Tag Archive for: dinner

3 Ways to Make Every Meal a Sit-Down Meal

When it comes to mealtimes, do you often find yourself scarfing down food because you know you have to eat rather than savoring every bite?

 

Too often I find that my clients are eating their meals either in their car or at the kitchen counter rather than at the table.

 

I’ve had several clients tell me they do not feel worthy of a sit-down meal! They do not think they deserve to enjoy their meal in a pleasant environment, free of distractions.

 

There are several reasons why they feel this way, and you might find that you identify with some of them.

 

Let’s look back and figure out where this belief might have originated:

 

  • Is it something you saw mom or grandmother doing?

 

  • Is it something you were led to believe by someone you trusted?

 

  • Were you ever told that you “shouldn’t” be eating because you are “fat”?

 

While it’s important to understand the origin of this belief, please know this…

 

You deserve to eat, every meal of the day, every day. And you deserve to sit down and enjoy your meal and savor each bite.

 

You may say that you have no time to plate your meals, that you are busy, constantly on the go and it’s just easier to grab when you can, or just graze throughout the day.

 

I understand being busy, but it’s all about priorities.

 

You CAN restructure your day to include mealtime. This means you sit at the table with a plate of food and enjoy it in good company.

 

3 Ways to Make Every Meal a Sit-down One

 

  1. Breakfast

 

Instead of eating breakfast in the car, wake up a few minutes earlier and plan to sit at the kitchen table to enjoy your breakfast. To make this even easier, prepare what you can the night before, so you have fewer steps to do in the morning.

 

  1. Lunch

 

Instead of eating lunch at your desk, schedule 30 minutes into your schedule to leave your office to eat lunch. Maybe there’s a break room at work, a local park with picnic tables, or on occasion, a nearby restaurant you can eat at. Your mealtimes can be a good time to reflect and really tune into what your body is telling you.

 

 

  1. Dinner

 

Believe that you are worthy of eating a well-balanced dinner, sitting at your table. Make it a point to finish cooking, plate your food and sit down. Put a nice tablecloth on your dining table and use a nice plate instead of a disposable plate.

 

Savor every bite. Really tune into the taste, texture, and flavor of the food you are eating.

 

Be fully present.

 

By actively savoring each bite, you will find yourself more satisfied with your meal rather than when you pick at food mindlessly.

 

Plating and sitting down to your meals throughout the day will help you feel more satisfied, and you won’t find yourself searching for food during the day and night.

4 Tips to Increase Food Appreciation

We live in a society that is go-go-go. We might be doing one thing, but we are probably thinking about the next thing we have to do. Which makes me wonder how many people actually pay full attention to their food when they are eating.

 

In speaking with a lot of people over the years, I find that most people do not take the time to eat slowly and instead, rush through their meals.  They eat breakfast in the car on the way to work, work through lunch and eat at their desk, or grab a quick bite from the drive thru for dinner on the way home.

 

An important practice when working on your relationship with food is to learn to appreciate the food you are eating. Consider where the food came from, how it got into your kitchen and onto your plate, and who was involved in making that possible (farmers, factory line workers, mom). This also means appreciating what food does for your body: fuels you, give you energy, and supplies you with vital nutrients.

 

Here are 4 tips to increase your food appreciation:

 

  1. Eat Breakfast at Home: When you’re running late in the morning, the first thing that goes out the window is breakfast. You tell yourself that you’ll eat when you get to work. And you may do just that. But chances are you’re eating while you’re checking the morning emails, returning messages and writing your to-do list for the day. This means you are paying minimal to no attention to what you are eating.

 

Try waking up a half hour earlier each morning so you have planned time to prepare and eat breakfast. Even better, do some meal prep ahead of time, such as set the table with a bowl, spoon and cereal choice, or prepare overnight oats that are ready in the morning.

 

  1. Sit Down at the Table to Eat: It’s so tempting to eat while you’re meal prepping or to open the fridge and grab a snack. Remind yourself that eating happens when your butt is in a chair and you can fully be present with the food. This means even if you are alone. I know how difficult this may be, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll really enjoy this time.

