Always Sit Down To Eat

7.9.2015

I have a bad habit; I often eat before I even sit down.

lose-weight-by-sitting-down-sit-down

I acknowledged this during last Christmas holiday when I read about Ayurveda.

(Ayurvedic medicine is considered to be the world’s oldest healthcare system. It originates from India).

I laid on the couch and read Ayurvedic rules for eating:

1. Always sit down to eat.

2. Chew your food properly.

3. When you eat do nothing else.

Oh my, I had eaten several times while standing or walking during that day. And I even hadn’t realize I did so. I just ate without thinking anything at all.

Ouch!

lose-weight-by-sitting-down-chew-your-food

I decided to try those three simple rules for eating.

But it was easier said than done.

I noticed that…

A) More than twice a day, a quarter of my food was already gone before I actually sat down to eat.

B) I was already taking the second bite before even tasting the first one. 

C) I rarely just ate and did nothing else. I often felt this weird, almost compulsive need of doing something else at the same time when I was eating. 

I was shocked! How I, whose biggest love in life after family is food, can eat like that?!?

lose-weight-by-sitting-down-do-nothing-else

OK, this may not be that easy but let’s try again! I said to myself.

I decided that I try to sat down to eat once a day, chew my food properly and do nothing else.

So I closed my laptop, filled my plate, sat down and took a long deep breath before eating anything.

lose-weight-by-sitting-down-use-your-senses

I immediately started to enjoy my food more. I tasted more!

Still I had one problem. I was eating faster than I needed to.

lose-weight-by-sitting-down-remember-nature

The word drishti in yoga means a point of focus for your gaze.

I took the whole view from the window as my focal point so that I was able to relax and eat more peacefully.

(Ayurveda also states that relaxed eating improves your digestion. It kinda makes sense isn’t it?)

lose-weight-by-sitting-down-remember-the-view

My drishti worked! Looking outside the window while eating made me to eat slower.

Nature’s rhythm is naturally peaceful. That’s why nature itself is a great view when we want to calm ourselves down.

With the help of nature I found a way to concentrate on eating better and enjoy it more. And you know what’s the best?

lose-weight-by-sitting-down-dont-hurry

When I’m able to eat more peacefully I feel myself full earlier. And the need for eating stops earlier too!

The first thing what I said to Henri when he came home was:

I’m finally able to lose weight by just sitting down!

family-dinner-table

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