Focus on the Meal, Not Facebook

It's new year's day, and the day a lot of people will be looking for ways to follow their resolution to lose weight. If you watch 30 minutes of TV, you'll see that this is the Happy Holiday season for all the weight-loss programs and the diet food and exercise companies. My dad's article this week (he publishes editorials in several Iowa newspapers) was about resolutions, and he said that most people give up on them within four-six weeks. I hope you, my friends, will not be in that category!

One way to keep on track with that resolution to being healthy is through conscious eating.  This morning there was a great post on NPR about the issues surrounding dieting that aren't simply caloric. Of course, the baseline issue with weight and weight loss is the ratio of calories consumed to calories spent.  But, this article shows there's more to it than that, and I think it's the "more to it" that so often derails us. It's the stuff we don't think about that keeps us from success.

The article says the external distractions are an important component in our lack of success. Basically, it's the eating we do when there are too many other stimuli, when we're thinking about too many other things. Given our fast-paced, multi-tasking lives, how often do we actually think primarily about our food while we're eating?  For me, being single, I usually eat in front of the computer or the television at night and at my desk for lunch. I'm playing computer games or reading my Facebook feed or the news. The last thing I'm thinking about is my meal. And then suddenly it's all gone and I realize I haven't really enjoyed any of it, so I'm tempted to go get something else that I'll taste and enjoy...which means more calories that I don't need. And when I actually do indulge this idea (which I usually don't), I end up doing the same damn thing: eat it while messing around on the computer! So I still don't enjoy the second round!

This is not earth shattering information. I've read before to spend more time thinking about the taste and pleasure in my food's flavor and texture. But I think this might be the biggest hurdle I have yet to conquer, and I'm guessing it is one for you, too. If you're choosing to focus on healthier eating this January, focus on your meal, not just your diet. If we all do this, we'll be that much closer to our goals, right?