Smaller portions

The whole purpose of eating all those yummy things our husbands wish we weren't eating (ok... you've got me... your husbands may not be bothered... or maybe they're worse. Really it's just my husband, and my mother-in-law's husband [aka my father-in-law]... he cares too. You know what they say about the apple right? And it's tree? Never mind.) Where was I??? Ah yes... the purpose of eating all those yummy, but not good for us things. The whole purpose is the yumminess, right? We want chocolate because it tastes good. We love cookies because they taste good. Food made with real butter (and a lot of it) is consumed because of the flavor, right?

So why is it that we feel the need to scarf down 12 cookies in one sitting... eh, afternoon (My Beloved, if you are reading this, let's just say this is hypothetical. **smile smile**) In reality, I don't know that I ate 12... that's just a little ridiculous. It could have been more or it could have been less. Let's not focus on the number, okay? My point isn't the number. What is my point? Oh yeah... my point. My point is that if we are eating something because of the flavor, and not because we actually have as our goal feeling very sick, why do we just shove food in our mouths. Should we not, instead, take small bites and truly savor said deliciousness?

I think often times I'm not paying attention. I have a craving, or other desire for (running with the cookie example) a cookie, but I don't really pay attention while I'm eating it. Therefore I need another one a minute later for the same reason or simply eat multiple cookies without necessarily wanting them just because they are there. If I were to take the time, perhaps take one or two cookies out of the bag, put them on a plate, poor myself a glass of milk and sit down to enjoy the yumminess, maybe then I wouldn't haphazardly and without thought eat an entire batch of cookies before they've even cooled (ok... My Beloved, if you are reading this, that really was hypothetical... I took half with me to the BBQ and the rest went into a bag. **smile smile**)

I wonder if this would work across the board. Perhaps even with things like Skittles or M&Ms. An entire bag (and I'm talking about the little single serving bags here... not that I'm above eating an entire family size bag [um... not that I've done that though]) of M&Ms could last a long time if I simply ate one at a time instead of a handful at a time one after another. I imagine 5 M&Ms would taste just as good eaten slowly as a whole bag eaten in the same amount of time.

Well, old habits die hard, but I *think* I'm going to try it. Some of this is spurred on by my own guilt, some by the knowledge that I'm going to have to teach portion control and the concept of gluttony to my children and I need to be an example of what I teach, and some by a comment My Beloved made the other night upon seeing my bowl of ice cream. "You know," he said, "the ice cream would last longer if you had smaller bowls." Let me tell you, that was way better than, "You know, you would loose weight a lot faster if you wouldn't eat ALL that ice cream." He hasn't ever said that last thing by the way... and I'm so glad... because he would be right about that too. Anyway, back to the ice cream lasting longer. He's SO right. If I were to have 2 normal sized scoops instead of 3 scoops as large as I could make them and still call them scoops, the ice cream would last longer, and I would be smaller. And if I ate those two smaller scoops more slowly (like with a small spoon instead of a shovel), I'd still get to enjoy the flavor just as long (and perhaps I wouldn't get brain freeze quite as often).

So I'm going to try it... at least for a week (it's the baby step concept.) Anyone with me??? Now if only there were yummy things in the house for me to try this with... if only I hadn't eaten them all!

I'm calling this a kitchen tip... since food generally originates in the kitchen. :) For more tips, visit here!

Labels: In the Kitchen, Life Lessons for Mommy

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 11:45 AM