“Before you focus on what to eat, teach yourself how to eat.” -Marc David
I have always been a fast eater. Sit down, shovel it in, move on. After Clara, I became the queen of quick eating – just so I could get something in my belly before baby-needs called.
The first week of The Slow Down Diet is all about, well, slowing down when you eat. Taking time (referred to as Vitamin T) with your meals and, most important breathing. Before, during, and after your meal. Deep, healthy, full breaths. Like, into a relaxed belly. Because, a relaxed body and deep breaths leads to better digestion.
Both of these things, slowing down and breathing, are alarmingly difficult for me to do while eating.
First and foremost – breathing into my belly? At the table? In front of people?? Really?
Oh, my belly. I’ve spent a lifetime sucking it in and trying to hide my naturally poochie belly, always wishing for rock-hard abs and an outie belly button which always screamed “THIN” to me. It was a joyful relief when I got pregnant and I could relax my belly for a good cause.
I’m not nearly as compulsive about sucking it in these days, but I do find that when I am sitting (as in, you know, when I’m eating) I do tend to suck it in to avoid the inevitable rolls of fat that develop when I sit. Oh how I hate writing that, but it’s true. I don’t want to see it, I don’t want my husband to see it, and I don’t want my daughter to poke at it.
But this week, as my sole focus is to breathe, relax, and take my time with my meals – I am going to relax my belly.
Secondly, I am going to eat all my meals at the table, sitting down, instead of in front of my computer (ah, the life of working at home), distracted from what I’m eating.
This concept of eating slowly, at the table, makes my “urgency monster” go wild, but I’m counting on being able to provide some evidence that enjoying my food and slowing down at meals (without working and eating at the same time) will actually create more efficiency. My urgency monster isn’t so sure about this, but is willing to cooperate while I try this thing out.
While I teach myself, at almost 40, how to eat. To breathe. To slow down. To be present to what food I’m eating.
If you’d like to join in, fabulous! We can make it a slow-down revolution… and get ready for the beach at the same time.
If this post seems like your thing, I would love to have you subscribe to the newsletter so you can get the bi-weekly newsletter delivered right to your inbox.
