Recently I posted the Break a Bad Eating Challenge after reading a Men’s Health magazine about the six mistakes that keep us fat. The article inspired me to break my bad eating habit of reading while I eat.
I believe in breaking bad habits slowly, so over the course of this past week, I chose one meal per day to be book-and-magazine free. Here’s what happened.
Day One: Breakfast, 7:30 am.
I serve myself a cup of mixed fresh vegetables and sausage (yes, I eat vegetables at breakfast). I’m looking longingly at the book I am currently reading and obsessed with, Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner and I’m itching to pick it up. But I leave my book alone and force myself to focus on my food. I take one bite. Then another one. A few more. This is taking forever. Has time stopped? By the time I’ve finished, I feel like I’ve been eating for an hour. It look at the clock—it’s 7:35 am. I’ve been eating—literally— for five minutes. I tell my husband Mark, “This is boring as hell.”
Day Two: Dinner, 5:30 pm.
I sit at the dining room table, again missing my book and wondering what the main character is doing. Did her ex-boyfriend ever call her back? Dinner is roast beef, fresh vegetables covered in home-made Tahini dressing and brown rice. I take a bite. It’s delicious. About halfway through, I notice that I’m still not focusing on what I’m eating. Now, however, I’m not reading, I’m thinking. Thinking about work, wondering what Mark’s doing, plotting out the storyline of the novel I’m writing. Apparently I’ve replaced reading with thinking. Focus, I tell myself. Focus.
Day Three: Pre-Workout Snack, 5:00 am.
I’ve got my large cup of coffee flavored with Stevia herbal sweetener and coconut milk and a bowl filled with a mixture of almond butter and Chia and flax seeds. This is my favorite food for the day and I’m in heaven. I take a bite. I add salt. I take another bite. I add more salt. More bites, more salt. Man, I use a lot of salt. I guess when I was reading I was also salting and not realizing it. I put the shaker down and finish.
Day Four: Lunch, 12:00 pm.
My first reading-free restaurant outing and I’m nervous. I picture myself sitting there staring into space as other patrons feel sorry for me and think I have no friends. I go to the build-your-burger place near my work and order a veggie burger patty with goat cheese and large salad. As I eat, I find my mind racing and my eyes darting around. I fight the urge to check my iPhone, watch TV, talk to strangers, pick up the abandoned magazine next to me. I notice I am wolfing down my food because I want to get back to work. Why? I do get a lunch break and there’s nothing pressing I have to rush back for. I realize that I’m always in a rush to do something, always distracted. I suspect this goes beyond to just how I eat – it’s how I live. I force myself to slow down and finish my meal. When I’m done I realize I’m really full. I get this meal every time I eat at this restaurant and I don’t remember being this full. Maybe I should slow down and focus more often.
Day 5
Blew it, totally blew it. I was almost finished with my book and I had to find out what happened. Had to. I read, I ate, I salted.
Day 6: Breakfast, 7:00 am
Okay, back on the beam. Mark and I are staying at a hotel for an out-of-town wedding. I’m eating the canned crab meat I’ve packed (I always pack my breakfast when I go out of town). Before I even take a bite of crab, I salt it. My first bite tastes as if I’m eating the crab straight out of the ocean. Yikes! Apparently I really haven’t been tasting my food because I’ve been so distracted. My insides are probably pickled.
Day 7: Dinner, 6:00 pm
I spread out my dinner before me and start eating without picking up the salt shaker. The freshly roasted vegetables are delicious as is, and the quinoa needs just bit of salt, not the avalanche I usually pour on. I notice my mind wandering as I eat, and I gently return my focus to my plate. I thoroughly enjoy my meal and feel comfortably satisfied and full after.
Even though I’m still working my way to being totally reading-free while I eat, I already feel the benefits: I’m using less salt, I feel more full and satisfied after meals ,and I recognize how distracted I am not just to my food but in other areas of my life. I feel encouraged to be even more present not only at the table but in the rest of my life as well.
If you’ve taken the Break a Bad Habit Challenge, tell us about it! Write about your experience in the Comments section and let us know how you’re doing. Let’s get healthy together
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Well I started off really good but caved when I had a really bad headache. Although I did not stick with it I have cut back a lot. I so far am good about not drinking any soda with caffeine and I am down to 1-2 a week. So I feel good that I will get better with my habit. Thanks for pushing me to be a better and healthier me.