Healthier choices update - 8.19.09
10:23 AM | Author: Misty
I'd love to say I've been able to completely rid myself of unhealthy habits in just over a week, but unfortunately this is not the case. I am, however, extremely proud to report that I'm making some progress. In fact, I really have not tried to rid myself of all my unhealthy habits at once, and I think this is a good start for me.

My intent is to focus on one or two of my unhealthy ways at a time, and this past week, my efforts have revolved around eating healthier portion sizes.

I love good food, so when I get it, I want it -- all of it. Right now. The result is that I often walk (more like waddle) away from the dinner table feeling bloated and unhappy with what I've just done. This is especially true when there's pasta involved.

So I've been re-educating my belly on the difference between being stuffed, being full and being satisfied. Whereas before approximately 5 out of 7 days in a week I'd leave the table stuffed, I think in this past week I've left the table stuffed maybe once. I tend to vary between being full (which I define as having eaten a little too much but not to a point where I feel like I'm going to explode) and being satisfied.

This is a definite improvement, and one I feel good about. Bobby and I went out to O'Charley's the other night for a date. I ordered something I might typically get -- a bowl of soup and a "Pick Two" plate that consisted of a small-ish steak, chicken tenders and onion rings. I also ate rolls, and we ordered fresh cinnamon donuts for dessert.

Normally when I go to O'Charley's, I could make a pretty good run at finishing all of that. I like all those foods. A lot, in fact. But after eating 2 1/2 rolls and polishing off a bowl of loaded potato soup, I managed to eat about half my chicken fingers and onion rings and a bite or two of steak before calling it quits. And I was full at that point. I downed a couple of the little donuts, but we ended up with four of those left over, too.

I can't even fathom how I could eat the portion of the meal that I ended up taking home with me. Yet I know I've done it time and time again. It makes me sort of disappointed in myself, because I'm choosing to value a very temporary, feel-good food taste over my long-term health. It doesn't even make sense!

It's a struggle, but looking at it in these terms makes it a little easier. I can see that I am not meant to eat that amount of food at a single meal. And that in itself is progress.

The next thing I'm planning to turn my attention to is incorporating more fruits and vegetables into my diet. I've really already gotten a start on this by buying and eating more fruits this past week, but it's definitely a small start. My goal with this is to eventually (and hopefully within the next few weeks) be eating at least five servings of fruits and veggies per day.
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2 comments:

On 2:58 PM, August 19, 2009 , Anonymous said...

Oh how easy it is to eat way more than we *need* because of what we *want*! I definitely relate, especially when I'm not really focusing on the actual eating-- it's easy to wolf down large portions without even thinking. Especially when we eat out, there are times I eat so much that I give myself a stomach ache and have to come home and lie on my right side and hope I feel better soon.

One thing I've found that helps when I'm cooking at home, for the two of us, which usually involves recipes that say "serves four" but we could easily eat all in one night is to box up the leftovers as I'm plating the dinner plates. The leftovers get popped into the fridge as we sit down to eat. I also find that I do a lot less mindless eating when we sit at the table rather than in the living room-- something we do more often now that we got rid of cable. If I eat slowly while having a conversation, it's a lot easier to register that I'm full before I get to the point of a stomach ache.

 
On 9:09 PM, August 19, 2009 , Lauren said...

go misty go!! i am having eating issues too...i am a "comfort" eater. i eat when i am hungry, bored, happy, sad, etc. one thing they say that helps is to drink a glass of water before a meal...it helps you to feel fuller faster and not stuff yourself. also, they say a cold glass of water before bed and when you get up is good to help get your metabolism going...who knows. i was doing this when i was working out a lot and between the two of those things, it really seemed to help!! love you and praying for you!!