As I mentioned, this has been a pretty difficult week at work stress-wise. Yesterday was particularly tough but I made it through and got a garage workout squeezed in after work. I was exhausted by the time I got a chance to sit down and the very last thing I wanted to do was cook dinner. I wanted to faceplant into this…
The old me would have decided to order a pizza and told myself that it was fine. I would only eat two slices… then the pizza would arrive. I’d scarf down two slices, still be hungry since I ate so fast, and eat two more before I was done. Or I’d decide to just go out to dinner and end up eating way more than planned from the stress. I’d overeat, feel stuffed, still feel stressed, and on top of it all then feel peeved at myself for falling off the wagon. No problems resolved in that mess.
Honestly I think a lot of times the underlying behaviors are still there and don’t change. The new me would still do that if the pizza was ordered. What changes is how we react to prevent them from happening in the first place. I still have bad days and still have tons of stress. I used to beat myself up for not being able to eat just two slices of pizza. Over and over. It wasn’t until I learned to do something different that the results changed.
I realize that the problem is not that I can’t resist eating half a pizza. The problem is ordering it in the first place when I’m in a stressed frame of mind. I know that it won’t work out well, so why pretend that it will. Knowing your limitations is half the battle. Not succumbing to them is pretty much the other half. Yesterday I had a few things ready to prevent my old eating disaster from taking place.
I had chicken grilled and sitting in the fridge along with sliced veggies. All I had to do was throw them on a couple of plates and reheat them. Dinner in less than 10 minutes with very little effort. There was no reason to wait 45 minutes for pizza when I could eat in less than 10. I also now enjoy strolling with Thing Two and getting some fresh air and me time while not thinking on a walk. I don’t just sit and watch TV while vegging out.
I want to emphasize that I absolutely think that you should not consider any foods as being off limits. I’m not saying you always have to eat perfectly. I do eat pizza, cake, cupcakes, peanut butter, and anything my heart desires. I’ve just learned to not eat them when I’m in a stressed or emotional state because I won’t eat a reasonable amount. Regardless of what I try to convince myself. I choose to have them when I’m able to fully focus on enjoying them. I don’t eat them in attempt to ease the stress.
It’s also key for me to not keep temptations in the house because I know I won’t resist them in a weak, stressed moment. Laziness goes a long way towards not making bad choices. If it’s not right here, I am much less likely to get in the car and drive somewhere to get them. You don’t always have to change the behavior. Sometimes you just have to head it off at the pass.
Can you relate to doing this? Do you have things that you just can’t keep in the house?
Speak Your Mind