Hmmmm

I had a thought....perhaps not profound but important for helping me understand why I am fat.
"The obesity epidemic" (hate that phrase, by the way) is always referred to in the literature as "multifactorial" but really most people-professionals included-think of it as the result of overeating. I recently had an "argument" on a list serv with another dietitian about this topic. I don't see how we are going to "cure" the "epidemic" until we better understand the causes. Why are we eating the way we eat and how many different ways of eating contribute?
For me, it isn't WHAT I eat but HOW I eat it. I eat too fast, too much, too often. One might call that mindless eating. It certainly breaks the intuitive eating rules! When something tastes good or looks like it will taste good, I eat it even if it isn't "time" (meaning, hunger) to eat. The better it tastes, the more I eat. The only way I can eat slowly is to eat with someone who is eating very slowly. If I eat alone, it's way too fast unless I can read while eating. Reading helps me to pace the meal but eating while reading breaks one of the mindful eating codes.
I'm much better at controlling my portions when given more to eat. That's what I've discovered in the last week. When I'm being mindful, as I'm trying to be now, a large portion both slows me down and reminds me to stop when satisfied. Being served a too big portion of food alerts me to what a serving size really is so that I can better control how much I'm going to eat. I seem to recognize "satisfaction" when there's still food left on my plate. Is that counter-intuitive? A small portion only makes me want to take seconds even if I'm satisfied.
Too fast, too much, too often.