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I heard a chef on an NPR radio program. (I love NPR!)  He mentioned that he is a religious person whose faith and gratitude make him appreciate good food all the more.  I considered that and decided to do a little informal experiment to see if consciously thinking about and feeling gratitude and appreciation might help me not only enjoy my food more, but eat less.

I suppose if I researched the topic I would find a lot of information about it and my hypothesis would not exactly be original, but I am not a scientist.  I am only an oberver of life, and one who tries to live it as much as I can!

My plan was to set an intention to pay careful attention to everything I ingested over a period of a week, to eat normally, not over-indulge, but not to deprive myself of too much either.

So how did I do?  I didn’t have any particular diet plan.  This past week included a trip to Pennsylvania for my late brother-in-law’s memorial service, and consequently, several restaurant meals while we were away from home. After one of the “away”meals, I even had a dessert sampler, but shared it with two others.  It was delicious.  Being one of three digging into the lemon mousse, the strawberry cheesecake and the tiramisu, one of my absolute favorities, I had some built-in portion control, not wanting to make a pig of myself and take more than my fair share.  I really focused on the taste, the texture, the sensation, and the lingering sweet aftertaste of each spoonful. Frankly, I don’t know that I have enjoyed a dessert this much in a very long time, so it worked for me.

I didn’t discuss my plan with anyone, as I didn’t want it hindered, criticized or interfered with in any way.  I just wanted to pay full attention to everything I consumed, to take a minute or two before eating to really look at my meal, to inhale it, to think about it as a real blessing, and to be grateful for it (even if I prepared it myself).

I did nothing complicated or overly sacrificial.  I lost three pounds, though, with just about no effort. Since it was a busy week of car buying, travel,  and difficult emotions, I didn’t manage to squeeze in even one session at the gym. I plan to keep going with this,but this week will head for the gym at least a few times.

I know (at least) five people who are on weight reduction journeys right now.  Two mentioned that they are going to Weight Watchers.  One is increasing an already pretty intense exercise regimen. One is on a high protein diet, and one has announced her intentions, but hasn’t outlined the specific plan.

Would you be willing to share with me and with blog readers what works best for you? I would love to hear from you, here at Vision Powered Coaching Visitors Center, or on Facebook.

You can find me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/visionpoweredcoaching.