I just did a guest blog for Frito Lay! If you’d like to read my take on planning ahead for snacks and lunches, please check it out!
I am a self confessed chocoholic. I’m embarrassed to admit this, but if given the choice between apples or chocolate I’d choose the chocolate. Don’t worry – this post isn’t just about the wonders and benefits of chocolate, but about really learning to savor and enjoy the foods you love.
Have you ever eagerly anticipated a food? Maybe it’s not chocolate for you, but some other confection or savory food that you always look forward to eating. What happens to you when you have the chance to eat that food? Can you almost taste it even before you put it in your mouth? Can you imagine how the cookies will taste as their smell fills the kitchen? Or while in the mall, do the smells of pizza or Asian food lure you in for a bite?
One thing I learned about myself as I was losing my weight, was that I could still enjoy chocolate without eating an entire package of Oreos in one sitting. How? I learned to anticipate the taste, savor the experience, and really taste the food.
In my fat days, I don’t think I really tasted my food. I was so busy shoveling it in, that I didn’t appreciate the textures, the sensations or the flavors of the foods I was eating. Even though I was the one who prepared the meals in the family, and took the time to make tasty, albeit it fattening food, I ate so fast that even I couldn’t have described the flavor of the chicken parmesan in detail if you had asked me.
And if I couldn’t describe the meal because I ate it so fast, I certainly couldn’t describe the taste of the 500th M&M I had just eaten. As I lost weight, I knew that I didn’t want to cut chocolate, or some of my other favorite foods out of my life. So instead of getting rid of them completely, I determined to enjoy them more.
For me this involved slowing everything down a little bit. And not buying one pound bags of candy anymore. But when I really wanted something chocolate, I had it. But instead of grabbing a handful of chocolate and shoving it in my mouth. And then reaching my hand in the bag for more before I had even swallowed the first mouthful, I took one at a time. I still remember sitting in my kitchen with one M&M in my hand, putting it in my mouth. I took my time and really tasted the candy. I loved it even more slow than I had fast. And the best part? The taste stayed with me longer.
There is a book out called French Women Don’t Get Fat, which although I haven’t read it, gives similar advice. To really take the time to savor your food, and enjoy it to its fullest. As I tried this, I was surprised how quickly I was satisfied, not only from a physical hunger point of view, but from an emotional standpoint as well.
Because food is wrapped up in emotions for many of us. I didn’t eat too many pieces of chocolate candy, and dozens of chocolate cookies because I was physically hungry – but rather because of an emotional need. By slowing down, and really taking the time to taste my food, both treats and not, I was able to soothe the emotional hunger, while at the same time satisfying the physical hunger.
Have you ever tried this technique? If you haven’t, I’d encourage you to try it next time you are faced with the desire for the food you have a hard time resisting. Instead of telling yourself, “NO,” trying telling yourself, “Yes, but slowly.” Now, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that you can’t eat twelve Oreos slowly and say to me, “But Diane, I enjoyed every slow bite!” Try it the right way, and see if it helps you satisfy both the emotional and the physical hunger. Diane
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Im so proud of and excited for you with the FRITO LAY gig!
MizFit´s last blog ..Viewer Mail: Who’s yer guru?
Good post! Of course, I love any post about chocolate.
I wish I had known years ago that a single miniature Hershey bar could, if eaten properly, satisfy my chocolate urges and be “enough.”
Cammy@TippyToeDiet´s last blog ..And Now, A Word from Our Sponsors
What you said about not even tasting the food we stuff down resonates clearly with me. I don’t want to assume that I am completely cured but now if I’m “stuffing” I notice it right away and am able to stop. I have become so much more aware of the circumstances that cause me to stuff and am learning how to better handle the ones I cannot avoid.
Your success and daily sharing of what you have learned has given me kind of a new mantra: If Diane can do it, I can do it! Thanks–I love your blog and look forward to it every morning!!
