Why not live as if you deserve all the pleasure-at and away from the table ?

Have you wondered if you allow yourself to savor and {enjoy More} then you would {Eat Less}?

Have you thought of how you hurry through a meal is symbolic of how you hurry in life?

We are part of the culture that celebrates it’s overachievers and pushy high flyers, the culture in which goals, growth and progress are expected to “happen yesterday”, the culture that religiously follows “time is money” dogma. 

We are conditioned to celebrate the grandiosity of multitasking , and our future-focused mentality and need to get there quickly, have become embedded into our culture. I am a recovered "multi-tasker” and just in this moment, I feel the restless voice in me whispering and want me to rush my words as I am writing this , the pressure of having to finish my bi-monthly blog so I can cross it off-my list and declare my productivity. 

I will get deeper into what controls this rush-ness epidemic but I want to take the time now to tie it to our eating habits. Our distinct eating habits mirror the way we carry ourselves and act every day. If you are a Slow Eater, you are the type of person who truly takes time enjoying a meal, If you are a Fast Eater, you are the type of person who gets through a meal as quickly as possible, oftentimes not even taking time to chew the food completely. There are also different types of eaters such as organizers, explorers and many more, but today I want to talk about you the fast eater (including me) and how your tendency to overeat reflect the way you hurry in life.

Food is there but because you’re busy doing other things, you miss it.

You chew, You swallow, but You don’t fully experience and savor the taste of the food, the pleasure of it.

And then, because you missed the best parts, you go back for more and more.

“The less you like food, the more likely it is that you’ll overeat ”
— Women, Food and god author Geneen Roth

Think of all the ways you miss immersing yourself in the pleasure of this exact moment

Think about all the ways you miss the pleasures of food because multitasking or distracting yourself;eating while pretending to do something else); eating while you are reading, watching TV , driving , or standing at the refrigerator door deciding what you want to have;  finishing the kids’ leftovers.

How many times you want to have a piece of this cake but you never really decide to cut yourself a piece of cake. You hesitate to take the piece of cake and put on your plate so you cut and munch a piece of edge of of cake only before long, half of the cake is gone while you were absent to the whole experience of loving very bite of this tasty cake. yes I am guilty too !!

Have you asked why do you rob yourself of all the delight that food brings, by not paying attention to how it tastes and feels? 

Why do you forbid yourself to want more of something when you could have been pleased with less, if only you’d been present for it?

Do you eat for reasons other than hunger?

Think about it for a moment. 

Geneen Roth says in her book "women, food and God “ When you love something, you spend time with it. You pay attention to it. You enjoy it. And although most of us emotional eaters think incessantly about food, we consume meals as if they are stolen pleasures.

Only when you give it to yourself completely, you will give it up .

Not that you need to give up on food but perhaps give up on the idea that food is the enemy? If you learn to surrender to the experience and declare food as the source of :nourishment, pleasure and joy. Rather than seeing food as danger that threats your slim figure , or as a drug to numb or distract yourself from feeling certain feeling, What if there is another way to live with food ?

What if we stop rushing and distracting ourselves for a minute and invite some space in, to fully experience the food on our plate ?

Have you ever noticed how rushing implies a feeling of lack?

A lack of time,

a lack of permission,

even a lack of space within ourselves.

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For so long, I defined myself by my speed and my only passion was about the race. I am still challenged to revert to my old mindset of multi-tasking and rushing.

It is constant work in progress, a choice to bring mindfulness, curiosity and inquiry to the table.

It requires willingness, focus and practice and more practice to extract every ounce of joy and pleasure. Here are some points that might help you pause, get curious and reflect:

1-What’s the rush?

Knowing what is causing us to push alleviates the pressure that comes from rushing. Stop and take a breath. Invite some space in. Acknowledge to yourself, “I know I am rushing right now,” and invite yourself back to the present moment.

 2-Why the rush?

Avoidance

We don’t want to feel our real feelings, or deal with our “stuff”. 

Self-importance of Busyness

We often fear other people’s judgments and when we constantly exhibit a sense of urgency and busy-ness (how many times have you bragged about your busy day ), we feel valuable in the eyes of others.

Habit

 Rushing is our Mojo and we get a rush from rushing. It is so unconscious and addictive.

Worthiness/not enough

We attach our inherent self-worth to achievement, doing and productivity. We feel constant pressure to perform, please and prove ourselves due to perceived parental and societal beliefs. We feel guilty when we slow down. We feel unworthy if we are not doing something. We feel the need to hurry and cram everything in, in order to feel worthy of love.

Fear of missing out /Competition

 We feel that if we slow down, we will run down and everyone will move ahead of us and we will miss the chance of our life.

Comfort zone

It takes energy and intention to slow down and make a conscious effort to be present. It is easier to rush through life and be on auto mode . Rushing allows us to live on the surface , it provides a safe place so we won't go deeper.

False perception

The idea that the grass is greener somewhere else. The future is better than now. 

 

Which one of the above reasons limits you to stop and declare your time, your space,and your experience with food?

I have to say I score 100% on almost all of the above.

What happens if you finally allow to pause and stop rushing and love RIGHT NOW, THIS PRESENT MOMENT, THIS FOOD on your plate?

Imagine what your life would be like if you let yourself eat with passion.

We really don’t overeat because we take everything in, or because we take too much pleasure from food, but because we deprive ourselves from taking enough.

What If you gain total freedom no matter what you weighed, to eat and relish with gusto (love this word) and pleasure. Why not be astonished by the juicy crispy taste of an apple? Why not celebrate the texture of a Pomelo? why let one moment of joy {even one} pass you by?

When pleasure kicks in, overeating stops.

 
ghada khalifeh