Eat Your Heart Out

What do you do when all you can think about is eating?

It always struck me after the dinner dishes were done. And it still does. Currently, my obsession is those hard, sour dough pretzels. I get up off the couch, walk to the pantry, break off a chunk of a pretzel, sit down and eat it. And five minutes later, I am taking the same walk to the pantry to eat the other part of the pretzel. Seven minutes later, repeat.

The more you try to NOT think about getting up again, the more possessed you become. And before you know it, three hours later you've eaten a yogurt and five pretzels and some cheese and an apple and a piece of Dove and some craisins and a handful of potato chips ...

You know how it goes.

So here are some options for not eating. In the end, you decide NOT to eat and you don't. But that's so much easier said than done.

1. Eat a good meal ... and by good, I mean eat a LOT. But it has to be a LOT of good stuff. I could never have a teaspoon full of roast and potatoes and call it a day. So I opted for a medium-size mixing bowl of lettuce, carrots, cherry tomatoes, red peppers ... whatever raw veg I could fill it up with. And then sprinkle on appropriate portions of chicken, almonds, low-fat cheese. I like to add a few baked chips, too, if it was a taco version. Your belly gets FULL and then you don't want to eat afterward.

2. If you must snack, start with the healthy stuff. Trust me ... when you put a whole head of cauliflower in your gut, you don't want to eat anything else. You get all gassy (gross but true) and eating more is not so appealing. (Warn your spouse.) Or eat protein to get a fell-full-longer effect. Then wait 20 minutes before you eat anything else to let your head catch up with your stomach and know that you really are full.

3. Exercise instead. In the beginning, I worked out at night. Looking back on it now, I know that doing so just kept me busy during a time when I could have been visiting the fridge. Walk, stretch, lift weights, do sit-ups or core strengthening. Even if it's for 15 minutes ... it snaps your head out of the "food, food, food" focus.

4. Drink a big glass of water before you allow yourself the food. Again, fills you up.

5. Leave the house to walk the mall or Shopko. Run errands. Clean the garage. Do something that requires you to get up off your butt and away from the food.

6. Ask your family for encouragement or help. I think I've mentioned it before ... I used to go to bed and my stomach would growl. I'd whine, "I'm hungry!" Jim would say, "No you're not." And it helped me get my head back on straight.

7. Learn the difference between hungry and wanting to eat. When you're used to eating more, it's partly a habit to put hand to mouth. You have to break the habit ... or replace it with a new one. Like blogging!

8. Chew gum. I have learned that I really just like to chew. Gum takes care of that for me. Mentos Watermelon is my favorite.

9. Think about just getting through tonight. Accept that it's going to be a pain in the ass. Really concentrate on the fact that there's nothing in the fridge that will taste as good as having a smaller butt. If you really can't get it out of your head, agree to eat it on Saturday (or whenever) if you still want it. You're not denying yourself forever. Just until you've had some time to think about it.

Before you know it, one day turns into two and three and a week and a month. And little by little, the results show. And that's powerful incentive!

What do you do? Comment on the post and share your recommendations with others.