Its The Holidays: Try this food awareness exercise to learn to prevent overeating
By: Joan Swerdlow-Brandt, MSW
While the holidays bring many wonderful times, we canât deny the challenges of this season for those of us who are working hard to lose weight or maintain our weight loss.
We encounter food, mostly the fattening kind, in our path at every turn, and most of us are stressed by the pressures of planning for holiday celebrations. What a combination for trouble.
At The FACE WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM we know that it is not realistic or helpful to forbid yourself all treats during the holidays. At the same time, we are aware that for many people struggling to lose weight after weight loss surgery or without surgery, it seems that with that first bite of candy we are off and running and eating way too much. We know the goal is to be able to eat a portion of candy that is enjoyable and satisfying, yet does not lead to overeating or binging.
Try this food awareness exercise to learn how to prevent overeating.
Take out a piece of your favorite holiday chocolate candy; the size of a Hershey Kiss is a good amount. Examine it, checking out the color, texture, shape. Outline it with your eyes. Pick it up if you want and look at it from all sides and angles. What sensations, thoughts, and feelings come up as you examine this food? Think about the time in your life when this first became such a pleasurable food. What do you like about chocolate? Where do you gain satisfaction- mouth or stomach? When do you usually eat this food? What do you usually say to yourself when you eat this food? Put the chocolate up to your nose and smell it. Is it an enjoyable smell? Lick it several times and then put a piece of it in your mouth. Let it rest on your tongue with your mouth closed. As the chocolate warms and may begin to melt in your mouth, suck out the flavor and let it slide down your throat. Now check your mouth for an aftertaste. Explore your mouth with your tongue for any lingering sensations.
Close your eyes and reflect on how satisfying just one, slow bite of chocolate can be. It often really doesnât take that much food to experience a high level of satisfaction and enjoyment. During the holidays when chocolate treats and candy are so plentiful, remembering to eat with this kind of awareness can help you prevent overeating.
