I like to eat. I really quite enjoy eating and tend to think about eating all day long. Often I find myself forcing the thought from my head because it's not time to eat yet. I have trouble deciphering real hunger from just wanting to eat.
So about two weeks ago, tired from the constant battle in my head about whether it is time to eat, I set up a new schedule, a schedule that allows me to eat 5-6 times a day. I was hesitant to eat this way for fear I might overeat, but you know what...it's working for me!
I used to pile my plate high with food and stuff myself, knowing that I wouldn't be able to eat for another 5 or 6 hours. The thought alone scared me into overeating at every meal. Now when I prepare a plate, I know that this only needs to pull me through for 3 hours and I can eat again. It is much easier to control portion sizes when I am not fearing the thought of hunger all afternoon!
For the first time in years I find myself "allowing" meals. When 3 hours has gone by and I think about eating my initial thought is "NO." But then I remember my new schedule and gleefully remember that it is in fact time to eat!
Eating every 3 hours helps me to eat better meals. I can plan out healthy snacks rather than wait for the hunger monster to kick in and grab the first thing I see (typically some sort of carby, sweet snack!) I can settle in with a bowl of vegetables and hummus and be content now! Eating is fun, once again, instead of torture.
I have already found that I think about eating less, even though I'm eating more often. And I truly believe with time, as I grow more accustomed to this new schedule of eating, that I may not have to think about eating at all. I will actually be able to follow my real hunger cues.
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