We have two dogs - both are high-energy English Setters. Rocco is our 8-year old (on the right in the photo above). He wags his tail a ton, has a mohawk and LOVES walks and hunting. He's also a major pain in the a**. He whines, barks, barks and whines some more to get his way. Don't get me wrong, I love him, but he is high-maintenance.
Our other dog is 9-months old. His name is Jack (on the left). He is super sweet, easy-going and loves to run as fast as he can! He has a naughty side, like when he sleeps on the couch rather than his bed, but he's quiet! The only time he's not is when you're ignoring him when he needs to go out, when there's birds up a tree, or when Rocco has a toy he wants.
As you may have guessed from my description of them so far, they couldn't be more different. That also goes for how they eat!
Rocco is more of an intermittent faster. Some days he'll eat both in the morning and at night. Other days he may just eat one meal. There's days when he'll eat half of his food, and then eat the other half the next day. He also needs some extra coaxing to eat almost every time. He'll bark and bark and run to the garage to eat, but then he just barks and barks once he's out there. This usually happens several times unless we stand right next to him to get him started eating his food. It's not normal.
See what I mean - high-maintenance!
He also eats pretty slowly. He takes a few chunks, chews a few up. One or two may fall out of his mouth, but he doesn't pick those up right away. He'll instead go back to his dish to get another small mouthful. When he's eaten what he wants, he may or may not eat what he's dropped on the floor. He only eats what he needs and is very deliberate.
Jack, on the other hand, would probably eat constantly if you let him. He chows his food down as fast as possible. He doesn't stop for a breath. His food rarely falls on the floor because he doesn't lift his head out of the bowl far enough for it to fall out. If both dogs are eating in the garage at the same time, Jack may or may not finish his own food before going to Rocco's bowl to eat his food. Rocco used to growl at him when he was a little puppy, but ever since Jack has been the same size, Rocco doesn't fight back. He backs away and then barks and barks to let us know that Jack is being a big bully and eating HIS food! Jack is also the clean up crew and will scrounge the floor looking for any of Rocco's dropped morsels. I think I've made the point that Jack is a voracious eater and ALWAYS hungry!
Needless to say, breakfast and dinner with the dogs at our house is a bit of a circus.
So, what kind of eater are you?
Are you slow and deliberate, eating only enough to fill you up and feel satisfied?
Or do you eat fast gobbling everything quickly, going for seconds and cleaning up the leftovers?
I wouldn't say that I eat like Jack, never even lifting my head... although I do have more of his tendencies than I do Rocco's. Do you ever have those days where you can't stop eating? I know I do! I also have some meals where I eat so fast I'm not even sure I tasted it. I'm most certain I didn't take time to really enjoy it. And, like the dogs, I eat standing up quite often, usually at the counter while I'm trying to get something else done.
One of my pet peeves... no pun intended, LOL... is when I take all day to make a meal, and then it takes my family 15 minutes to eat it. Anyone else have that same problem? I guess eating fast runs in the family!
Through my years of health coaching, I've found that people struggle with taking time to sit down at the kitchen table and actually eat a meal intentionally. Even if they are at the table, they may be reading, watching TV or doing something on their phones. But, we get more satisfaction from our meals, and eat less, too, if we sit down, have some conversation, put our forks down between bites, drink some water or other beverage and focus on the flavor of the meal in front of us.
As with all habits, it takes practice to change them. And, in our fast and hurried lives, it's sometimes not even possible. For instance, if your lunch is 30 minutes, and you want to run some errands, you may only have 10-15 minutes to eat. Or, your eating on the run while driving. Not a very relaxing or pleasurable meal! And, I remember the days when I was running with kids and having to get them here and there. It's no wonder we eat a meal in 15 minutes - that is about all of the time we used to have!
So, how do we learn to slow down at meal time? Well, there are some simple things you can do. For example, set your fork down in between bites and take a drink of your beverage before taking another bite. And, remember being told to chew your food 30 times before swallowing? Well, that still stands. It helps with digestion, and you get more nutrients out of your food. It's one of the oldest tricks in the books to get you to slow down. And, if 30 times seems excessive, just try to double the time it currently takes you.
Another suggestion is to try to eliminate distractions - the mindless distractions like TV or social media. I actually like to read when I'm eating by myself. I tend to actually sit and will eat slower, although probably still not paying attention to my meal like I should. And, I'm going to throw in some meal planning here. As you may know, I'm a real advocate for meal planning! If you can make healthy meals that taste amazing, you'll want to savor eat bite. You also may want to gobble it all up quickly! So, if you practice slowing down and chewing your food longer, you'll get to savor each bite longer rather than shoveling in more bites - like Jack!
This is just one more topic that we may discuss in health coaching sessions. I promise I won't talk about my crazy dogs! These sessions are your time and we focus on your needs. Please fill out this application if you feel you'd like to discuss with me your needs for encouragement and support, new strategies or some accountability. You can also check me out more at www.incourage-health.com.
In Courage, my friends! Dani
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