It’s good to be aware of potential saboteurs in an effort to establish the habit of hara hachi bu. Intention and preparation help a lot in establishing an unfamiliar habit. 

Here is a short, but by no means comprehensive, list of obstacles:

#1 You don’t like what is on your plate:

It may seem counterintuitive, but a lot of overeating occurs when what’s on your plate is not satisfying. Bad food is a major contributor to the “freshman fifteen” weight gain that so many unwitting freshmen experience in their first year of college. The food was so unpleasant the first year in my university dorm that I often compensated my feelings of dissatisfaction with big bowls of the soft-serve ice cream that was available at all times in the mess hall. In fact, a major impetus for my decision to learn to cook was that I wanted to be able to make nourishing and delicious eatables with ease and efficiency.

#2 You don’t leave enough time to eat lunch:

Wolfing down lunch can be a pitfall when you don’t give yourself enough time to rest and digest. The habit of inhaling food first dug its grooves into my brain long ago when I was on a summer teen trip. We would get a shout of “you have 10 minutes to eat lunch before the bus departs!,” so we would rush to shove in as much food as quickly as possible. A bad habit was thus born, and it has taken years to shake off. 

Since deadlines and obligations loom often, it’s easy to fall into the trap of minimizing the importance of a leisurely lunch. I’ve discovered that when I eat in a rush, I tend to eat past the 80% mark. I can’t tell if I’m full until I stand up from the table. By that time, it’s too late, and I’m already uncomfortable. I’m much happier when I simply slow down and spend 20 to 30 minutes eating a relaxed lunch.

#3 Not leaving enough morning time:

One classic crime against wisdom is going to bed too late (still a work in progress for me), then having to rush out the door in the morning. If you find it beneficial to eat before going to work or school in the morning, avoid the temptation of grabbing whatever is around and gobbling it down in a hurry. Even if the meal is something wonderful and nourishing or you’ve taken pains to get it ready the night before—and this bears repeating again and again—snarfing your food confuses the body. To repeat, it takes 20 minutes for your body to register that it has eaten—so if you gobble down your meal, you’re likely to keep on reaching for food. Pay attention. Slow it down.  

When, on occasion, I snarf my breakfast (smoothies are particularly conducive to chugging) I try to sit and relax for the remainder of the 20 minutes to let it sink into the body that I’ve actually eaten enough.  

How are your hara hachi bu habits? Do you have other strategies to help adopt the hara hachi bu philosophy? Let me know in the comments.