THE DANGER HOUR
(dun-da-duuuuuuun)
I'm really, really good at eating a healthy breakfast, and eating a light but nutritious lunch. I can breeze through the first ten hours of the day like a Model-of-Moderation Robot ®.
But then I get home.
And all of that moderation transforms into "I Need to Hibernate for the Never-ending Winter*!!"
(*irrespective of the actual season)
In other words, I forage. I scour the kitchen and start scarfing down anything quick and easy and enjoyable-- chips, cheese and crackers, jelly toast, cereal, whatever's on hand. I usually don't even bother with plates or sitting at the table. I just stand at the counter scarfing and look for something to scarf next.
I think this habit is an evil marriage of all the reasons I love food-- comfort, celebration, and boredom. If I've had a bad day, I'll pillage the cupboards for comfort. I'm also celebrating having reached the end of the work day.
Then there's the fact that I'm actually, you know, hungry. I definitely need to eat. Just... with control.
The closer I get to bedtime, the easier it gets to resist this scavenging instinct, hence the labeling of the term "Danger Hour" (though it doesn't disappear entirely). But there is a red zone and I need to figure out how to navigate it smartly.
So...
Strategies
(1) Get out of the kitchen.
Out of sight, out of mind. Unless it's actually time to eat supper, just don't go in there at all.
(2) Eat at the table.
When it is supper time, fix everything properly, on a plate, with a place setting, and put away all extra food before sitting down to eat. After eating, see strategy #1 above.
[Last night I actually ate my supper downstairs watching TV and I was fine, so this one might be extraneous, but it's something to keep in my back pocket]
(3) Keep brain (and hands) occupied.
Distractions, distractions, distractions. Hopefully, half the time this will be achieved by means of exercise. However, on off days good choices for distracting myself (and more importantly, making it inconvenient) from overeating are sewing or playing video games. Stuff that uses my hands to where mindless snacking simply is not an option.
My insatiable desire to snack while reading or watching TV is a different (though similar) hurdle, and probably best for the topic of another post.
In other news, Day 1 was a great success!! I feel tired, but a good tired, probably due to a combination of caffeine withdrawal, first time exercising in four weeks, and still trying to play games with my sleep schedule. But I stuck to my meal plan and falling asleep didn't take long.
Further up and further in!
Loving your blog so far, my dear!!
ReplyDeleteOne tip I heard somewhere along in my "get healthy" travels - tape off the kitchen. No seriously - find yourself some 'caution' tape and tape it off when it's not in use. If not the kitchen, then over the fridge. If not tape, then maybe a stop sign over the door or over the fridge or something.
I can't say that I've done this myself, namely because I still live at home, and my father would probably throw a fit if I tried to pull this out. But it's something to consider. He might be more amenable to the stop sign idea, so I might just have to bite the bullet and try it.
And take courage - you're not alone in this. My father does this sort of thing all the time, and it's unfortunately been passed along to me. We call it "a case of the munchies."
You can do this!
Hah! Mom suggested we put a klaxon in the fridge yesterday. ;-)
DeleteHehe!! That'd work too! And probably be more effective, because then the world would know what you're doing. More accountability that way. XD I might have to suggest this one to my folks.
DeleteI've discovered a new trick for this one, too, since I've been pregnant. Once my blood-sugar hits a certain low point, I will quite literally inhale anything I can get my hands on, whether or not it's actually good for me. So what I've been doing is when I just start to feel hungry, I immediately get out some yogurt or cheese or something with protein in it and eat it. (I'm trying to remember to carry protein bars around in my purse, too, for when I'm out.) If I let myself get to the OMG HUUUUUUUUNGRY phase, it's too late, but if I can head it off at the pass, I'm much better at staying out of the kitchen!
ReplyDeleteIndeed. I added a late afternoon fruit to my meal plan for every day and 1-2 bananas for a "pre-workout" snack on the days I'm doing intense cardio. I think it's going to work really well. :-)
Delete