Cindy
I had several thoughts about this -
first I remember reading a study where they had people eat only one of things that they used to eat compulsively. the one that I specifically remember was hershey’s kisses – because (evidentally) when you eat just one – it tastes waxy and actually NOT good. but when you/me/we all eat them compulsively – we don’t even realize it.
and
If I am eating something – anything really – that does not meet my expectations – I no longer continue eating it. I will only ’spend’ my calories if it is worthy.
vickie´s last blog ..Drama queen running
I remember that study too. My husband always called Tootsie Rolls chocolate wax, but not kisses! I too stop eating something if I don’t really like it. Unless it’s vegetables, then I make myself finish them!
Diane´s last blog ..What Did I Just Eat?
I totally agree.
One Cadbury’s Button placed on the tongue and allowed to melt slowly tastes better than any whole bar of chocolate I ever inhaled in a mad rush.
Doesn’t mean that I can always remember, and unfortunately the inhalation eating technique still trips me up on occasions, but you are spot on with this.
Deniz´s last blog ..Shaking off the dust
@MizFit – Thanks so much! I’m very excited to work with them.
@Cammy – Me too. I might have saved myself about 50 pounds (at least)
@Cindy – You can do this, and I think just taking the time to really think about what you are doing helps immensely. You have done a great job!
@Deniz – I love Cadbury! Yum. I think awareness is a good step to conquering that tendency to inhale our food. I liked your blog today!
Diane´s last blog ..What Did I Just Eat?
Congrats on the Frito Lay post. Like all your posts here, it is good.
Eating slowly is a real challenge for me. I am a tremendously fast eater. As crazy as it sounds, I have even reasoned that I could taste the food better because I kept my mouth full of it all the time. Isn’t that crazy? Fortunately, I am slowing down now. One of my favorite treats is a small square of very dark chocolate, eaten slowly.
South Beach Steve´s last blog ..Wednesday’s Word of the Day – New
I don’t trust myself enough yet with M&M’s. Even a small bag, as I feel I might go back and get more. I hope to get to a level someday where I can enjoy some of the things I binged on, but I’m just not there yet.
Amy H.´s last blog ..Polenta with Fresh Tomato Sauce
Diane, congrats on your first Frito Lay post. How exciting & oh so true.. planning is the key & an important key for weight loss & maintenance!!!
As for anticipating a food eagerly.. OH YES!!!!!!!!!!! And this is my time of year.. pumpkin, molasses, spice flavors! I love the cookies in these flavors that come every year & my beloved bagel that I do not eat that often comes in pumpkin flavor this time of year.. so yes, I do understand this feeling! But like you, I know how to enjoy without going crazy…. and how funny we both wrote about eating consciously today!!!!
Great post as usual!
@Steve – Thank you Steve – I appreciate it. It’s not crazy at all, because I can totally relate. I used to hate dark chocolate, but now I really, really like it!
@Amy – I don’t have many M&M’s around these days either. Those are dangerous for me, as are Oreos! Don’t worry about not being there yet, it will come for you.
@Jody – Thanks Jody! That is funny that we had the same topic. I think that happens frequently in these circles! I just had pumpkin flavored coffee tonight – it was delicious. (Thanks Molly for the coffee!)
Eating too fast is something I’ve struggled with too! I’ve made big improvements on eating desserts and drinking alcohol though. Like you, I now sit down with a small piece of dark chocolate, nibble away at it, and get the full pleasure experience of the flavour. Before, I would just chow down on a chocolate bar, often reaching for more because I wasn’t satisfied. Same with drinking, I take my time to sip away at beer instead of gulping back bottle after bottle. It really is more enjoyable!
Susan´s last blog ..Happy Baby
I’ve read “French Women Don’t Get Fat” and it’s a very good book!
Eating slower is something I’m learning to do better. It is amazing to actually taste what you are eating instead of inhaling it all.
Very good and true post!
