Ok, sorry if you are sick of this journey I have been taking you on as I read the aforementioned health book by B.G. I am just really loving it. By the way, if you are interested in this book, "O" has links all over her site about it. You can find recipes, info about the book, etc. If you want to go to the official website,Click Here
Today I have been reflecting on my serious issues with portion size. It's funny b/c I don't have a problem at all with eating the right foods. Due to some genetic freakish predisposition, I don't really like fried hamburgers, Wonder bread, french fries, chips, and the like. I seriously love all vegetables, tofu (especially marinated tofu), whole grain toast, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes.... the list goes on and on. Anything you would find in a vegetarian cookbook, basically.
The problem is, I love to eat those foods! I can't stop myself. In the book, he's got a "hunger scale" that you are supposed to follow when determining WHEN to eat and HOW MUCH to eat. Right. How many of us apply this principle? For those of you who are actually interested in this topic, here is the scale:
1- Weak and light headed- your stomach acid is churning
2- Very uncomfortable- you feel irritable and unable to concentrate
3- Uncomfortable- your stomach is rumbling
4- Slightly uncomfortable- you're just beginning to feel the signs of hunger
5- Comfortable- you're more or less satisfied, but could eat a little more
6- Perfectly comfortable- you feel satisfied
7- Full- you feel a bit uncomfortable
8- Uncomfortably full- you feel bloated
9- Very uncomfortably full- you need to loosen your clothes
10- Stuffed- you are so full you feel nauseous
So he says that you should eat when you are at a 3 or 4, before you get ravenous and out of control. You should stop eating, if you want to lose weight, at a 5. You know you could have another helping or have dessert, but you choose not to so that your body burns the fat. At that stage you definitely know you are not overeating. If you are just maintaining your weight, you can stop eating at a 6. Obviously, you never want to be above that level b/c that means you are eating more than your body requires which will cause you to gain weight. He says that when you go to bed you should feel a slight 'tug' for food but you should not answer that call b/c that means that your body will use stored fat for fuel- what you want to happen!
Anyway, so the point here is that I have been completely ignoring these rules and totally overeating lately. I blame it on stress, not that that makes it ok. Today I completely lost all reason. Sundays are always hard for me b/c I am usually home all day, or going to someone's house for dinner where they serve a big meal with dessert, etc. Today I was just at home but I ate a big, but healthy dinner, then made cookies with the kids. That is where we went wrong. Hmm, maybe I can blame it on PMS... not quite. UGH. I am definitely at a 7 or 8 on the scale right now. Sorry Bob, I am trying!
I just get annoyed b/c it makes me feel that all that work I do at the gym during the week is for naught. I guess I am sort of maintaining my weight and that is a good thing, but I know my eating habits aren't healthy right now. I am using food to curb my stress. Who are those people who DON'T eat when they are stressed? How does that work? Lori, can I induce that IBS that you get when stressed? Maybe that would counteract my bad eating habits. Ok, I know that I could be worse, but it's when you know better that it makes you feel guilty. I know better. Much better.
I was writing down what I was eating for a week or so. I do think it helped. But when I started to go wrong I think I conveniently 'forgot' to write it down. Maybe I will start afresh this week.
4 comments:
I actually bought that book, but haven't read it yet. The scale is interesting -- I hate it when I overeat and am uncomfortably full. But I also have a hard time stopping when I'm not satisfied. It's a good thing to think about.
Thanks for taking the time to type up the scale, I'm always at a 6 and once in a while a 7! No wonder I don't lose even though I eat the right foods. Of course, I guess I always knew that. Da.
I really like that scale, thanks for typing it up. My problem is that I always go for "just one more" cookie, piece of cake/pie, etc. I definitely need to work on my portion control with baked goods. They are my weakness!
I remember reading somewhere that, when you feel like you are craving something or have those midnight munchies, that more often than not, you are dehydrated and just need to drink a glass of water.
Sounds like an interesting read. I know what you mean about eating good, but wanting to eat a lot. I fall into that too often. I know you should eat every couple of hours so you never get too hungry, but I'm never good at that. Thanks for your thoughts.
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