Weight Loss Plan Phase 1: Examining Your Situational Experiences with Food
“Knowing is half the battle (I think that’s what someone said once....).”
INTRODUCTION
Complete the "Situational Experiences with Food" questionnaire below. It’s that simple, right? Unfortunately, not. It actually requires quite a bit of reflection. Even armed with the perfect optimal or weight loss diet, your ingrained social or cultural habits will influence you more than you realize. Today’s step may be the most important.
Who’s really in control when eat in different environments? / Photo: Cottonbro
SITUATIONAL EXPERIENCES WITH FOOD
Your intent isn't to eliminate the eating experience from your life. It's to heighten it from day-to-day (not just on special experiences)! To do this, you must examine your relationship with food in various situations over the 1-2 weeks. While you may need to dig into the memory bank to answer a few of these questions, try to use present examples as often as possible (we are examining your current trends and patterns, after all). By the way, you'll notice reoccurring questions in each category (important for comparison).
Restaurant Eating
-What defines an enjoyable social dining experience IN A RESTAURANT with friends and/or family? Any particular elements? Do you typically order meals that you never make at home? Type of setting, food, drink, people, environment, etc.? Be specific when describing different scenarios. My example: I love sharing a dining experience in a new (neighborhood-size) restaurant with 3-4 other people (6 or more gets too cliquish to me). We order 5-10 different dishes and share them while we taste a variety of exquisite big red wines. No dessert is necessary to complete my experience.
-Do you have a typical eating routine that you follow in these experiences? If so, what? E.g., Mama needs her Old Fashioned before the steak, and compound butter hits the table :) (there goes Mama and her Old Fashioneds again!) Sidenote: My great-grandmother (Nani) always drank a Manhatten before dinner with my great-grandfather.
At-Home Dinner Party Eating
-What defines an enjoyable social dining experience AT HOME with friends and/or family? Do you serve appetizers or other dishes you typically don't day-to-day? Any particular elements? Types of setting, food, drink, people, environment, etc.?
-Do you have a typical eating routine that you follow in these experiences? If so, what?
Vacation Eating
-What defines an enjoyable social dining experience ON VACATION with friends and/or family? Any particular elements? Types of setting, food, drink, people, environment, etc.?
-Do you have a typical eating routine that you follow in these experiences? If so, what? My example: If I'm near a body of water, I'll most certainly order fish or seafood for many of my meals.
Day-to-Day Eating
-What defines an enjoyable eating experience DAY-TO-DAY? Any particular elements? Type of setting, food, drink, people, environment, etc.?
-Do you have a typical eating routine that you follow in these experiences? If so, what? What determines the type of experience you create? My example: If my work schedule bleeds into the evening, the prep time for a meal will diminish exponentially.
In-the-Office/At-the-Laptop Eating
-What defines an enjoyable eating experience while working IN-THE-OFFICE or AT-THE-LAPTOP? And, yes, I said enjoyable. What would an enjoyable eating experience look like while professionally multi-tasking? Any particular elements? Type of setting, food, drink, people, environment, etc.?
-Do you have a typical eating routine that you follow in these experiences? If so, what? What determines the type of experience you create? My example: My meals tend to be served in a pyrex dish next to my laptop so that I can mindlessly fork my veggie mix into my mouth. Insert trough joke here.
When-I'm-Stressed/Tired Eating
-What do you tend to grab when you're stressed or tired?
-How do your portions vary when you're stressed or tired?
Eating with Particular People
-Do you tend to eat differently with different people? If so, describe the differences. My example: Ill eat more plant-based options with my friend Craig than with my buddy Jeff. I may consume more alcohol with Stu than I would with Erik.
About the Author: Michael Moody, Wedding Officiant
Michael Moody—author of the self-improvement book Redefine Yourself: The Simple Guide to Happiness and host of “The Elements of Being” podcast—is an ordained minister serving Denver as well as other towns across Colorado. He is a 2023 WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Award winner in both Denver and Chicago (his eighth consecutive year), was named “Best Business of 2024 and 2025” by Three Best Rated, and earned “The Best Wedding Officiant in Commerce City, Colorado for 2024” from Quality Business Awards USA. Since 2012, he has officiated more than 300 weddings.
Specifically, Michael officiates wedding ceremonies in the Denver neighborhoods of LoDo, River North, Washington Park, Cherry Creek, City Park, Central Park, Capitol Hill, Cheesman Park, Park Hill, Highland, Platt Park, Lower Highlands, Sloan Lake as well as the zip codes 80215, 80214, 80204, 80203, 80205, 80207, 80218, 80219, 80222, 80223, 80224, 80246, 80238, 80221, 80022, 80230, 80231, 80202, 80209, 80247, and 80210. Michael also serves as an ordained minister in Boulder, Breckenridge, Frisco, Aspen, Vail, Estes Park, Golden, and more.
If your Denver neighborhood or Colorado town isn’t listed here, no worries! Please contact Michael to propose a wedding ceremony location in a different area!
