I'm reading this book called Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat (There's a related website you can check out called Am I Hungry?) And that's why tonight I was able to stop myself in the kitchen in the middle of a sort-of binge.
I simply placed my hand on my abdomen and said, "Am I hungry?"
And I realized that no, I was absolutely not hungry. So I stopped eating.
I was stressed out. Tired. Exhausted after spending almost my entire day with people that I don't know all that well. (I have an acquaintance who is pregnant with twins who have Twin To Twin Transfusion Syndrome and she just had a specialized laser surgery to try to fix the problem with her unborn babies. I spent my day, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. keeping her company and watching her two-year old and one-year old. She's on complete bedrest.)
People wear me out. I am an introvert--not a crazy hermit-type, but spending time with people depletes me.
At 8 p.m., I left her house (with my 7-year old, who'd spent the whole day with me) and drove directly to a small-group gathering that I attend. (About a dozen people, give or take.) I probably shouldn't have gone to that meeting as I was already worn out, but I went. Then, I returned home in time to work my usual three hour shift (from 9 p.m. to midnight).
I totally wanted to rest, to lay down and watch t.v., maybe, or read. But I couldn't, because I had to work at my computer.
But I could eat. And so I did. I'll spare you the details, but I wasn't hungry after the fat-free popcorn--but I was crazed and kept eating.
At least I realized at some point that I was eating because I was wiped out, emotionally and physically.
So, check out that Am I Hungry? website. I think it has some really valuable information presented in a clear and useful way. And then you can ask yourself, "Am I hungry?"
Great Tool! Thanks!
Posted by: SonyK | January 20, 2010 at 01:39 AM
I know exactly what you mean about stopping eating if you're not hungry. We get into bad habits that are not that hard to change if we have the right tools.
Posted by: bettyl | January 22, 2010 at 02:19 AM
I haven't heard of that book before, but I'll check out the link.
It's funny - when my husband is home, I eat dinner and that's it. It's rare for me to even snack.
If he's out of town on a business trip? Forget about it! I never feel satisfied for some reason!
Hang in there! :D
Posted by: Biz | January 23, 2010 at 07:49 AM
I know, for me, be tired can really put me in the eating-just-to-eat mode. At first, making sure I got more rest and down time seemed counter-intuitive to losing weight. (Move, be busy it will help you burn more calories and keep you distracted from food) But when I am well rested mindless eating just isn't as attractive to me. Life just got very busy again for me and so much of my life is up in the air. That makes it very easy for me to not take care of myself and march straight into 'food will fix everything' without my even realizing it. Thanks for the reminder, it will help me stay on track.
Posted by: Somebody's Mother | January 23, 2010 at 10:53 AM
I'm sorry you had such a rough day, but what an awesome accomplishment! :)
Thank you for the book recommendation and link!
Posted by: Chibi Jeebs | January 23, 2010 at 09:29 PM
I find that most of the time I overeat I am not hungry at all - and afterwords I think "why did I eat?" - most of the time we don't know what true hunger feels like
Posted by: laura ludwig | January 24, 2010 at 09:17 PM
It's not really bad to eat what you want to eat... If it's fattening, then eat very little of it just remember not to stop exercising
Posted by: All Women Stalker | February 03, 2010 at 11:04 AM
Listen, do yourself a huge favor and read the book Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat. I was able to download the Audio version of it from my library (free that way), loved it and am getting the book because I want it near for refering to. I thought I was a night-time compulsive eater...or at the very least, an emotional eater, but in 1 short week of applying the pricicples of eating what I want and stopping when my tummy is full, I truely feel I am not. And what freedom, what release I feel. Imagine, after DIETING for lets say about 35 years and gaining weight every year, I feel freed of the dieting syndrome. It's not as easy as you may think to tune into your hunger signals (both empty and full) but once you get on to it, which starts slowly on the first day and increases from there, you will see that you can lose weight AND FEEL GOOD IN THE PROCESS! Please excuse any bad grammar, I am very excited about this, for the first time in my life, I have found that by listening to my body's hunger signal... truely listening... my body weight will adjust to the correct level... naturally. I just have to get out of the way and listen. I don't think you will be disappointed... at least visit the website and read about it. amihungry.com Oh and finally, just so you know, I am not affiliated in any way with this site or book. It's worth a look.
Posted by: Deb | July 12, 2010 at 04:43 AM