 

  1. Take a Lunch Break: Years ago, I didn’t schedule a lunch break in my day. I wanted to be available to my clients which meant that inevitably, I didn’t get to eat lunch. Or if I did, it was a quick grab and run, or eating in front of the computer, and it felt as if I never even ate.

 

I realized how that practice was not in my best interest and I started blocking out lunch time in my schedule. Not only did I feel better, but my clients benefited as well as I had more energy and was more productive.

 

So go ahead and schedule that lunch break for yourself. Consider it an act of self-care.

  1. Avoid Distractions at Dinner: I get it, habits are hard to break. But watching Jeopardy while you eat dinner (or sports or whatever show you like) takes away from mindfully eating your meal. Instead, engage in conversation with your partner or kids, and savor the flavor, texture and aroma of the food. When doing this, you are also better able to attune to your fullness signals and will stop eating when you are comfortably full. Go ahead and DVR Jeopardy and have a date night watching with your partner after dinner.

 

Implement these suggestions at your own pace and over time you will see how it’s impacted your appreciation for the food you are eating. Let me know how it goes in the comments below.

 

 

 

Celebration Dinners, Food Police and Trust

It’s all about TRUST! But in whom?

 

This past week I posted the following “If/Then Question” on my Facebook Page.

 

You are going out to dinner to celebrate your child’s graduation. You have been practicing intuitive eating, but are a little worried about indulging because you are going to your favorite restaurant. You then….

 

A. Remind yourself that intuitive eating is about trusting yourself with your food choices, and you are regaining this trust day-by-day.

 

B. Commit to being mindful while eating and will check-in with your satiety level mid-meal.

 

C. Think to yourself – heck, this is a celebration! I don’t usually get to this restaurant often, I’ll skip lunch so I’m good and hungry for dinner.

 

The answers were varied. For those who have worked with me on their intuitive eating journey, or are in the midst of it, they chose option A or B. For those new to the process or that are finding some challenges along the way, they chose C. And that’s okay, because remember, this is a process and the process takes time and patience, and is judgement-free!

 

The feelings of excitement when going to a new restaurant, trying new foods, or celebrating a milestone can dig up some old diet mentality thoughts.

 

These thoughts may sound like:

  1. I’m going to skip lunch today so I can save my calories or points for dinner.
  2. I won’t eat any carbs during the day, because I want to eat from the bread basket at the restaurant.
  3. I’m finishing what’s on my plate, this food is so delicious I don’t know when I’ll get to eat this food again.
  4. If I weigh more on the scale tomorrow morning, I’ll just cut back my eating for the day and be sure to choose only “healthy” foods.

 

All these statements are the food police speaking, screaming at you unreasonable rules. And in each of these cases, what do you think happens?

 

That’s right! You arrive at the restaurant and sit down to dinner in a ravenous state and more than likely, you end up eating to an overfull state. Then you feel physically uncomfortable, emotionally miserable (guilty, shame), and you follow that with food restriction!

 

Restriction – cutting back on your food intake or choosing only “healthy” foods if the scale is higher the next day – is dieting. It’s the opposite of being intuitive.

 

Your body weight is a measure of the weight of your tissues, which includes your bones, organs, muscle and fat tissue AND the substances that pass through such as water, food and waste. If you weigh more this morning than you did yesterday, it doesn’t mean that you have more fatty tissue today because you ate the chicken parm at last night’s graduation dinner.

 

The food police, however, would like to have you think it IS the reason, and therefore it is shouting rules at you to eat less today, to avoid carbs, and to only choose “healthy” foods.

 

Shout back at the food police by doing these 3 things:

  1. Identify the distorted irrational dieting thought and disarm it.
  2. Recognize that a higher weight this morning may be due to some other reason as your body weight fluctuates day-to-day based on many factors.
  3. Don’t weigh yourself. Throw away the scale and begin to cultivate the trust in your body to make food and nutrition choices that are right for you.

 

It’s all about the TRUST!

 

Need help to learn how to trust yourself, your food choices and your body? I’m an email (or phone call away – 516-486-4569)!