The twenty minutes after eating can be a vulnerable time. You may still feel hungry but have had enough to eat. Waiting twenty minutes allows the hormone reaction for feeling satisfied to set in. Allowing for this time frame can be important if you don’t want to get overfull. Here are some ideas to manage that time. Whatever you do, keep a relaxed attitude about it.
Leaving the kitchen may be important for someone that keeps eating because the food tastes good or is going to want to eat food if you see it. If leaving the kitchen is important, then cleanup and putting away food also could be done before sitting down to eat. Cleaning up the food and putting away leftovers make it too easy to finish off the food or your kid’s plates.
Being very strategic about time management can support this time to yourself. Saving something that is exciting for this time you would normally be overeating. A guilty pleasure is a good example of something that you could get excited about switching to.
Of course, if you are still hungry after twenty minutes, go back and get something nutritious to eat. You don’t need to set a timer, just make note of the time and start enjoying your me time. Your hunger will remind you if it comes. Allowing and practicing this process builds self trust. It encourages practicing trusting the body and body rhythms. I believe it is also helpful if you did not have control of how much food you got as a child.
- Clean the Kitchen.
- Leave the Kitchen
- Go and relax in a chair
- Read a book
- Check Social Media
- Create a dream board
- Light a candle
- Plan and prep for the next day
- Skin care
- Do 10 minutes of something you say you never have time for.
- Relaxing smells
- Hero pose
- Pick something indulgent you can look forward to.
- Engage with a loved one face to face or over the phone.
- Help your kids with homework.
- My personal favorite: Doing nothing but paying attention to relaxed breathing. This is something I crave after eating. Also, relaxed position, short walk, or legs up a wall yoga pose.
Ayurveda encourages eating to leave one quarter of the stomach empty to help with churning the digestive juices, taking 100 steps after a meal, and laying on your left side ten minutes to improve digestion.
*Consult your Doctor or a Registered Dietitian. These are simply tips that have helped me to slow down during and after a meal.