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I didn’t have time to exercise today and didn’t want to go way over calorie count like I did last Tuesday, so I was very intentional about eating. For breakfast I had my shake. At lunch I ate a huge salad and a little grilled chicken and fruit. I didn’t love it, but it was a lot of food, only 240 calories, and kept me full until supper.

The boys cooked, which meant spaghetti.

Carbs. UGH.

But I ate light. I felt the need for protein so found some leftover skillet steak. Even with all that I was only -7 at the end of the day. But . . . and here’s the surprise . . . I almost felt too full after supper!

I’m definitely changing.

Real Time Update:

My body is starting to help me make good choices instead of whining at me for more food than I need. But I have to listen carefully and stop just before I think I’m full. If I keep eating until full, then I’m usually too full within 30 minutes.

Listening to my body doesn’t mean listening to my emotions. Sometimes they still rear their silly little heads and cry out to be satisfied by food–which never works.

I want to be more intentional about eating slowly and waiting a while before thinking I need more food. I’m finding truth in the old saying that you feel more full as time goes by. When I eat too quickly I often eat more than I need, then feel too full within 30 minutes.

Something else that helps is making a meal about rest, atmosphere, and fellowship. There really is something to lighting a candle, sharing good conversation, and taking your time with a meal.

It is also really hard to resist mindless eating when there is a screen in front of me and snacks close by. At our small group on Sunday there were crackers and popcorn on the table in front of us. It was really hard not to mindlessly eat while I watched the speaker on the DVD. I didn’t totally blow off all my hard work to learn to eat right, but I did eat more popcorn than I should have. Next time I hope I can measure out a certain amount and stick with my plan!

What About You?

What does your eating time look like? Have you found that being intentional about enjoying the food and fellowship of a meal helps reduce calorie intake? How does eating in front of the TV affect caloric intake?

Tagged: candles, chicken, DVD, eat slowly, food and fellowship, popcorn, salad, steak, tv