Is how you eat as important as what you eat, and other ramblings...

Good and bad news on my workouts this week - good, after today's run I will be over 30 miles for the week for the first time.  Bad, I only did strength training one day.  I need to make that a part of my routine.

I took the day off work yesterday and went to lunch and a movie with my daughter.  As we ate lunch, I observed how the two of us ate.  We both said we were starving before we got there (she hadn't eaten any breakfast, but I had) and when the food arrived, I dove in like it was the last food on earth.  She, on the other hand, ate slowly, and spent just as much time during the meal showing me funny pictures a friend had sent her as she did eating.

She's never had a weight problem, and obviously, I always have.  And it dawned on me, that perhaps my "style" of eating, especially when I feel true hunger (like when I'm counting and limiting my calories), is as much to blame for my weight problems as what I'm actually eating.

I don't know why, but I've always been a quick eater.  I am frequently the first person finished at our family dinner table, in fact, it probably takes my husband and daughter twice as long to finish their meals.

But it's funny, I thought of this at lunchtime, and thought to myself, at dinner tonight, I really need to slow down and eat small bites and savor each one.  Of course, old habits die hard, and our meal last night looked very much like every meal we eat.

I think this is going to be an extremely tough habit to break.  I'm not sure exactly where it comes from.  I know that my breakfast and lunch is often a rushed, hurried meal.  In the morning, I quickly eat a Kashi bar as I'm trying to get everyone ready in the morning, and whatever lunch I scrape together at work is always eaten in a rush, at my desk, while I continue working.  So for those two meals at least, speed is necessity.  

But should it be?

Don't I deserve to take a few minutes from my day to properly eat a meal?  And if I work on these two meals, will dinner with the family be any easier?

I'm going to keep contemplating this and try to make a real effort to slow down.  I'll keep you posted.

Now to get ready for my Saturday morning run!  Have a great weekend!

How many days a week do you strength train?

Are you a fast-eater or a slow-eater?

Do you think it makes a difference?