PWLP: Week Nine - Lesson Four

"Like the butterfly, you know the foods which best compliment your lifestyle as the TRUE YOU." (Pg. 58)

Personal Evaluation

My husband is a very slender person - granted, he is a man. Still, I notice that the way he eats is not at all like the way I eat. My husband eats in a very controlled and slow manner like he is savoring every bite. He chews his food thoroughly and takes time to ponder before going back to get more food after he's finished his first plate. He doesn't heap his plate full of food on the first round, but takes a reasonable amount and builds upon it when he dishes up seconds (and maybe even thirds). My husband rarely (if ever) binge eats and he can usually always turn away a treat if he's full from a previous meal. He does not live 'meal-to-meal' but eats when he's hungry and doesn't stuff himself to the point of feeling sick (very often).

My friend Joana eats very similarly. She orders food from a restaurant and eats what she can, but often leaves a half a plate (if not more) uneaten at the end of our dinner dates. She doesn't shovel food into her mouth, but takes slow controlled mouthfuls. She usually texts or talks in between bites, and takes the time to 'feel full.'

In a similar way, I must also use these same 'rules of thumb' in my own life to train myself not to eat like a crazy monster and really savor my meals so that I can feel full before I've overstuffed myself. For example, taking time to eat my food - putting my fork down between bites, eating with chopsticks instead of traditional silverware, chewing my food thoroughly, etc. Taking a small first portion of food and going back for reasonable seconds if need be. Talking between bites to prolong the meal.