Hungry Hungry Hippo Me

Rule your mind or it will rule you. - Horace


I love food.  I mean, I REALLY love food.  The only thing I've come across that I don't care for is Brussels sprouts.  And even then, I once had them caramelized at a nice Italian restaurant and my opinion changed somewhat.

I love chocolate, cheese, bread, ice cream, potato chips, hamburgers, homemade mac and cheese, anything with a good white or red sauce, pizza, fried whatever, and even chicken livers.  (Hopefully I didn't lose any followers at that admission.)  Knowing that not one of things is in my (or my jeans) best interest, I abstain and indulge in a chocolate here there, maybe one pizza night every few weeks, and the occasional bite off my husband's plate because he can eat 15 cheeseburgers with cheese fries and wash it down with a 48 ounce milkshake and lose a pound.  Frustrating is not even the word that describes this phenomenon.

Anyway, like I said.  I know the "bad" foods and stay away from them for the most part.  So then, you ask, what seems to be the problem??

I EAT TOO MUCH OF EVERYTHING ELSE!!!!!!

I went through a spell where I completely forgot that portion size DOES matter and that even though if I only eat 1 serving of  Oreos a day, after 10 days I've eaten 30 of those little cookies and have ingested 1600 calories, 70 grams of fat (20 of which is saturated) and 140 grams of sugar.  Ritz crackers were another source of several summertime calories.  Serving size of Ritz crackers: 5 crackers.  Are you kidding me???  I can fit about 15 in my hand!!!  Didn't someone say that your hand is a serving???  Oh - maybe that was a serving of lean protein.  Anyway, I could finish a sleeve of Ritz crackers in about a day and a half.  I really didn't mean to.  I'd just walk by the pantry, feel that familiar little tingle in my belly, reach in, grab a handful of crackers, and not even think about what I was doing.

And yes, usually, that little tingle in my belly was nothing even remotely close to hunger. It was a feeling of, "MMMMM...... We have Ritz crackers and they're not coated with chocolate so that means they have absolutely no calories and they're even whole wheat so I'm actually eating something that my body needs."

I'm so good at validating myself.

Another problem I have (which I am correcting) is that I have forgotten how to eat.  I've got an almost 3 and and almost 4 year old.  Time is a luxury more precious than diamonds or Aston Martins in this house.  Back in my glory days, I would take a bite, PUT THE FORK/SPOON DOWN, chew my food, take a sip of water, BREATHE, take another bite, and repeat the process.  My belly would get full and because I was eating slowly, I could actually stop before I stuffed myself.  I would take my last bite, turn the fork over on my plate and be done.  After I turned my fork over, I wouldn't touch it again.

However, after 2 kids, I would eat in the kitchen sometimes making their food (and taking bites of it just to make sure it was cool enough - wink, wink), then I'd sit down with hubby and frantically eat everything on my plate and whatever was left on their plates (because there are starving children somewhere but I just realized that yes, even though there are starving children out there, me stuffing myself is not going to help them at all anyway) and then sometimes get more food for me because my brain had not registered that I was full and to please stop eating before my stomach got so enlarged that waistband of my pants completely cut into my flesh.

I am putting down my fork now in between bites.  But sometimes I so have to temperature check the kids' food - especially if they are having chicken nuggets or pizza, anything else I'm sure is cool enough.  I have banned Oreos and Ritz crackers from my pantry - that is until I get myself back under control.  I start with the veggies on my plate then I work to the more calorie-dense food.  I use a smaller plate like kids do.  Hubby is the only one in the house that eats from the dinner plates.  Not me.  Not anymore.  But most important, I make myself identify first if that tingle in my belly is hunger or habit.

I found some great advice from Joy Bauer.  This is a wonderful article:

Emotional eating is when you eat in response to feelings rather than hunger, usually as a way to suppress or relieve negative emotions.  Stress, anxiety, sadness, boredom, anger, loneliness, relationship problems and poor self-esteem can all trigger emotional eating.  When emotions determine your eating habits rather than your stomach, it can quickly lead to overeating, weight gain and guilt.

If you find yourself regularly eating in response to emotions, try to break the habit with some of my strategies below.
Learn to recognize your hunger Before you automatically pop something into your mouth.  Rate your hunger on a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being ravenous and 5 being full. Make every effort to avoid eating when you’re a 4 or a 5.
Find alternatives to eating Prepare a list of activities that are personally appealing and handy. Perhaps go for a walk, call a friend, listen to nostalgic music (anything that brings you back to a happy time), take a hot shower or bath, clean your house, polish your nails, surf the Internet, schedule outstanding appointments, watch something on TiVo, clean your purse, organize your closet, look through a photo album, etc.
Keep a food journal Logging your food will help to identify your toughest timeframes. It will also make you accountable, so perhaps you’ll be less apt to reach for unnecessary food.
Three-food interference Make the commitment to first eat three specific healthy foods before starting on comfort foods (i.e., an apple, handful of baby carrots and a nonfat yogurt). If after that, you still want to continue with your comfort foods, give yourself permission. However, most of the time, the three foods are enough to stop you from moving on.
Exercise regularly Daily exercise relieves stress and puts you in a positive mindset, which provides greater strength to pass on the unhealthy fare.  
Get enough sleep Research shows that sleep deprivation can increase hunger by decreasing leptin levels, the appetite-regulating hormone that signals fullness. Furthermore, with adequate sleep, you’ll be less tired and have more resolve to fight off the urge to grab foods for comfort.
Joy Bauer is the author of “Food Cures.”  For more information on healthy eating, check out Joy’s Web site at www.joybauernutrition.com