Leah´s last blog ..Sharing is Caring
@Susan – I like your ending – it really is more enjoyable. Not only better for us, but more enjoyable as well.
@Leah – So true. It is nice to taste our food. As long as it is tasty that is!
I’ve NEVER thought about how fast I eat making a difference in how much I eat. Thanks so much for this idea. I mean, I know it’s not your idea, but thanks for sharing it with us. I love you blog Diane – it makes a huge difference in how well I do every day.
I’m so glad you’re writing this. I don’t always eat slow, but I definitely eat my treats slow. I’m very happy with a bite or two of super-chocolate cake, don’t need the whole slice. I was raised on all or nothing mentality (witness my mom’s non-fat no-sugar dinner, followed three hours later by a pint of ice cream), and it makes me cringe. Especially reading blogs where a person is trying so hard to resist eating just one bite of whatever they’re driving themselves nuts trying to resist, and while I understand fear of losing control, I just don’t think that works out in the long run.
julie´s last blog ..Dr Kessler and I disagree
@Monica – I’m glad this post made you think about how you are eating, not just what you are eating. I’m really glad you like the blog!
@Julie – I agree that complete depravation rarely works. Often time it sends us right to what we are trying to avoid.
I remember learning this from the book When Eating At The Refrigerator Pull Up A Chair, I think that’s the name. I learned this tool from this too. But my problem is not chocolate or even candy, it’s bread. I don’t know how to enjoy a little, not sure if I ever can.
Robin´s last blog ..Standstill
@Robin – You bring up a good point. It isn’t always sweets that can trigger that desire to overeat. Sometimes it’s something completely different – like bread for you, or chips for one of my friends. Thanks for pointing that out.
This is something i really have to work on. Slowing down and enjoying
Thank you for reminding me
suzanne´s last blog ..Question day once again!!
Eating slowly is something I am aware of sometimes, but I still find myself at the end of a meal thinking, “What did that even taste like??” I need to work on this more.
erin´s last blog ..Missing: Endurance
@suzanne – Just to make you feel better – even all these years of maintenance later, I still have to think about it too!
@erin – It’s good to be aware of what we still need to work on. Sometimes I felt as though it were a never ending process! And I’m still learning.
Hi Diane. I’m a chocoholic too! I eat it in quantity sometimes but I know when I’ve really everdone it when I can no longer taste it. Noticing that I’m not tasting something is a new experience for me. But I have to eat quite a lot of it before I get there!
I have successfully dieted in the past allowing myself one small bar of chocolate a day. And yes, at those times I would look forward all day to that bar and I would really savour it. I couldn’t have any distractions at all. Just me and that chocolate. Very different from bar after bar while watching TV and reading blogs etc. And no bad feelings afterwards when it’s only one small bar a day.
Best wishes,
Bearfriend xx
Bearfriend´s last blog ..Is it rude to tell a complete stranger to Google Sean Anderson?
@Bearfriend – What a great strategy for just looking forward to your chocolate treat and then really savoring it. For me the taste really stays with me when I do that. Then I really can stop at just one (or two)!
I do try to pay much more attention to what I eat now. I have found that photographing my food made me pay a *lot* more attention to what was on my plate.
I have also decided that eating something really, really good in a single portion is way better than downing a whole sleeve of store bought cookies. If I want something, I will go to a bakery and buy a single item and enjoy every bite.
Lori´s last blog ..Brick and TBL thoughts.
Congratulations on the Frito Lay post Diane! That’s fabulous.
I’ve found eating slowly to be very effective, even with things that aren’t particularly special. Doing things like “eating one piece of pasta at a time” instead of shoveling pasta by the fork-load into your mouth makes the meal feel much larger and much more satisfying, to me.
Hadley´s last blog ..Why yes, I am going to talk about Biggest Loser today
@Lori – That would definitely do it. If I had taken pictures of what I ate at 300 pounds people would have been horrified and probably scheduled an intervention! I like the idea of buying a single serving of what you really want and enjoying it!
