Lunch: peanut butter sandwich and an oatmeal-raisin granola bar
Afternoon Snack: medium popcorn at the theater
Dinner: Just Enough smaller portion of sweet and sour chicken with broccoli and jasmine rice (left a quarter of that on the plate for better or worse) from Mimi's Cafe with a piece of some kind of nut bread and a buttered half-roll
Liquid Refreshment: 5 glasses of water and a large Coke Zero at the theater
I've pre-packed sandwiches and salads for the week so hopefully that will help me get back on the wagon.
Also, just out of curiosity, how do you feel hunger? I've gotten close to a sugar crash before, and I know that feeling. But I haven't been close to that in a couple of weeks (even with my somehow-lower blood sugar levels), even though I've been eating often less than 2000 calories a day. I want food, but it's a mouth urge, nothing about emptiness or from the stomach, and isn't much different just after I've pigged out. Anything to contribute to this understanding?
Some smokers I have heard relate to an oral fixation which compounds with the nicotine addiction. I figure food (which we're all addicted to in some form) also works that way. Sometimes I just want to taste something or experience the texture, even though I am not at all hungry. Hunger for me feels like something collapsing just below my ribcage. By the time my stomach actually "growls" I am beyond hungry...
ReplyDeleteI usually feel it in my brain before I feel it in my stomach. I have less patience, it gets harder to concentrate, and I start feeling tired - Scott would say I start acting slightly drunk :) - and that's when I know I need to eat something NOW.
ReplyDeleteSchedule light snacks throughout the day and you not only never really "feel" hungry, it will also help keep your blood sugar from crashing periodically during the day. At least that is what works for me.
ReplyDeleteI try to snack about every three hours or so during the day. This usually results in me eating lighter meals as well, since my overall caloric intake is increased with the snacks factored in.
Your mileage may vary.
Also, it helps to have the snacks pre-measured out. I used to try to measure everything out using a food scale and the serving "suggestions" as a guideline, but that became a pain.
What ended up working for me was buying the smallest Rubbermaid containers I could find at HEB (they have a "0" size on the bottom). I use those to measure out servings of things like almonds, chips, fig newtons, dried fruit, etc. Other snacks, such as rice cakes, are just thrown in a zip-top baggie... but I avoid those overall because it is easy (and tempting) to throw more than a serving's share in one.
This is also why I love the Rubbermaid containers, as they make it hard to eat more than your share if you are limited to the volume of the container. Plus, they are easy to carry and wash.
To get into the habit, I was anal enough to set myself reminders in Google Calendar (or Outlook, if that's how you roll). After a while, the habit stuck and I ditched the reminders.
Granted, I don't always hit the mark (and on those days I get really grumpy--"HULK SMASH!!!"--and definitely feel the hungry), but it works out on balance.
Crunching on carrots or celery might help but the big picture of what is causing this is re-training your brain. It hasn't really had to recognize what you are doing for a while. It will take a while to teach your brain what you should be feeling and how to react. It will happen.
ReplyDeleteWhat did the nutritionist say?
No chance to see a nutritionist yet.
ReplyDelete