Tasteless (178.8)

Part of the problem with eating with distractions--TV, books, computer--is that you usually don't realize when the shift happens from "this tastes good" to "this doesn't taste like anything." 

The first bites are always the best.  "Hunger is the best seasoning" is true (which is why I eat my vegetables first). 

Almost more than anything else, how food tastes--or doesn't taste--in my mouth helps me know if I'm getting close to full.

It takes 20 minutes for the brain to know the stomach is full, right?  If I'm still eating 20 minutes after I started, it's likely that I've started with a salad and then had an appetizer and then dinner and now am on desert.  Meaning---it doesn't take me 20 minutes to eat a "normal" sized meal (without distractions.)

So, how am I supposed to know that I'm full or getting full if there's this time disconnect between my stomach and my brain?

Apparently, I just need to pay attention to my tongue.

Paying attention to my tongue means paying attention to what I'm putting in my mouth, while I'm putting it in my mouth.  Not after my plate is clean.

Even sugary and fatty foods stop tasting good after you've eaten enough.  I don't eat an entire pint of Ben & Jerry's in one sitting because the ice cream tastes delicious from top to bottom (although, yeah, it does taste like liquid love, but that's a problem I'm working on with my therapist, ha).  I eat it because I want to get numb.

But I don't want to live life in the numb lane any more.  That's not living.

"Enough is as good as a feast," Mary Poppins says.  I say that to my kids a lot.  I'm saying it to myself more and more. 

And when a bite of food is nearly tasteless, I take one more bite to confirm I've had enough.  And call it a feast.

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Today was my first workout since last Friday.  The morning gym time, resulting in my getting to the office at 11 or noon--was wearing thin on my boss/husband.  So we are finding a middle ground, hopefully.  If I take the 8 am classes, then I can get here by 10.  If I do that a couple times a week, it should work fine. 

I didn't get to the kick boxing class this morning until 8:30, but I got in a solid 15 minutes of cardio and 5 minutes of core and 5 minutes of stretching, then I did 20 minutes on the indoor track.  I like the track a lot.  It's big--just over 10 laps per mile.  I alternated walking a lap with running a lap.  Running is already easier with the weight I've taken off, and I presume I'm building some muscles and endurance somewhere inside my body.

I got a new pair of shoes for the classes (ordered online from Sierra Trading Post for $55, which is a good deal), that are volleyball cross trainers.  Lots more cushion in the forefoot.  I could tell a huge difference even in the shortened class.  I don't think I could do much more than a mile or so in them walking or running, though.  My forefoot was starting to rub uncomfortably after my last lap, which I sprinted (I like to finish fast...makes me feel like I've given my all).  My running shoes are still in great shape, since they've not been used much yet.  Planning on wearing them out over the next few months.