Last night after teaching yoga I got home and was not hungry at all, but heard myself saying things like, "Well, today is messed up anyways, so you might as well just eat and then tomorrow you can really start this diet." It's like I always have the idea of a diet in my back pocket, just in case...
Anyways, just thought I'd share because writing helps bring awareness to the thought patterns that I know may always be present, but that I want to learn to not act on. I took some time last night to look over the Overeaters Anonymous and Food Addicts Anonymous websites, and they both really stress the importance of a meal plan, which is something I know I need. I'm doing great with not eating trigger foods and watching my thoughts and feelings, but my eating still feels all over the place and a bit chaotic, and I still overeat quite a bit. OA doesn't suggest a specific meal plan, just that you find something that works for you and follow it. FAA does have a specific one, and it's very strict; take a look here. What I've decided is that I'm going to create my own, but look to the FAA plan for guidance. Also, there is no way I can do 3 meals a day - my schedule is way too nuts for that - so I'm going to look at my schedule for the next day every night and decide then how many times I'll be eating. I'm excited to see how this goes!
Something else: I'm kind of amazed at how even though I've eliminated a lot of trigger foods, I can still emotionally eat with healthy foods (dried fruit & cashew butter outta the jar is the new chocolate). Getting rid of the foods that make me feel crappy didn't totally solve the problem, like I was really hoping it would. That's why this meal plan seems like the next step.
Do you have a meal plan or a way of eating that really works for you? Please share!
A general rule that works for me (and I hear this advice everywhere, so it might not be anything new) is to have 5 smaller meals per day. It was kind of a pain in the ass at first--I eat less than other people do at lunch and I have to make extra time/remember to wolf something down mid-morning and afternoon. But the benefit is clear: when you eat before you get hungry, you are not being driven by hunger. It's much easier to make healthier choices then.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about eating before I'm hungry (because it's really important for me personally to eat when I'm hungry and not eat when I'm not), but I do like the 5-6 smaller meals thing! The mid-morning breakfast thing really helps me to then eat a later lunch and save room for dinner. Thanks, dude! :)
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