Help deal with cravings by chewing slowly
(Sandy - sandign)

Yesterday as I was craving one of the carb heavy breakfast meals from a favorite restaurant, I decided to give in but make some changes. I cut back on the prazy when we'd eat out) Plus, he thinks about what he's eating, the flavor, texture, everythinotatoes and used turkey italian sausage but kept in the two eggs. Before I fixed it, I was talking with someone who had always been thin. And always made it look easy. But I remembered a conversation we had years ago about the way he eats. He said that when he started to gain weight, he decided to ask himself if he really liked what he was eating or if he was just eating. So he started chewing every bite 15-20 times. (It used to drive me cg about it, so he could enjoy each and every bite.

He found first, that it really helped his digestion, and when he really started "tasting" the food he was eating, that it didn't taste as good as he thought. So some servings got smaller, some foods were eliminated.

I remember trying this with Hostess Twinkies. Now I had a real weakness for these. But...I tried one bite at a time, chewed and really tasted it. I realized they tasted like cardboard!! LOL Haven't had one in years!!

But, when I had the craving for this heavy meal last night, I followed his advice. And you know, it didn't taste anywhere near as good as I thought it did. I doubt if I will want it again.

Now I know this seems far fetched, but if you really want something and you find yourself giving in to the temptation, eat slowly, chew thoroughly and think about what you're eating. How it tastes, the texture.... and then take it a step further, ask yourself what's in it, and what makes it taste the way it does. Do all of this while chewing. Now if it's everything you thought it would be, hopefully by chewing slowly and really enjoying it and thinking about what your eating, you will lose the craving. Simply because you know you can save it for when you really want to taste something over and above your normal meals. We all deserve treats once in a while and this WOE isn't about depriving ourselves, but eating in a fashion that's do-able for life. ENJOY every bite you eat. I think the idea here is that most of what we eat isn't because we really love it, we just want to eat. It's something to go in our mouth.

Sorry this is so long, but I hope it helps someone. I sure can ramble sometimes. I know I'm going to start eating more slowly and paying attention to each and every piece of food going into my mouth.