Every day we are faced with temptations. There is no escaping the all-out media blitz on our senses. Everywhere we turn, we are told that the food item being pushed on us is sweet, delicious, crunchy, salty, and basically, something that cannot be missed! We spend an endless amount of time agonizing about whether we should have that morsel that seems SO amazing.
When we do give in and eat the entire cake, jumbo hot dog, bag of chips…insert any other amazing snack name here…, we are so nauseated with ourselves that the whole experience is tainted. Positive feelings of anticipation are swiftly replaced by negative feelings of guilt and remorse. Between these bookends of feelings is THE MOMENT OF DELICIOUSNESS (it sounds WAY cooler if you use a booming movie announcer voice).
The Moment of Deliciousness takes place as you are having those first two bites of that amazing treat . . . before passing it along to your spouse/significant other, friend, homeless person, someone you are trying to make a good impression on, or if push comes to shove, the garbage can. Those two bites allow you enjoy the treat while exercising your self-control. You can appreciate the positive feelings without the guilt that comes from consuming the entire dessert. Savor the two bites slowly, taking notice of flavor and texture, as opposed to wolfing it down as if it is the last time you will eat. Hopefully, you can appreciate being in that moment and then move on to the next moment guilt free.
Too often we get caught up in what we are not allowed to have instead of realizing that moderation and self-control are amazing skills to possess in this fight against overconsumption. The feeling of deprivation and the perception that we are “missing out” can be counterproductive to the habits we are trying to build. Try the two-bite method for a few weeks. When you come across a dessert (or some other snack) that you MUST HAVE, savor the bites and then pass them on. Hopefully you can pass the guilt right along with it. 🙂
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