Happy New Year!

[Marcia]

The onlything we can say for sure is that we survived 2011! Woo-hoo!!
Good for us!
This morning at breakfast I remembered a little hint I read in one of
Pavel Samov's books that I think may help us all as we start this new
program. He suggested that we do something different at the table to
remind us that we intend to eat slowly or mindfully or sparingly or
whatever. He suggested getting new placemats. At the time I read that,
I realized that I had a set of salt & pepper shakers that hadn't been
used yet, so I got them out and it actually worked--for awhile!
Obviously, or I wouldn't be here trying to lose weight again.
Today, I'm going to try this again. I'm going to dig around my stuff
to find something to put on the table to remind me to take a few
breaths before diving into my food and eating slowly, enjoying every
morsel. As I do this, I'm going to think about why I usually eat so
fast. What's the hurry? Why am I trying to get meal time "over with"
so quickly?
This tip won't change all the emotional issues we face as we begin
this new process, but it is something we can do easily to get started!
Have a great New Year's Day!
Marcia

[dev...@evansassociates.net]

Great tip! I have heard similiar tips about making your table & plate
as pretty as possible. I also found this weekend that it has really
helped to journal what I plan to eat BEFORE I eat it (rather than
after). It helps to set my intention for the meal. Interesting that
I tend to eat exactly what I've written down with few modifications
whereas when I journal after I eat, I forget to include all of those
"little bites" etc. that tend to happen as I'm grazing about the
kitchen preparing a meal. I didn't think it would make any difference
(I was just writing it down before the meal so I wouldn't forget), but
it has really helped to get my mind in the meal before my mouth is
there!
Diane