@ Hadley – Thanks so much. It does make the meal feel larger to just eat a bit at a time. That’s a great strategy.
Dang, Diane, I’m just in the middle of writing a post on this. I’m not going to finish reading yours until I’ve finished mine. In many ways, I think our world views are extremely different from each other, but when it comes to food and health, we seem to be very much on the same wavelength.
NewMe´s last blog ..From Cyberspace to Face-to-Face
@NewMe – Just write it anyway. There are a lot of repeats in this arena of weight blogs, and lots of different ways to approach the same topic!! I’d look forward to hearing what you have to say.
Hi. I published my post and have just finished reading yours. Lots of similarities, but a slightly different angle. I still never cease to be amazed at how we often travel on parallel tracks!
NewMe´s last blog ..How Do You Eat?
Yes! I am finally on board with this and can testify that it does work!
266´s last blog ..Old Habits Die Hard
My rule is one mini chocolate a week out of the candy bowl here at work. Usually it does the trick for me and I do always eat it slow and deliberate. Headed over to read your Frito Lay blog.
Dawn´s last blog ..A Great Weekend
@266 – It really does work! Isn’t it great it’s so easy?
@Dawn – You have great resolve to only eat one chocolate a week at an office candy bowl. I’m really impressed!
I’ll take the apple – dipped in melted Dove dark chocolate! (Or dipped in our new Merlot Fudge sauce. Ahhhhh)
I learned the savoring slowly thing when I first started The Abs Diet. I got the Dove dark chocolate promises. Would bite it in half, let it melt slowly in my mouth. 2 squares – totally satisfying!
Going through the 32 days of the Flat Belly Diet book, they had you do different things at meals that made you slow down and enjoy the food and think about how you felt, etc. I found it very effective!
Our fancy dinner at the Broadmoor, the portions were pretty small, but so very delicious, we did take our time and the whole experience was extremely enjoyable! And we never got uncomfortably full.
MamaBearJune´s last blog ..Medical appointments
Oh, and great article for Frito Lay!
MamaBearJune´s last blog ..Medical appointments
@MamaBear June – I still get a kick out of the fact that you sell Dove chocolate! How fun. I remember that post you did detailing that fabulous dinner at the Broadmoor, wonderful strategy. Then you got to enjoy it fully because you weren’t stuffed!
This might sound over the top but I crave “frozen sweet tea”. My mouth starts to water whenever I think about it. It takes awhile to freeze so by the time it done the craving is gone.
lyricgirl´s last blog ..Life vs. Lifestyle
Very cool post!
GeorgiaMist´s last blog ..SAHALE SNACKS REVIEW and GIVEAWAY!
This is so true. I’m a big chocolate lover too and have learned to eat it in moderation. You make such a good point here about learning to savor the flavor of the food. This is definitely something I can work more on.
Alissa´s last blog ..Weigh In Day
@lyricgirl – What a creative strategy – and one that works! Good for you.
@GeorgiaMist – Thanks!
@Alissa – I love chocolate. I’m always surprised when I find someone who doesn’t love it as much as I do!
I struggle with the eating slowly thing. I’ve always been a fast eater, and it it so hard for me to slow down. As usual, you have hit the nail on the head.
Ida´s last blog ..Sweet Reward
I’m learning to do this and enjoying it, too! I have always been a dark chocolate fan, but instead of keeping bars of it in the house I now just keep a bag of baking chips (semisweet chocolate) from a good chocolate company in my freezer. I haven’t had issues bingeing on them so they’re safe in there, but ALMOST every night I measure out a tablespoon or two of them, however many I can fit into my calories at the end of the night, and begin savoring them one by one. Not only are they DELICIOUS and rich, not too sweet, but being cold makes them take longer to melt in my mouth. After maybe two tablespoons I am actually chocolated out, because they’re so rich, and yet it is rarely over 150 calories of chocolate.
