Yesterday, mid-morning, I had an appointment with my dietitian. We talked about how the past 1.5 weeks have gone, with me tracking my hunger (along with my calories.) I shared that, while I was “good” during the weeks, I felt like I lost control during the weekends.
To be vulnerable, open and honest, I struggle a lot with eating when no one is looking. For instance, if Carlos is upstairs, I’ll grab a granola bar downstairs, eat it quick and then go upstairs like nothing happened. Not that he would care if I ate it, but for some reason, I feel like I have to hide it. Obviously, it is quick and easy foods. Granola bars are a sneak-food for me. Here are a couple of facts about food in our house:
- I do most the cooking & food preparation. This means Carlos (the lucky guy) rarely goes into the cupboards. He wouldn’t know what we have vs. don’t have and definitely wouldn’t know how much of something is left.
- I prefer not to leave a lot of grab-n-go type foods. I’ve found that, if I have to make it, I will think more seriously about if I really want it or not.
- There are some foods I buy because Carlos enjoys/likes them. They are foods I enjoy too but do not eat because I’d rather “spend” my calories elsewhere.
So back to the granola bars-they are chocolate dipped. 140 calories of delish. When I make Carlos lunch, I drop one in because he enjoys them. I do not normally eat them because (as I tell myself,) I would rather have a pudding cup for 60 calories for my lunch/dessert instead.
Coincidentally, I tend to reach for one of these high-calorie granola bars when I’m sneaking food. During my conversation with my dietitian yesterday, she pointed out the correlation to the fact that it is something I SNEAK and something I rarely just let myself have. And, in fact, I keep them hidden in the cupboard because that way, Carlos won’t see or pay attention if I actually do sneak one–because I can easily just buy more.
She questioned what would happen if, instead of my low-calorie chocolate snack that I “allow” myself to have, what would happen if I just ate the chocolate covered granola bar. She added that, maybe by taking away the “power” of the granola bar, and by making it just one of the options I have, that I would see a correlation to the fact that I was no longer grabbing it when trying to sneak eat. Because, if it worked, then the granola bar would be visibly eaten and not hidden.
I do not intend on making a “public” announcement every time I eat one. I don’t think it is needed for me to run and tell Carlos. But…I am taking the “secretive” aspect away from them by putting them in a bowl on the counter.
So…my goal is at least 2 times this week, to take a granola bar to work with me–planned. I will plan on eating one so that, when faced with the temptation to sneak something, the granola bar has lost its luster.
Will it work?
Is this silly?
Am I just nuts?
I worked out on Sunday & Monday. Yesterday, I took off. This morning, I woke up and met my friend, Meghan for a run around Lake Calhoun before work. Next week I start my training for my 10 mile October run. I have a plan in place, stay tuned for it! Catch ya’ll later!
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It’s all about progress, people!
