Distracted??

I love my free subscription to Good Housekeeping for two reasons: it's free and Geneen Roth's column. {Besides that, there's lots of other great articles, home tips, and recipes.} An expert on emotional eating, she pens some truly insightful words regarding the "whys" of eating. I usually am still pondering the previous month's topic when my latest issue arrives.

This last one was on eating while distracted. You know, in front of the TV, at the computer desk, while driving, while reading, etc. I'm not sure if eating while trying to calm sibling squabbles or satisfy a fussy toddler, qualifies. The premise was that you think you're getting twice the enjoyment out of your meal, say by eating while watching your favorite movie. Geneen asserts that the premise is false. You're actually only getting half the pleasure from your food that you otherwise would have if you were just focused solely on what is going in your mouth. After giving it some thought, I'd have to agree. Ever notice how when you go to the movies, about 15 minutes into the main attraction your hand hits the bottom of the empty popcorn bucket. You look down. Huh? Who ate all my popcorn? I've even noticed the same thing while eating healthy snacks at my computer desk, which I try to refrain from doing these days. I'm mindlessly blog surfing or purging emails and before I know it, my hand is grasping at an empty plate.

It just makes more sense that to enjoy our food the most & get not only physical but physiological satisfaction from our meals, we shouldn't let our focus be divided. We should savor, enjoy, relish the taste, flavors and textures of our plate, not be improving our multi-tasking skills.This kind of thinking is reminiscent of one of the principles of the book that spurred on my healthy eating journey, French Women Don't Get Fat. I remember reading about how eating should be a ritual: using a real plate {as opposed to paper}, cloth napkins, sitting at the table, enjoying.

Are you guilty of being a distracted eater?

Detour

photo by daCosta1

It's amazing how one tiny piece of new information can nearly derail your whole plan for a healthy lifestyle.

I am pregnant.

I took this new information rather hard. As an emotional wreck, it wasn't that I was turning to unhealthy food for comfort, but rather abandoning the healthy foods that I knew were good for me. My attitude was that of giving up my goal of losing weight and eating healthy. Now that my waistline will only be getting bigger rather than smaller, I felt as if my efforts were in vain. As some time has passed though, {and with the help of my uber great support system}, I have come to realize that my 22 pound weight loss should not be something to just toss aside and has not been all for naught.

The encouraging news is that since I stopped counting POINTS 5 weeks ago {I am 9 weeks along}, I have not gained a single pound. I am starting this pregnancy 22 pounds lighter than I would have, had I not begun a journey towards a healthier life. I have new-found knowledge about what & how much to feed my body to keep my weight in check and also to look & feel great. I have the confidence that after this pregnancy is over, I know that I can {and will!} lose the baby weight that I will have gained. I hope to make this my healthiest pregnancy ever, as I have *always* gained much more weight than I should have.

For me, overall health means so much more than just the shape of my body. There is also emotional, mental, and spiritual health that should be considered as part of my whole. At first, I had begun to think of this pregnancy as a roadblock on my highway towards better health. A roadblock means you can't proceed. Halt. Stop. I am accepting that this is just a detour. I might not be able to stay on the same road I was on before, but my trip continues nonetheless, just with some slightly different scenery than I expected.

So this will now be considered Chronicles of an {Almost} Healthy Foodie: The Pregnancy Edition.

Still sharing my thoughts about being a healthier me, more great food tips, and hopefully encouragement as you continue on towards your destination. I'm just taking the scenic route.