Hey...I've discovered something...when I eat on my break at work I only eat what I brought. I have learned what a portion size is and have made my parfaits and salad pita/wraps to include about a cup of food. On my break, I only eat that and nothing else. Partly because it takes all of my break to finish it and partly because it's easy to stop eating when it's time to stop eating. When my break is over I go back to work. Since I'm not allowed to eat on the job I have to wait until my next break to eat.
When I get home there is no clear dividing line for when to eat and when to stop. If I portion out my food, sometimes I will eat more anyway. My workday is so structured that I don't have the time to eat randomly so I've learned to be full after fifteen minutes. At home I need to rely on my willpower to stop eating at one portion or within fifteen minutes. I could also just go and do something else that makes it difficult to eat, like gardening, scrapbooking or some craft. But really, my entertainment is frequently tv and computer. I can eat boatloads in front of a screen.
Maybe I should treat home life like work life and only allow for fifteen minute eating. I wonder if that would cause a Polar bear effect.
One good thing was that I avoided eating any donuts on payday! I don't think I've ever not had a donut when they are there. Most of the time I take one (or two) and eat it before I realize what I'm doing, but this time I saw the donuts and thought to eat my salad wrap first. But by the time I was done the salad wrap I didn't have any break time left for a donut, so I thought of having one after work. By the time I was done work, the donuts were stale and yucky so I didn't take one. Yay me!
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Friday, May 15, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Emotional Eating
I've been doing ok at work this week. I have taken my breaks alone a couple of times already and it was good. Not great, but good.
I've been very good about getting on the elliptical lately, except today. I was in a good mood when I got home from work. All day I'd planned to use the elliptical right after work, keep the rhythm going, you know? Anyway, I was on it for less than ten minutes when my cell phone rang. A friend of mine is going through a separation and as much as I want to help her out, I really wanted to finish my exercise and indulge in some time to myself. So I ignored the call at the time (I called her back after my shower and talked to her until the kids got home from school.) and kept striding away. Then I looked out my window and saw my landlord's car pull up. Well that was just enough for me. I got off the machine and went into the shower. I really missed the full workout though. I didn't realize how much I was liking it until I took it away from myself. Sometimes I want to hide in my own house to keep people away.
I was reading on the Internet somewhere that weight loss is a simple idea often made difficult. The article went on to say that calories are just calories, they are all equal. After everything else that has been said about good and bad calories, this is a refreshing viewpoint for me. I have no idea if it's true or not. I don't know if there are bad calories or good ones, but I do know that my body needs calories to function every day. So if I make good food choices like less prepackaged and processed stuff and more fresh stuff then I should be ok. If I eat less and move more then I should lose weight. It's just the emotional eating that's got me stumped for now.
I used to have a chocolate bar every single day. At least one, as many as four or five. I love chocolate. I have been eating chocolate bars since about grade five, so almost 30 years. Well, I haven't had a chocolate bar in quite some time now. I was eating chocolates before Christmas, but no bars. I thought I was doing very well until I realized I was replacing chocolate bars with cookies. Oh yes, I've been having cookies every single day. As many as six a day. Not that many, some might say, but it's the idea that I've replaced chocolate with cookies. Now what if I replaced cookies with fresh fruit? I eat the cookies for dessert after supper. What if I had fresh fruit instead of cookies? Would I be satisfied? What emotional need are cookies filling? Would I panic at the thought of no cookies? I'm already making excuses to have just one cookie so I know I'm not ready to give them up yet. I think I need to read Martha Beck's book again soon. I need to get rid of the emotional connection to food.
I've been very good about getting on the elliptical lately, except today. I was in a good mood when I got home from work. All day I'd planned to use the elliptical right after work, keep the rhythm going, you know? Anyway, I was on it for less than ten minutes when my cell phone rang. A friend of mine is going through a separation and as much as I want to help her out, I really wanted to finish my exercise and indulge in some time to myself. So I ignored the call at the time (I called her back after my shower and talked to her until the kids got home from school.) and kept striding away. Then I looked out my window and saw my landlord's car pull up. Well that was just enough for me. I got off the machine and went into the shower. I really missed the full workout though. I didn't realize how much I was liking it until I took it away from myself. Sometimes I want to hide in my own house to keep people away.
