Tranquility Workshops Blog

Didn’t anyone notice I was missing?  The whole thing was such a blur…….it happened so fast!

Here’s my account of the event:

I had been happily enjoying eating vegan foods at home, but I was finding that going out to eat at restaurants was becoming challenging for me.

A week ago,  we went out for lunch at the Olive Garden, to use a gift certificate that we had.  I enjoyed some fried zucchini as an appetizer, and then ordered the soup (minestrone), salad and breadsticks.  All of it was satisfying and delicious, but  I will admit that I was craving a taste of my husbands lasagna.    It looked and smelled so good!  My friend, Joy, tells me that she has a great veggie lasagna recipe, so I’ll be getting that from her soon.  

The following day, I accompanied my family to a favorite “clam-shack” eatery, and the began offerings there were sparse.  I snacked on french fries and cole slaw, and it was fortunate that I had a late breakfast and wasn’t all that hungry.  The seafood platter sure looked delicious to me, though!

I started becoming aware of feeling that going out to eat was not so exciting anymore, and little did I know at that time, that those feelings were the beginning of letting my guard down.

Last Saturday, I began having cravings, dwelling on thoughts about eating foods that I haven’t had in a long time.  My mind was preoccupied with how good those things would taste (in the future),  and I’m sure it was at that time that I entered the realm of being “mindless” about eating.  When my husband suggested Chinese food, I succumbed without a fight.  It all smelled and tasted so good, and I felt actual feelings of happiness as I was eating it.   I paid no attention to portion size,  and gave no consideration to the health detriments of eating this type of food. 

As soon as I was done eating, I became aware that the happy feelings were diminishing, and I started having thoughts like:
“I ate too much.”
“I feel sick from eating all that grease.”
“What an unhealthy meal that was.”
“I wish I made a better choice……now I’m going to gain the weight I just lost.”

The happiness had turned to regret about my actions and disgust about the unhealthy foods I chose to put inside my body.  My attempt at trying to “feel better” by eating “comfort foods” had backfired……as it always does!  This is mindless eating at it’s best. 

How often do you eat something, only to say to yourself, “Why did I do that?”.  We do it because we allow ourselves to become abducted by enticing thoughts about how good something is going to taste, and how happy we’ll be after we eat it. 

Start paying attention to how you feel physically and emotionally after you indulge in some of your favorite foods.  If you’re not having positive thoughts about what you chose or how much you ate, you may want to start becoming mindful about your thoughts, decisions and feelings prior to eating.

I escaped from this recent pitfall before too much harm was done, although I did suffer a slight weight gain. Phew!!!!  Now I’m back on track with mindful eating  for my health and well-being.  Today is day 26 of my Mindful Eating Adventure, and I’m fully on guard.....watching for thoughts of unhealthy food cravings lurking about.