Learning to Eat, Again
I've always been a fast eater, gobbling down as much food as I could as quickly as possible. I think this might actually be a Gerard family trait, or at least that was the joke. "If you didn't eat fast enough at the dinner table, you didn't get any food." HAHAHAHAHA! Very funny, until little Adam was mistaken for an adopted Ethiopian child. My family taught me how to eat fast after that (and yet we are still getting 75 cents a day from some family in LA. My mom tells me not to ask questions).
But this fast eating thing has almost been a point of pride for me. I'd order a footlong sub at Subway and be almost done with it by the time most people were just finishing their 6". This would usually be accompanied by "oohs" and "aahs" from the crowd. Only I'd finish the sub and be so full that I'd have almost no ability to function. If I had a nickle for every time I asked someone to give me a piggy back ride until my food digested, well, I'd probably be able to afford to eat at other restaurants besides Subway.
But these quick eating days are over. I've tried this thing called, "chewing" and it's working wonders. Unlike the old days, I actually make an effort now to fully chew my food before I swallow (man, does this take some concentration). The chewing certainly helps with digestion, but it also slows my meals down. Then, and this part really is a big step forward, I put the food down occassionaly in between bites. I used to go to Chipotle and eat the entire 1.25 pound burrito without it leaving my hands. Now I lift, chew, place on plate and repeat. It's almost like a workout routine, only not even close.
The results have been amazing. The biggest change is that I'm eating less food. Prior to the change, I was stuffing myself with way too much food before my stomach even had a chance to say, "I'M FULL! STOP!" Now, I can feel myself getting full and it feels good to stop eating. I walk away from meals actually being able to walk away. And, from time to time, I even have some extra food that I wrap up and save for later. Keep this one on the down low, but I even think this eating habit change is helping some of my hair on my head grow back in.*
So with positive results to back me up I want to remind you all: EAT SLOWLY AND CHEW YOUR FOOD!
*-that's a lie.
But this fast eating thing has almost been a point of pride for me. I'd order a footlong sub at Subway and be almost done with it by the time most people were just finishing their 6". This would usually be accompanied by "oohs" and "aahs" from the crowd. Only I'd finish the sub and be so full that I'd have almost no ability to function. If I had a nickle for every time I asked someone to give me a piggy back ride until my food digested, well, I'd probably be able to afford to eat at other restaurants besides Subway.
But these quick eating days are over. I've tried this thing called, "chewing" and it's working wonders. Unlike the old days, I actually make an effort now to fully chew my food before I swallow (man, does this take some concentration). The chewing certainly helps with digestion, but it also slows my meals down. Then, and this part really is a big step forward, I put the food down occassionaly in between bites. I used to go to Chipotle and eat the entire 1.25 pound burrito without it leaving my hands. Now I lift, chew, place on plate and repeat. It's almost like a workout routine, only not even close.
The results have been amazing. The biggest change is that I'm eating less food. Prior to the change, I was stuffing myself with way too much food before my stomach even had a chance to say, "I'M FULL! STOP!" Now, I can feel myself getting full and it feels good to stop eating. I walk away from meals actually being able to walk away. And, from time to time, I even have some extra food that I wrap up and save for later. Keep this one on the down low, but I even think this eating habit change is helping some of my hair on my head grow back in.*
So with positive results to back me up I want to remind you all: EAT SLOWLY AND CHEW YOUR FOOD!
*-that's a lie.
