As someone who's been on the anorexia/bulimia hamster wheel, I'd advise not doing this long-term...or not doing it at all if it starts to make you feel nervous or self-conscious. It can become a really dark rabbit hole.
You're absolutely right. I began to realize pretty quickly that this kind of journaling would be bad for my mental health long-term. I ended up enjoying it much more when I thought of it as a writing challenge rather than a dieting plan. But, even so, I don't plan on keeping it up.
Yeah, I think a better way to be more mindful is to just jot down what you're eating and not worry too much about it, if you want to keep a food diary at all. Then after a couple weeks, you could look it over and think, "Okay, where would I like to make changes?"
It definitely slows down the eating process. For that reason alone, I get it. But the open-endedness of asking "because?" just brings out the Marcel Proust-with-a-cookie in me. The reasons why we're eating something tend to be miles deep and decades old... which is why this turned into more of a writing exercise than a true dieting technique.
So witty & self-aware! You have given me something to aspire to (soup as veggie/fish delivery system!), but I suspect I will continue wolfing English chocolate bars for breakfast, followed by a small bowl of exotically salted garbanzo beans. (This is already way too much information.) In other news, I am not an eater of oatmeal but it figures prominently in my mornings when I hear the metallic click of the spoon from my bedroom & know that my husband is eating his oatmeal before it "turns to cement."
Thanks, Ellen!! And chocolate bars for breakfast?!! Now that's impressive. Your husband is 100% correct about the creepy solidifying affect of time on oatmeal, too. If you catch it quickly, though, it tastes alright (some maple syrup helps).
As someone who's been on the anorexia/bulimia hamster wheel, I'd advise not doing this long-term...or not doing it at all if it starts to make you feel nervous or self-conscious. It can become a really dark rabbit hole.
You're absolutely right. I began to realize pretty quickly that this kind of journaling would be bad for my mental health long-term. I ended up enjoying it much more when I thought of it as a writing challenge rather than a dieting plan. But, even so, I don't plan on keeping it up.
Yeah, I think a better way to be more mindful is to just jot down what you're eating and not worry too much about it, if you want to keep a food diary at all. Then after a couple weeks, you could look it over and think, "Okay, where would I like to make changes?"
I have done this before and I think I should try it again.
It definitely slows down the eating process. For that reason alone, I get it. But the open-endedness of asking "because?" just brings out the Marcel Proust-with-a-cookie in me. The reasons why we're eating something tend to be miles deep and decades old... which is why this turned into more of a writing exercise than a true dieting technique.
So witty & self-aware! You have given me something to aspire to (soup as veggie/fish delivery system!), but I suspect I will continue wolfing English chocolate bars for breakfast, followed by a small bowl of exotically salted garbanzo beans. (This is already way too much information.) In other news, I am not an eater of oatmeal but it figures prominently in my mornings when I hear the metallic click of the spoon from my bedroom & know that my husband is eating his oatmeal before it "turns to cement."
Thanks, Ellen!! And chocolate bars for breakfast?!! Now that's impressive. Your husband is 100% correct about the creepy solidifying affect of time on oatmeal, too. If you catch it quickly, though, it tastes alright (some maple syrup helps).
Sadly, his oatmeal remains embellishment-free - except for banana slices.
Wow. I don't think I could handle oatmeal without some kind of added sugar (bananas just aren't enough.)