and more. However (after thinking about it all day, some days) I often don't spend enough time enjoying it. I need to s-l-o-w down.

I am doing better lately. I am trying to really TASTE my food, enjoy each bite, put my fork down between bites...

Anyone else working on slowing down?

hey, you're not alone on that one.

there is no gratification in EATING, the act of EATING for me, it's more of a "Feeding", whereas I think about food, ALL THE TIME.


like, literally, ALL OF THE TIME. constantly. researching, shopping, preparing, planning.

grocery shopping, has become an obscenely long task. i enjoy being in the grocery store. there's constantly a revolving dialogue going on in my head.

but when it actually comes time to eat, it's like "FEEDING TIIIIIMEEE"

=) ha ha

Yeah, I definitely think about food a lot. Especially now that I'm really working hard at a low carb diet, there are certain things that I really love, like pasta. And right now I'm thinking about it every day. I really want that to go away. I really want to have it as a treat now and then, but not obsess over it. I'm not really sure how to do that yet.

Me, too.

One of the coolest things about this process for me has been that I've figured out how to eat healthy food in healthy amounts without sacrificing the great pleasure of food and eating.

I love food. I've always loved food and taken pleasure in eating. And that love is most of what got me fat - not emotional eating, not fast food, not sodas. Just a hearty appetite and a passion for good quality, delicious food.

So yes, I do spend a lot of time thinking about food. I love to browse my cookbooks and think about what recipes to try this weekend, what cuisines to explore, what new ethnic groceries to visit for fun and interesting ingredients. And, I spend a lot of time cooking. I have to! Because if I didn't, I wouldn't have delicious, flavorful, on-plan food available to me all the time. And without that, I could never have lost the amount of weight I've lost.

So, in a way, my love of food has been both the key to my success and an unexpected beneficiary of my success, as I've expanded my cooking repertoire and learned more about how to build complex and delicious flavor into my meals without adding a lot of calories.

the slowing down really works for me as when I started to come in shape - only that helped me to lose 10% of my weight at first month. I wasn't on any diet plan so only slowly eating and accurate chewing did the work.

I'm frustrated by it but I HAVE to think about it. I got huge by NOT thinking about it. Just grab, shove, swallow. Nothing ever satified the craving so I was always grabbing something else, mindlessly.
So, yes, now I'm thinking, planning, shopping, counting and I know from the past that as soon as I think I can just 'swing' it, i'll gain it all back again. So, it will be a way of life. I'm ordering a new cook book from Pampered Chef with healthy recipes so I can use all my cool cooking utensils that used to make me fattening stuff. I've been doing a lot of pre-packaged stuff for myself and cooking "crap" for my family. This diet is different because i've realized I have to change everything, not just for me but for my family too-the way I shop, cook, and even the way I eat. As in, Slower and at the table, not watching TV! Yesterday I had some garlicherb white fish with some creamed spinach. First of all, I HATE anything green. This is the first time I've ever eaten cooked spinach. Well, I enjoyed that meal more than anything I've eaten in a very long time. The flavors blew up in my mouth and I felt so full, all under 300 calories! Mindful eating is a must.

I'm a food lover. And yes, I also used to eat like a rabid mongoose. Growing up, there was always enough food to go around, but there was also competition for the "best" food. We used to weigh pizza so that everyone got a "equal share". And if you didn't eat your <whatever> quickly, someone else might eat it.

Remembering to slow down and taste and enjoy is probably the thing I struggle with most. So I spend my days fantasizing about food. Not all the time, but in those little spaces in between. Right now I'm thinking about enchiladas. My daughter asked if we could eat them again soon, so they're on tonight's menu.

I've mentally changed the protein a few times, and the sauce once, and now I'm tweaking the kinds of chilis I'll put in the sauce, and what kind of cheese to buy. I'll have mentally tasted and altered that dish a dozen times before I'm happy with my plan. Then as I eat, I'll compare the end product with my mental ideal. And I'll kind of tour the plate. "How does this salad contrast with the enchilada? Do I like the dressing? What did I like or not like, how could I make it better?"

That kind of analysis makes me focus on the taste - it slows me down and reminds me to savor and relish my food. I also tend to notice when it stops being about the taste of the food and becomes about the joy of eating. That's when I try to stop.

My parents are down visiting and my dad made the comment I inhale my food and looks like I'd choke. I used to not eat so fast. I think I eat fast now to get away from the table so I don't sit there and graze or have to watch others eat all the fattening stuff I don't eat anymore.
I still think about food a lot, but not near like I used to and I don't think about the same types of food. Used to be I'd think about food the second I woke up...what yummy stuff would I eat that day...did i need to go to the store for fudge topping for the ice cream...did i have enough ice cream...what about chips...junk like that.
My intense craving for sugar and carbs is gone...thank goodness.

Well, just speaking from personal experience, it's when I don't think about food that I run into trouble. I slip up, big time, when I don't put my eating agenda front and center on my mental map. Being super busy is my worst enemy.

I've always loved cooking and entertaining large groups for dinners etc., but I realized that I too would just shovel the food in and not really stop to enjoy it other than that first glorious bite.

I think slowing down, drinking ONLY water with my meals, actually savouring the food is one of the reasons I was successful. Same with treats - I'd shovel in a giant piece of cake but not really notice it -- now I eat a nice cookie or a small piece of dessert and reallllllllly taste it and enjoy it.

I really like thinking about food. I like learning about what is good for me and how to eat healthy. About a month before I started dieting, I became a vegetarian and I really had to start thinking about food. I had to think about what I could eat. The logical next step for me was to start eating healthier and try to loose weight. I think we get into a lot of trouble when we don't think about food and we just eat whatever we want.
My theory is that most people don't think about food. They don't think about where it comes from, what is in it, how it is made, is it sustainable,is it contaminated, what are the health risks, does it exploit people who process/ prepare it, or anything like that. They just look at the price in front of them and not the real cost.
I am also trying to slow down my actual eating and enjoy it more.