Boredom, evenings, portion control and giving up

Posted on August 6, 2014

I just read a really great blog by Ceri about 'diet' lessons that are working for her and one point was 'KNOW THYSELF' - and while I consider myself relatively smart and reflected, I am not sure I am really facing myself when it comes to my eating and other habits. So let's try and dig into this:

I eat when I am bored: I first wrote down that I am an Emotional Eater as it's a common phrase, but that's actually not true. I don't coneect eating with feeling sad/happy. I eat when I am bored. And unfotunately I am bored a lot. While my job looks demanding from the outset, it actually bores the life out of me for most of the time (heck, I am writing this while at work!!) - so then my mind starts wandering, checks up on my body and gets the message 'eating something will make you feel better and at least, it's something to do, right?'. So I eat something. And it's not always healthy stuff. Chocolate features a lot. Although... since starting this 3 weeks ago, I have only had 2 times where I ate chocolate (in the evening), honestly. And I have not even thought about chocolate that much. So while I would have labelled myself as a sugar-addict before, I seem to be able to live without it quite easily actually. But yes, boredom is the real problem. When I am in meetings all day or consumed by an interesting activity, I don't even think about food. And then I can go without eating for hours and hours without any problem. (When studying abroad in 2002, I had this 5 month period where I was so indulged in life that I dropped at least 12 pounds without even noticing. And that while eating pizza and drinking A LOT of booze!)

LESSON: Avoid daily boredom. Obviously. (I am re-training part time - so the job will hopefully change in the foreseeable future).

Evenings are tough: I am the chef in our household and I LOVE cooking. All kinds of food - from a comforting pie to a more calorie friendly stir-frie. I actually love cooking more than I love eating. And I cook every single evening. We (BF and me) eat somewhere between 7pm and 9pm and then sometimes we even go to the gym or for a run afterwards. But most times we go straight to the couch. And there we sit until one of us gets a craving for sweets or coffee. And then I start fighting with my inner sugar devil. And then I actually start feeling hungry again - even if I know I have had a big enough dinner. And even if I manage to hold off for a while and have 3 cups of peppermint tea, I usually give in - even if it's 5 minutes before bedtime, which is unbelievably STUPID, but:

I can not go to bed with a grumbly stomach: It keeps me awake, makes me nervous and anxious. And I ususally end up getting up and eat something. Anything really. Sometimes I fall asleep, but then I wake up 1-2 hours later and I get the most powerful sugar cravings EVER - I then almost sleepwalk to the kitchen and whatever edible comes into my way ends up in my tummy.

LESSON: Make sure to have healthy snacks at home and actually also eat them!

I am a big portions girl: I can not do the quarter chicken breast and 2 beans and 1 lentil. I need to fill my stomach and I usually need to have something to bite. Soup is great, but it needs to come with something to chew on. And it needs to come in a large bowl.

I give up easily: Whether it's a new hobby, a new 'way of eating', or a painful run. I give up easily. I don't have this competitive streak and this inner voice that tells me to just keep going. I have a lazy fat person inside me who says 'come on - a fit body is not everything'. When it gets tough, I give up. Because I don't like working hard. I say this knowing full well everything I have achieved in my life (and there is a lot), including running 3 half marathons (and I am NOT a natural runner), but I don't ususally work as hard as I can and when something turns out to be hard, I stop doing it after a short initial burst of excitement. And...I think....I am ok with that. I don't believe in pushing myself all the time and I don't need A* results to believe in myself. But that of course stops me from achieving certain things and it makes loosing 10% of my weight harder than it could be. I know I can do it, and once I set my mind to something and decide I will enjoy it (just like that skydive in 2005), it usually works.

LESSON: make loosing weight.... fun? not sure about this one. Does anybody have any other ideas? Probably something about short term goals and rewards....

Comment Now!

Michel Grutter

08/25/2014 5:30AM

Thanks so much for sharing yourself!
I too LOVE to cook. And I must have a big plate of food with lots of color and textures to make me feel mentally satisfied as well as physically satisfied. So this week I have been incorporating even more veggies than before and making sure I drink extra water to keep all that good fiber moving through my system (which, as a bonus, keeps me feeling fuller).
I am also on a kick where I am adding fresh serrano chili, dried chili flakes and grated fresh ginger to my meals. The capsacin in chili's is a metabolism booster and the ginger has anti-inflammatory properties.
My last tip on food today...having a planned after dinner snack also keeps me focused. This weeks favorite has been Cheerios with 2% organic milk. I Think this has also improved my sleep.
When we overcome those inner voices and make a genuine commitment to ourselves, there is nothing (NO THING) that will stop us!

Ceri

08/07/2014 6:06AM

I'm honored you mentioned my blog. That gives me so much energy. I do have a tip for the 'giving up easily'-part, because I struggle with the same: an initial burst of energy, quickly disappated with the first hard hurdle. I'm making a 'Handbook of Healthy Habits book for myself (will blog soon!) so I have something to fall back on if I'm about to give up. Also, I try to find challenges that are just challenge enough, but not too much of a challenge, because I know I'll give up if it's too much.
Anyways, good luck to you, and thanks for the blog-mention, as a Dutchy (and a writer), it's an honour if my English squiggles are considered worth reading.
Will read your future blogs!

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Lynda H.

08/06/2014 5:08AM

Great blog post. Good for you for thinking these things through and trying to learn something from them. I encourage you to pick ONE and set up a small new action to change your behavior. Something you can do each day and create a new habit--our minds often follow our bodies. Good luck!

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