Day 1 - Hungry for it

"Be moderate in order to taste the joys of life in abundance" Epicurus

Today I began by eating half of what I would normally eat in a given day. I think I did okay and was pleased that I did keep to it. I usually try to eat a lot of fruit and veggies in a given day, so cutting back on them was a bit odd. The novelty value, plus the fact that I have been eating like a horse over the last week or so, helped me get through.

Eating in moderation has always been a huge challenge for me. I'll be drawing on a few tips that have helped me curb my enthusiasm for food as a toy, a diversion, a playground. Namely, think about whether you have a craving or real hunger (cravings are in the head and usually for something specific). You know hunger as it builds slowly and is not for something specific; you'll take your time to decide what to have even when you are hungry.

I don't like feeling hungry for long, but I do like a bit of hunger as it makes food taste better.

I made a mistake of getting too much food today and I gave some of it, a tuna and egg sandwich, to a guy on the street who needed it. He was one of the people that is pushing a cart along with stuff like newspapers that he is going to sell somewhere. I got a big smile, then - this killed me - he started rooting around in the cart saying 'Yasai jusu ga arimasu yo!' (I've got some veggie juice) Homeless dude was going to repay me. Reciprocity is a big thing in Japanese culture and he wanted to do the right thing. I was touched, but at the time thought he needed it more than me. Maybe I should have just accepted it, but I'd then have to find another person to give the juice onto (I avoid juices). Grrr!

Going back to the tips on how to deal with hunger. One thing is to be grateful for the food we have and the opportunity to make good choices for our health. It is a big deal to be able to choose what to eat.
Eating right is hard for me, but I'm looking forward to learning more about how to eat better.