Day 37- I love to eat!

I will admit that I love to eat.  I am married to a classically trained chef so we eat very well. Most of the time we eat a lot of home cooked meals where the stock is made from last weeks bones and old tops of carrots and cuttings of celery. We shop at the farmers market and get the freshest seasonal vegetables and fruits possible.  We will plan our home meals around our busy schedules by making roasted whole chicken or pork butt roast to make several meals out of that piece of meat like tacos, fried rice, odon soup, stir fry and bbq sandwiches. 
When we go out we are adventureous and love trying new foods. A little of this and a little of that makes for a full tummy! Lately, we have gone to new places that have yummy small plates at Japanese Tapas and the Korean Food Court where you have a million things to choose from. We love the people we meet because we will talk it up with the waiter and we love the stories and history behind the food that we eat.  We subscribe to several food magazines and bakery trade magazines that we have laying all around my house. My family's favorite thing to watch on TV together is Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, Cake Boss and Iron Chef. I think about food all the time it is all around me and part of my daily life as you can see. 
We love having company over so we have Sunday dinners with our closest family and friends.  My spouse will make the main dish and our family and friends bring the sides. The main dish is always something special or something that we have always wanted to try- crab fest, seafood stew, fried chicken and waffles, couquin vin, just name a few of our Sunday dinner endeavors.  So for me the love of food and eating have to do with the enjoyment of being part of a community of close friends, neighbors and family. It is what comforts me and makes me feel satisfied.
The problem with this love is that I enjoy eating, drinking and socializing at the same time which leads me to over eat. As Spangle in her book 100 Days of Weight Loss points out- "You don't have to stop loving to eat. Just make sure that you take the time to appreciate the flavors and textures of what you love.  Remember to savor your meals and to pay special attention to the first two bites of any food. Decide whether some of your favorite desserts are truly special or if they are just ordinary, and sometimes you could skip them." So this is where I need to practice slow eating habits and the eating pause. It is all an awareness of my habits and self-discipline.  I just get caught up in the moment and let myself go overboard. My new mantra when eating will be-

"I love to eat with appreciation and awareness!"

Here is the action that helped me-

• Write about why you love to eat
• Write about the action you will take so that you can still love to eat, but change your habits