I was reading on the Internet somewhere that weight loss is a simple idea often made difficult. The article went on to say that calories are just calories, they are all equal. After everything else that has been said about good and bad calories, this is a refreshing viewpoint for me. I have no idea if it's true or not. I don't know if there are bad calories or good ones, but I do know that my body needs calories to function every day. So if I make good food choices like less prepackaged and processed stuff and more fresh stuff then I should be ok. If I eat less and move more then I should lose weight. It's just the emotional eating that's got me stumped for now.
I used to have a chocolate bar every single day. At least one, as many as four or five. I love chocolate. I have been eating chocolate bars since about grade five, so almost 30 years. Well, I haven't had a chocolate bar in quite some time now. I was eating chocolates before Christmas, but no bars. I thought I was doing very well until I realized I was replacing chocolate bars with cookies. Oh yes, I've been having cookies every single day. As many as six a day. Not that many, some might say, but it's the idea that I've replaced chocolate with cookies. Now what if I replaced cookies with fresh fruit? I eat the cookies for dessert after supper. What if I had fresh fruit instead of cookies? Would I be satisfied? What emotional need are cookies filling? Would I panic at the thought of no cookies? I'm already making excuses to have just one cookie so I know I'm not ready to give them up yet. I think I need to read Martha Beck's book again soon. I need to get rid of the emotional connection to food.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Another Week Gone
Wow - another week gone already!
I did end up taking my break with the same two people for most of the week. I think what I need to do is find something to do on break that doesn't involve eating. Whenever someone would come into the breakroom I'd eat even if I wasn't really hungry. But the biggest difference is how uncomfortable I feel around the one coworker. I really need to be away from her for a while. I know, I've said that before. I'll do my best to make this week better.
I saw a friend for breakfast today. She is going through a separation/divorce. Funny thing is that this has been going on in her life for about six months and she didn't contact me or anything. She helped me through my divorce so she knows I've been through it, so why not contact me for a shoulder or something? I didn't eat all my breakfast. As soon as I noticed it was cold I stopped eating instead of rushing to finish it. Normally I would have just shoveled it in anyway.
I did work out on the elliptical today and earlier this week. The weather has been so warm that my sidewalk was all ice, so I spent over an hour scraping it away. I was very sweaty when I was done, but it felt good to do it :)
I weighed myself and I'm down to 147lbs. It feels good to be below 150lbs :)
I did end up taking my break with the same two people for most of the week. I think what I need to do is find something to do on break that doesn't involve eating. Whenever someone would come into the breakroom I'd eat even if I wasn't really hungry. But the biggest difference is how uncomfortable I feel around the one coworker. I really need to be away from her for a while. I know, I've said that before. I'll do my best to make this week better.
I saw a friend for breakfast today. She is going through a separation/divorce. Funny thing is that this has been going on in her life for about six months and she didn't contact me or anything. She helped me through my divorce so she knows I've been through it, so why not contact me for a shoulder or something? I didn't eat all my breakfast. As soon as I noticed it was cold I stopped eating instead of rushing to finish it. Normally I would have just shoveled it in anyway.
I did work out on the elliptical today and earlier this week. The weather has been so warm that my sidewalk was all ice, so I spent over an hour scraping it away. I was very sweaty when I was done, but it felt good to do it :)
I weighed myself and I'm down to 147lbs. It feels good to be below 150lbs :)
Friday, January 23, 2009
Brain....Disengaged
I did try getting up earlier to practice yoga before work, but I couldn't do it every day. It's been so cold out and my car has had trouble starting so I've been using my morning time on my car. And apparently making excuses :) I love the way yoga makes me feel and when I did get five to ten minutes a day in before work, my posture was so much better! So I will make more of an effort to get up a little earlier this next week.
One thing that was odd today was how I ate a doughnut completely unconsciously. It's payday and the boss brings doughnuts. I saw the doughnuts arrive with him and started thinking about whether or not to have one. I told myself that I could have a doughnut now or be thinner later. Instant gratification vs. long term rewards. After thinking about it and realizing my body wasn't screaming for a doughnut I decided to skip my doughnut on break regardless of any ribbing from my coworkers.
