This is picture of one serving of food from my new cooking video,
Mini Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes
which is located at DietHobby, under RECIPES, Sweet Tastes. 

                                       

I use lists to organize my thoughts, my plans, my goals, and sometimes even my feelings.

When I feel overwhelmed by the way Life is unfolding around me, and the things
it seems like I have to do in response to that, just making a list seems to make me feel better.

In fact, sometimes making a list can take enough of the pressure off,
that I actually don't have to do anything else at all.

I've noticed that this seems to hold true for a lot of people who feel a need to diet.
For some, choosing a diet, buying a book, marking a starting weight,
seems to relive the inner pressure to diet enough,
that they actually don't have to work to FOLLOW that diet.
Their decision to diet seems to allow them to continue with their current eating behavior.

Just an observation. 

Easter brings to mind a variety of things,

all of which involve the idea of new beginnings.

  Spring is dressing up my yard with flowers, 

and the sound of birds are mixing with the wind chimes 

Doves are nesting in a few of the eves of my patio roof.

A new outlook is what Easter symbolizes. 

Colored eggs, easter baskets, new clothing

are all tokens of celebration of life opening up

to fresh and new ideas. 

It's a good  time to refresh my mind, 

and realign my goals.

So I will.  

Mindful eating is maintaining awareness while eating.

Some examples of this are:

• Being fully present and in the moment while eating.
  
  
• Noticing what and how much we are eating,
  at the time we are eating it.
  
  
• Tasting and savoring food, focusing on the senses.
  
  
• Noticing what's going on with our bodies, while we are eating,
  paying attention to whether or not we are physically hungry.

Mindless eating is consuming food without awareness.

Some examples of this are:

• Trance-lke eating, which is eating while absorbed in another activity.
  Like when zoned out in front of the TV, or while reading a book,
  or while surfing the internet, or chatting with friends etc.
  This sometimes involves standing in front of the refrigerator
  with the door open, not really knowing what we're looking for.
  
  
• Munching while distracted like driving the car or doing work at our desks.
  
  
• Eating when we aren't really hungry.
  
  
• Eating in repetitive or habitual ways,
  like at the same times every day no matter what;
  or snacking during a favorite TV show, no matter what.
  
  
• Grazing on food, or picking at food.
  
  
• Using food to comfort or soothe ourselves
  when we are stressed, bored, or anxious.
  
  
• Eating portions that are too large for our individual bodies.
  
  
• Eating without really tasting food.

Most of us know we shouldn't do this, and we usually intend to avoid it,
but still we find ourselves sometimes engaging in that behavior.
Some of this compulsion is from our automatic habits and unconscious behaviors.

Eating is such a routine task that it can be done with little or no thought or effort.
When mindless eating only happens occasionally, it might not be a problem,
but when we eat mindlessly on a daily basis,
the weight can begin to pile on.