Not just in a restaurant. I am trying to lose weight, and one of the more effective strategies is to make myself stop and ask myself if I really want to fix and eat something right now, or if I am thinking about eating for some other reason. It helps that I have gotten rid of most of the ready to eat food in my house and have to take the time to actually fix something, which slows me down enough to ask the question.
Like many people, I have the opposite problem. (Not trying to gain weight exactly, but to keep from becoming weak and sick.) Even readily available ice cream gets put off for hours, and then some more hours. The limiting cached thought in my case seems to be “it’s not worth the effort”. Might be self-fulfilling.
Even ice-cream has to be actually pulled out of the fridge, scooped out of the punnet into a bowl. This may seem like a small hurdle—but it’s obviously enough to keep you from eating.
Instead—try getting a bunch of non-perishable food (eg mixed nuts or dried fruit/trail mix) and leaving it in an open jar somewhere easily accessible (eg on the bench). Every time you walk past it—grab a small handful and nibble on it.
From there, you can progress to a bowl of pre-cut-up fresh fruit or veg (keep a lid on it so it doesn’t gather flies) for a healthier option. (cut it up all at once at the beginning of the week—leave out a day’s worth each morning).
Exercise: Before ordering food in a restaurant, check whether you want the food, or just have a cached belief that you like it.
Not just in a restaurant. I am trying to lose weight, and one of the more effective strategies is to make myself stop and ask myself if I really want to fix and eat something right now, or if I am thinking about eating for some other reason. It helps that I have gotten rid of most of the ready to eat food in my house and have to take the time to actually fix something, which slows me down enough to ask the question.
Failure mode: comfort food. Thinking about eating for non-hunger, non-appetite reasons, but persistent and inducing a real desire for food.
Like many people, I have the opposite problem. (Not trying to gain weight exactly, but to keep from becoming weak and sick.) Even readily available ice cream gets put off for hours, and then some more hours. The limiting cached thought in my case seems to be “it’s not worth the effort”. Might be self-fulfilling.
Even ice-cream has to be actually pulled out of the fridge, scooped out of the punnet into a bowl. This may seem like a small hurdle—but it’s obviously enough to keep you from eating.
Instead—try getting a bunch of non-perishable food (eg mixed nuts or dried fruit/trail mix) and leaving it in an open jar somewhere easily accessible (eg on the bench). Every time you walk past it—grab a small handful and nibble on it.
From there, you can progress to a bowl of pre-cut-up fresh fruit or veg (keep a lid on it so it doesn’t gather flies) for a healthier option. (cut it up all at once at the beginning of the week—leave out a day’s worth each morning).
...and that should get the ball rolling.