This is not my ‘I deserve this for eating well all day’ treast at the end of the night, so much as ‘this is a food I enjoy, so I am going to enjoy it in moderation, as best I can!’. I don’t feel deprived and I am not inhaling food as fast as I can chew or overeating. It works for me!
Taryl´s last blog ..Lazy Me
@Ida – I’m a fast eater too, so this isn’t easy for me. And with as many kids as I have, I do sometimes inhale my food out of necessity. If I don’t eat it fast, then I may not get to eat at all!
@Taryl – That is exactly the right attitude to have. Not a treat because you ate well all day, but rather that it’s a planned enjoyment. So great!
Great article! I will have to remember that especially as the holidays are approaching. Another thing that I am so bad about is just eating standing up. You know, when you finish what the kids were eating as you clean up. Or tasting every bite as you are preparing it! I will have to remember this about savoring every bite.
This makes sense. I guess this is part of the reason we’re always advised to avoid eating in front of the TV. If you’re too distracted, you’ll never taste the food!
Lily´s last blog ..Successful Experiment on Squirrel Monkeys Promises Cure for Red Green Color Blindness
@Laura – I do this too! I am so bad about standing up eating lunch. I’ll make a plate, but instead of sitting down, I just kind of hang over the island in the kitchen talking to the kids!
@Lily – You are probably right about the advice to avoid eating in front of the TV being related to not really able to enjoy and appreciate the food.
Great post! Yes, slowing things down and really tasting my food made all the difference for me too. At some point in my life, I had started eating way too fast and didn’t paying attention. I was stressed and somehow eating fast was my coping mechanism. Now, enjoying my food, including preparing it and eating it slowly and really savoring the flavors, is my coping mechanism! I also love that you point out that you can have any food if you have just a little of it. For me, that’s key!
Congrats on the Frito Lay gig!
Andrea@WellnessNotes´s last blog ..Why Do You Blog?
OMG where were you when I was at Joe’s Gizzard City the other day???? lol TY for this post. I shall indeed slow things down this next week.
Debby´s last blog ..Oh yes I did!
@Andrea – That’s a wonderful coping mechanism. So much healthier than eating more than we need. I love your website Andrea!
@Debby – I was right HERE! What in the world did you have at Joe’s Gizzard City that was so bad?
I’m trying to do this with chocolate. We get bars of Lindt chocolate and I get one square at lunch. I realize I would eat one square and enjoy it the same amount as two. Of course with cupcakes I have to work harder to restrain myself, but I manage to eek all the joy from them that I can!
MackAttack´s last blog ..Oh yeah, I’m a weight loss blogger
Congrats on the Frito Lay gig! They are lucky to have you
!
Loved this post. I need reminders like this these days. Another things besides not stopping to *taste* my food has been standing while I eat. Sometimes I think if I didn’t stand and eat, I would never eat at all LOL but it is something I need to be more mindful of. I think my food would “register” more with my brain if I sat AND tasted/savored …
Michelle @ A Shade of Gray´s last blog ..Skinny Sweet Yogurt Lassi
I’ve definitely started doing this and the thing that surprises me is that a lot of foods I slow down to really taste turn out to not be worth it! It’s great because I only have to do it once or twice (okay, maybe three times) before I can finally accept that I’m just not so interested in that food anymore. Which is great, because it leaves more room for the foods I truly relish.
Oh, and I gave you an Honest Scrap award on my blog.
Sarah´s last blog ..Continued Moves Toward Running
Oh yes, I most definitely use this technique. I am vowing to live IN THE MOMENT. No more doing things “automatically” – including eating. So if I’m going to eat something, I’m goign to savor it. I’m going to slow down and appreciate it. I’m going to serve it on a plate, sit down and really taste it.
Lola´s last blog ..Official Weight – Week 52
That’s a good point. I’ve been told that a lot of us only pay attention to the first bite and the last bite, and aren’t really aware of how much passes in between.
SeaShore´s last blog ..Getting closer