6/25/10

Confessions of an over-eater part three

I am such a deliquent blogger these days! I suck, I know. I just haven't had a lot of time or motivation when I do find time and my friends that is a terrible combination when it comes to be updating more than once a week. But I do sincerly apologize and hope that you will stick with me through this little slump.

As promised I do want to chat a little about some of those pesky reasons that I over eat and some of the healthy alternatives that I can explore in lieu of piggin' out.

Stress:
This is a tough one but I can attack it from two angles. One, I can reduce my stress levels where possible. I can learn that it is absolutely, 100% okay to say no sometimes. I can take a break from one thing and not try to fill the void with something else. I can learn from my new favorite quote which says "You can do anything but you can't do everything" (I am not sure who the author is but I saw it on OSG).
The other way I can combat stress it to work it out. There really is nothing like a good sweat session to eleviate some frustration right? And if I can't go for a run everytime stress creeps in (my boss may not approve of me leaving my desk for 30 minutes every hour) I can go for a little walk, climb a flight of stairs, or, and please don't think I am completely crazy for this, I can hide in a washroom stall and do a 30 second little dance. Yes, I said dance in the washroom ladies and gentleman but don't you knock it until you've tried it!

Habit:
This one requires forming new habits to replace the old. Instead of eating in front of the tv perhaps I implement the rule that no food gets consumed while watching tv. That would almost completely eliminate mindless snacking for me as thats the time I do it most. It will be tough but hey, what part of this journey isn't?

It's time to eat:
Get over the idea that there is a fixed time for meals. If you're hungry, eat. If you're not, don't. And if you do make it something wholesome.

I want to smoke:
Stop smoking once and for all. The cravings will go away, but only if I stop. End of story.

I already blew it today:
This is a huge mindset change for me but one that makes total sense. Say if I give in to a craving and munch a donut for breakfast. Thats what 300 calories? Now say I let that propel me into a downward binge spiral. I add in some french fries at lunch and candy in the afternoon. Then I eat a huge whopping plate of pasta at dinner and more candy and chips after dinner. Where will that leave me? Hundreds, upon hundreds of calories over my daily goal and feeling pretty crappy that's where! Not a good idea at all.

The further I get on this little journey the more that I begin to realize that attitude is 70% of it all. If you don't want it and believe in yourself and your ability to get there you won't, plain and simple. And if you don't change the way that you think about exercise (FUN! REWARDING!) and food (FUEL! TICKET TO LONGEVITY!) you won't stay on the journey long enough to reap all the benefits. Because as they say, life is a marathon not a sprint and you should enjoy every step of the 26.2 miles.

And I will leave you with that folks. Happy Friday!!

So tell me, what have you done to change your mindset for the positive? What words of wisdom do you live by?

2 comments:

  1. I definitly escape to the washroom at work too. I dont dance though I may give that a try before I finsih my contract Wednesday, but rather I go in the stall and just sit down, close my eyes and try to do some deep yogic breathing.

    I miss your blog, and was excited to see it come up on my blog roll as having been updated. I'll be here.

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  2. Wow - this was a really great post.
    I consciously try to look at things from the 'bigger picture' perspective. ie . what may be 'bad' for me today - will not really be that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things...
    :) And there is always tomorrow :)P

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