes to feel full.

Let me tell you, though, I was really eyeballing that third flauta, and putting the rest in the fridge was tough! But I felt good and proud that I didn’t over eat.

Mindful Eating Day 2

Peace,

Dwight🦋