No Stress Eating Here....Not This Time!

It has been a few weeks since I last posted.  All is still going well with me, but my husband has been through some difficult and somewhat scary medical situations.  He is fine now, well, almost fine. Soon he will be back up to speed and probably even better than before everything went awry.

A medical crisis for my husband meant a huge amount of stress for me.  When I began this style of eating (conscious eating; stopping when I get full), I wondered if I would be able to maintain it during times of crisis, because historically I have been a huge stress eater.  I would eat everything I could to deal with stress and emotion.  The buzz phrase right now is "eating my feelings". Yep. That would be me. So, how would I handle conscious eating when my stress hormones and emotions are through the roof?

Well, good news. I had no problems, well, almost no problems, eating consciously during this time.  I simply ate till I was full then stopped.  The difficult time came between meals, because I would want to nibble even though I wasn't hungry.  I remember one day when I went to the kitchen pantry, opened the door and stood there about to reach for 'nibbling' food.  I had to say to myself in a rather firm mental voice, "Get out of the kitchen. You are not hungry!"  Yep. And it worked. I left the kitchen and didn't return till it was time to prepare the next meal.

This is working for me. Every day. In every way.  I plan to continue.  Till next time, friends, Remember, if you are full, stop eating. Save the left overs for another meal, or throw them in the trash!

Shopping In My Own Closet - A Big Win

It was pure fun.  It had been years since I had even thought about trying on those clothes.  You know which ones.  The ones gathering dust in my closet because they have been too small. Too tight to button, zip, pull up, or pull over.  You might have some of those types of clothes also.  I have called them my "hope so" clothes, but a year ago I began to think of them as my "probably not" clothes.  Now they are my "more than likely" clothes.  Some of them are currently my "hip! hip! hooray! They fit!" clothes.

Trying them on was loads of fun. Especially making trip after trip to the room where my husband was sitting to model yet another outfit that once again fits great and is to be moved into my current wardrobe. 

Yea! Another win that I am enjoying because I have lost.

It All Worked Out Just Fine

So today my husband and I went to an Italian restaurant after church. This restaurant serves absolutely delicious meals. We decided to order a pizza - meat lovers with black olives and mushrooms. Yum.

While we were waiting, our server brought us some soft, warm, to-die-for, garlic bread. Two servings of them. Oh my. I knew if I ate the bread, I would not be hungry for pizza, and I really, really wanted to enjoy eating the pizza.

What to do? What to do? I knew if I took that first bite of the bread, there would no stopping until I had eaten the whole thing. Well, I did it. I took one bite and then another and another. I nibbled till it was gone. Yep. I did.  That first bite.......was at the same time too many and not enough.

When the pizza came, I honestly didn’t know how much I would be able to eat.  It looked and smelled wonderful. I chose the smallest slice of pizza on the tray, and started eating. Oh my, the flavor did not disappoint. It was great. Oh, man. After a few bites, I realized that I was already getting full. I ate about three quarters of my slice and moved my plate to the end of the table.

We asked for a ‘to go’ box, and as soon as my husband finished eating, we put the left over pizza in it. Enough pizza for at least two meals.

Yeah! Victory! I ate my bread and some pizza too, without the guilt feelings of overeating.

Just Throw It Away

I was raised with the 'starving children in China'.  Can anyone else relate? Were you made to feel ashamed if you didn't eat everything on your plate? Oh my. If you didn't "clean your plate", then your leftovers will have to be tossed into the trashcan, thereby, causing some child in China to be denied food. Yes. That was me. My wonderful well meaning grandfather that I love dearly was the one who guilted me into eating and eating until my plate was empty and my stomach was too full.

It's understandable, and I don't fault him for it at all. He was a raised in a very poor household, and he was a young father during the depression, trying to care for a wife and small child.  Wasting food, or anything for that matter was considered sinful.  He managed to bestow that same value (for better or worse) on his oldest granddaughter (me).

