Week VII: Time After Time

Last week you divided your portions in half. This week we go one step further, shrinking our portions so that we can graze. Our challenge is to eat a palm-sized portion of food every two hours. For those who start their day around 6:00 AM and finish about 8:00 PM that means eating eight small meals.

The intention here is to experience dieting not only as avoiding certain foods, but also as a commitment to eating at regular intervals so that you don't binge. Our aim is to balance the consumption of food evenly throughout the day, not eat a standard portion-sized meal and then a snack two hours later. You may find yourself deliberately eating when  you're not hungry.

You could execute this challenge with pre-packaged convenience foods, but you know that isn't a proper way to eat. Thus, this week involves a great deal of preparation, and for some of you, a great  many to-go, plastic containers. At restaurant meals, you will be ordering only an appetizer and beverage. Even the side salad will be too large a portion.

Make it Real:
Look at your week in advance. This exercise may not be realistic every day of this week. You can elect to omit certain days  from the challenge. Perhaps three days Monday, Wednesday and Friday, rather than the full five will give you enough of a sense of grazing as an eating lifestyle.

You will have to go shopping for foods that will keep in small containers and you will have to store them somewhere near your person. Most work places do not support such frequent eating breaks. If eating on the job is not possible, you will have to consider where you'll go to eat your mini-meals.

If you can't master the change of schedule the first day you try it, please don't throw up your hands and quit. Modify the challenge and try other food options the next day. Think of this challenge as an experiment rather than a test.

Food for Thought:
Do you eat full meals even though you know you'll be eating again in two hours? Obviously this challenge can take you in the opposite direction from your intended weight loss.

Do you count a bag of chips or an ice cream as one of your meals? Now you KNOW that's ridiculous.

When you forget or get too busy to eat at the two-hour mark, do you double up on the next meal, allowing yourself a full portion because you erred earlier?

Do you see the advanced planning and food preparation as drudgery, or as gaining skills that will contribute to a new and healthy eating habits for years to come?