Pop quiz: what is the second rule of Fight Club?
OK, I’m a week into the experiment, it’s time for a new rule.
Prepare the food. Eat the food. Wash up.
This one is about two things that I do that add up to unintentional, mindless calories.
So I’m trying to draw brighter lines around the eating times. And that means any eating time, including snacks. You might think that some foods don’t need preparation, making this rule meaningless, but just because something doesn’t need preparation doesn’t mean you can’t give it some.
Sometimes, preparation might mean opening a packet of biscuits, putting two biscuits on a little plate, and taking the little plate into the living room.
Yes, that’s as ridiculous as it sounds. But in a way, it’s also kind of nice. It makes the biscuits feel much more special. And it’s a clear way of saying to myself: “Hey, it’s eating time. There’s these biscuits here. Nice.” If I appreciate my snacks more, I need fewer of them.
Likewise, washing up (that’s doing the dishes, for my US visitors) may mean wiping the crumbs off my desk. If there isn’t anything to wash up, I can wash my hands. I can tidy the kitchen. I can put the food away.
Doing these things is a way of saying to myself: “Hey, the eating thing is done now. We’re finished. Time to move on to something else.”
Note that I’m still not depriving myself of anything. I eat what I want, when I want it. I’m just making sure that whenever I do eat something, I take note.
I’m also not saying you should do this, or that it will work for you. You may not have any problems around eating too much food at all. Or you may be the kind of person who will mindfully eat the fridge when she’s not on some kind of diet.
People vary.
I’m not documenting this experiment as a way of saying: this is exactly what you should do. I’m doing it as a way of showing the method in action.
Observing my behaviour getting in my own way. Designing a little rule or habit to change that behaviour. Sticking around to see the results.
Observe, experiment, report.
Repeat, refine, discard.
Applying my genius to the problem of living.
Hey, that’s a good tagline, actually.
{ 4 comments }
2 biccies on a small plate = nice snack
Whole pack of biccies on my desk = eat a load, feel kinda sick, then feel bad about it
I know which one I prefer nowadays!
Its surprising how much more enjoyable a snack can be if you have it on a little plate and pay attention XD
Yes! The food is actually better, that’s the best thing about this whole mindful eating thing.
Another thing I’ve noticed about snacks is that I don’t actually need them, it’s more a habit than anything. If I have a packet of crisps tonight when I get home, I’ll want one tomorrow when I get home. Yet I can happily go the entire week without crisps just by not having any.
Anne Barrone, of Chic & Slim fame, mentions something like that in her books. Make a bit of a production out of it (in a good way) and you’ll feel more special and eat less.
I don’t always remember to do it myself, but acknowledge that it is a great idea & a good plan.
Btw, does the no-food-whilst-cooking thing apply to tasting-for-quality as well? Or just snacking?
Hi Birdie, good to see you here. ^__^
I can taste the food for quality, but before I do, I say “I’m tasting the food to see what it needs” to make sure that’s exactly what I’m doing.
I’m kind of a “see how it comes out” cook anyway, I don’t often taste the food while cooking. XD Should probably do that more often!
{ 1 trackback }