Therefore, when I go to a restaurant, because I know that I will not be able to eat all of the food I order, I tend to order only things that I can easily carry home to save for later.  For example, I don't order sandwiches because I know that if I have to take part of it home for a later meal, the bread on a sandwich will get soggy. Yuck.

What naturally thin people know is that the starving children in China are not nourished by our leftovers, and throwing away food is not a sin.  They can just do it and attach no emotion whatsoever. They Just Throw It Away.

Those Restaurants.......

So my son and I had a conversation a few days ago about ‘conscious eating’ as a way to loose weight. This style of eating has helped me lose more than thirty pounds. I’m more than pleased with these results, and will never (yes, I know that ‘never’ is a word you should never use, but I’m using it because I feel strongly about this) eat impulsively again.

Back to the conversation.......He mentioned those restaurants. You know, the ones that bring you chips and salsa or a mini loaf of bread and butter, or mouth watering garlic cheese rolls before your meal. You’ve already ordered your meal, and then they immediately bring you something that’s sure to destroy whatever good intentions you had of eating only till you’re full. It’s not at all fair.

My husband and I were at one of those restaurants last week. We were celebrating my birthday. I could have splurged, because, you know, we were celebrating. But I chose not to.  When they brought that freshly baked loaf and butter to our table, I chose to only eat a tiny slice, and then wait for my meal, because I wanted to enjoy my steak and baked potato, which was more important to me than filling up on bread. I was happy with my choice. That steak was great.

Anyway, back to the topic. Choices have to be made. Priorities must be decided and set. We can’t eat it all, and then expect to look like one of those naturally slender people.  Most of the time they don’t eat it all either. How does a thin person handle this kind of situation? Most likely they will eat a few chips or a small amount of bread, to save room for their meal.

But but but what if those garlicy, cheesey rolls just keep ‘calling your name’ while you’re waiting for your food, and you can’t, can’t stop eating them? You know what? If that happens, it’s ok! If you eat too many of those ‘to die for’ rolls, and you’re not hungry when the meal arrives, it’s ok! Just ask for a carry out box and know that your meal will taste great later!

It’s all ok! This is all about enjoying the food that we want, but doing so in a way that will help us become one of those ‘naturally thin’ people.

30 Pounds! 30 Pounds! I’ve Lost 30 Pounds!

Yes! Yes! Yes!!! It does feel good to know that my efforts at every meal are paying off. To see the number on the scales go down slowly, but steadily, is very rewarding. I seem to be losing about five pounds a month. Yes, that is a slow rate compared to many other diets, but I’m fine with it. My body has a chance to adjust to the changes that are a result of being a smaller (ok, less heavy) weight. My blood pressure is gradually getting better, my diabetes is more controlled, and my knees don’t hurt as much, to name just a few of the changes. A rapid weight loss would not allow for those gradual adjustments.

Anyway, I’m happy. Very happy.

Big plate vs. Small Plate

I have read many articles/books over the years on the topic of weight loss. Some were technical, almost scientific in the presentation of its information. Others were more relaxed and informal in style and syntax. Most contained, in addition to whatever diet plan it was sharing, tips, hacks, if you will, about how to make dieting seem easier.

One of the tips/hacks often mentioned is to use small plates and bowls when eating. Smaller dishes give the impression that the portions of food on them appear larger than they would on larger dishes. That way you will believe that you’re eating more food than you actually are.

And that is fine unless you are at a church dinner, for example, where only large plates are available. If you are not supplying your own small dishes, then you are staring at a large plate with a small amount of food on it.

I have though about this dilemma several times and come to this conclusion. I will always use regular sizes, not small, plates and bowls for my personal dining on a daily basis. There is no point in coddling/deceiving myself into thinking that I have larger portions on my plate than I do.   I have gotten used to looking at small portions on a regular sized plate and in a regular sized bowl, and it no longer bothers me. I can finish my ‘tiny’ portions, and if I’m full, then my meal is over.

I encourage each of us, to be strong.  Look at things as they are. It is not necessary to make ourselves feel better by looking at small dishes with small portions on them. Come on. We can handle this. Let’s just do it.