About an hour later, one coworker told me they were taking break and asked if I wanted to join them. I thought about it for a moment...actually, my mind was blank and I couldn't think of a reason to say no so I went on break. I got upstairs, looked at the doughnuts and chose one. Something nagged at me but I didn't know what it was. I sat down and looked at the colorful sprinkles on my doughnut and tucked into it. Most of the way through eating it, I remembered that I decided not to eat one today! And - I was thinking to myself while eating it that the icing was too thick and too sweet and kept eating anyway. Where was my brain? Did I lose my mind in that hour? Why couldn't I remember the deal I'd made with myself?
I thought of Martha Beck saying my brain was like a predator and my body was like prey. Any time my body felt like it may be attacked it would sneak the food in. So then I thought "what is making me uncomfortable?" My brain was obviously disengaged from my body so my body had taken over and sought out comfort food. I thought about break time and realized there is one coworker I don't like very much. She's very passive-aggressive and is currently annoyed with me. I feel uncomfortable sitting across the table from her and her snootiness. She comes on break with me and another coworker almost all the time so I feel a bit like I can't avoid her. But I can. I can take my break separately from them. Yes, I'd be alone on break, but that's not a bad thing. Too bad it's Friday today, I'll need to remind myself how I feel and take a separate break on Monday. Then I can see if that makes any difference. Once I have my eating under control a bit I can take my break with this one person again. Or more accurately, once I feel like I can handle being around her without needing to eat extra food then I can take my break with her.
I did get on the elliptical four times in the last week - that's very good for me! I get tired and sore after work so some days it's just too hard to get a bunch of cardio in. Luckily, Martha Beck suggested doing different levels of exercise each day. She suggests four levels - 1. fidgeting, 2. walking at a 'shopping' pace, 3. work up a bit of sweat and 4. maximum cardio that you can handle. Or something like that. Anyway, I did my best to keep moving even when I was sore and tired.
One thing that was odd today was how I ate a doughnut completely unconsciously. It's payday and the boss brings doughnuts. I saw the doughnuts arrive with him and started thinking about whether or not to have one. I told myself that I could have a doughnut now or be thinner later. Instant gratification vs. long term rewards. After thinking about it and realizing my body wasn't screaming for a doughnut I decided to skip my doughnut on break regardless of any ribbing from my coworkers.
About an hour later, one coworker told me they were taking break and asked if I wanted to join them. I thought about it for a moment...actually, my mind was blank and I couldn't think of a reason to say no so I went on break. I got upstairs, looked at the doughnuts and chose one. Something nagged at me but I didn't know what it was. I sat down and looked at the colorful sprinkles on my doughnut and tucked into it. Most of the way through eating it, I remembered that I decided not to eat one today! And - I was thinking to myself while eating it that the icing was too thick and too sweet and kept eating anyway. Where was my brain? Did I lose my mind in that hour? Why couldn't I remember the deal I'd made with myself?
I thought of Martha Beck saying my brain was like a predator and my body was like prey. Any time my body felt like it may be attacked it would sneak the food in. So then I thought "what is making me uncomfortable?" My brain was obviously disengaged from my body so my body had taken over and sought out comfort food. I thought about break time and realized there is one coworker I don't like very much. She's very passive-aggressive and is currently annoyed with me. I feel uncomfortable sitting across the table from her and her snootiness. She comes on break with me and another coworker almost all the time so I feel a bit like I can't avoid her. But I can. I can take my break separately from them. Yes, I'd be alone on break, but that's not a bad thing. Too bad it's Friday today, I'll need to remind myself how I feel and take a separate break on Monday. Then I can see if that makes any difference. Once I have my eating under control a bit I can take my break with this one person again. Or more accurately, once I feel like I can handle being around her without needing to eat extra food then I can take my break with her.
I did get on the elliptical four times in the last week - that's very good for me! I get tired and sore after work so some days it's just too hard to get a bunch of cardio in. Luckily, Martha Beck suggested doing different levels of exercise each day. She suggests four levels - 1. fidgeting, 2. walking at a 'shopping' pace, 3. work up a bit of sweat and 4. maximum cardio that you can handle. Or something like that. Anyway, I did my best to keep moving even when I was sore and tired.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)