What I Learned This Week

**If you could, pretty please, take the time to rate my Tastemaker video, I’ll send you a batch of homemade biscuits. Virtually speaking, of course. (They’re fat and calorie free that way.)**

I’m supposed to be writing a What I Learned This Week post, but all I can seem to do is click around from tab to tab hoping for something to distract me from the task at hand.  At this point, my email inbox is empty, and my various and sundry chat groups are silent, so I have no choice to buckle down and gather my thoughts.  I have many, but none really seem to fit into What I Learned This Week.

Okay, here’s one.  Since working with Dinneen, I’ve started taking my meals at the table, rather than in front of the computer or while standing up at the kitchen counter packing lunch boxes or washing dishes, and I’ve been making a concerted effort to eat a better balanced diet.  I realize this is nothing novel.  Why would someone need a professional to tell them to eat more fruit and sit down to eat?  I guess when you’ve spent your entire adult life developing poor eating habits and compensating for them with, well, more poor eating habits, it might take a heavy skillet to the head to straighten you out.

Ooooh, lookie there, another email!  Darn, it’s just spam.

Oh well, back to WILTW.

So here’s what I’ve learned.  When I sit at the table and eat my meal like a civilized human being, I feel satisfied when I’m done and rarely want to go back for seconds.  In fact, I often stop eating before I’ve cleaned my plate.  I guess this is what they mean by being in tune to your hunger cues.  I’m also not as likely to snack between meals.  And you know what else?  The 10th bite is rarely as good as the first.  Yeah, who knew??  When I’m sitting at the table, paying attention to what I’m eating and how it tastes and how I feel, I usually don’t over indulge.

So I’ve pretty much gotten into the habit of eating breakfast at the table, but the other day I broke down and brought my breakfast into the office and ate while I answered emails.  The next day, I went to fill out my food journal, and I couldn’t even remember what I’d had for breakfast when I ate at the computer.  Evidently, when you eat while you’re doing 50 other things, not only is it not as enjoyable or satisfying, you may not even remember eating it!

Okay so here’s another.  A few weeks ago, I discovered these delectable chocolate croissants at my local whole foods mart.  I bought one and ate it in the car on the way home.  It was delicious, but I wasn’t giving it my full attention as I maneuvered the windy roads and tried my best not to end up another statistic.  Before I knew it, I’d eaten the entire thing.

A couple weeks later, I went to the whole foods store one morning with every intention of having one of those chocolate croissants and a cup of coffee.  I ordered my guilty pleasure and sat down at the table with my daughter.  I ate slowly and focused on the food and the conversation like a civilized person.  By the time I got halfway through the croissant, I was sick of it.  Did I mention, this thing is H-U-U-U-G-E?  Like the glutton that I am, I finished it anyway, just because it was there.  But I left the cafe and thought to myself, I don’t think I’ll ever crave one of those ever again.  And you know what?  I haven’t.

Now when I find myself taking food to eat at the computer or in front of the TV, I stop myself because I know I won’t really enjoy it, and I’ll eat too much, and I’ll feel gross afterwards.  Then I go sit down at the table and eat it properly.  This has made a huge difference in the way I feel about food, and how I feel after I eat.

The other thing I’ve learned through this process is that eating a better balance of fruits, veggies, proteins, fats, and carbs (GOOD fats and GOOD carbs, of course) has made me feel more satisfied, and I’ve even dropped a few pounds.  I knew I was eating too many carbs before, but after Dinneen and I brainstormed ways to incorporate more fruits, veggies, and protein into my diet, I’ve noticed a huge difference in how I feel.  I used to go days (probably weeks) without eating a piece of fruit.  Now that I’ve been intentionally eating a couple of servings of fruit a day, when I run out, I crave something fresh.  And I notice that when I lapse and eat too many carbs, I feel bloated and yucky.  Like today.  BLEH.

Oh, but you know what’s good?  Biscuits made with lard.  Uh-huh.  But they do set kinda heavy in your tummy.  Katie advised me to try whole wheat pastry flour next time.  She says it’s not nearly as heavy as white flour, so of course now I’m dying to try it.

So yeah.  I really hope I’m creating eating habits that I’ll be able to maintain over the long term.  It feels so good to be free of that addiction to food that has controlled my emotions for so many years.

Now it’s YOUR turn!  What did YOU learn this week?  Please remember to link to your WILTW post, not the main page of your blog.  K’thanks!