For the first time that I can remember (really!! It’s been over ten or fifteen years), I am passing the weekend alone at home. All of my family members have other places to be this weekend, and so here I am.
It occurred to me that when this happened in the past, even for a single day or evening, I would find myself “stocking up” on food that I would only eat when alone. You know, the forbidden stuff. And I’d eat things that I wouldn’t eat in front of other people. I thought of this when I was in the grocery store this week. And it actually made me stop in the middle of an aisle and half-laugh, half-cry.
Because now, I need to eat food that I can eat in front of myself. If that makes sense. Someone once said that a great cure for binge eating or overeating is to always eat in front of a mirror. (ACK! right?) But really, at this point, if I am going to overeat, the person who is going to care the most (this was probably always true, but I didn’t think that way) is ME. I’m the one whose clothes won’t fit. I’m the one who will feel sick and disgusted. I’m the one who won’t be able to show my face in the front of a WW room. I don’t want those things to happen.
So, MIRACULOUSLY, even though I am spending the weekend alone, I am… guess what? Eating just like I would if everyone was here. In fact right now I am cooking up this fabulous asparagus wild rice salad. Just for me! Yum!
Last night was a different story. I was realllllllllly tired after a very long week of lots of work and early-morning workouts. I was totally pooped. I just hung out in my pajamas and had a little Hulu-fest. I watched Glee (yay) and the first two episodes of Top Chef Masters. (I adoooore anything Top Chef!) One of the challenges is that the chefs had to create original and amazing versions of grilled cheese.
Grilled cheese is right up there in probably my top five favorite things to eat (short list also includes mac and cheese, and cheesecake – are you sensing a pattern? :-)) As I watched, the little grilled-cheese chorus started up in my head. After I finished the shows, I realized I was really, truly hungry. And guess what I wanted to eat?
Right! GRILLED CHEESE!
So I came downstairs and made myself a divine grilled cheese sandwich, using a combination of whit cheddar and LaTur cheese (from the milk of 3 animals! Fancy!!), some country Dijon and amazing bread.
And I enjoyed Every. Single. Bite.
I pondered this after I ate. Had I just engaged in some Solo Bingeing? I thought about it very hard. I decided that no. I had just made a choice to eat something, which coincidentally in the past may have fallen into the binge category, but I did NOT feel like I was bingeing because:
- I didn’t feel sneaky or surreptitious. Just happy.
- Because I used my amazing panini grill and no butter or oil, the sandwich only had the calorie equivalent of the bread, the cheese and the mustard. It came to about 650 calories. Which was not so horrible considering it was my entire meal.
- I ate it when I was hungry and stopped when I felt satisfied. Which is to say when the plate was empty of all crumbs.
- It did not lead to eating anything else.
So! That was a revelation. It made me happy.
Another thing that happened this morning is that I discovered the joy of Exercise TV. Woweee! It’s just been sitting there all along, and I never knew, although I had this vague notion it was in there. What happened is that I slept in to the VERY LATE hour of 7:30am. I doodled around online (oops). By the time I looked up, it was too late to run and wayyyyy too late to go to the gym. I really did not want to break my streak of morning workouts, even though it is the weekend. I did not have much time at all. I thought, what about that TV exercise thing?
Found Direct TV. Found “fitness and exercise.” WOW there were so many options! I chose “Biggest Loser.” Anyone surprised? 🙂 There was something called the Last Chance Workout. How fun! 30 minutes with the cast of Season… 7? 8? (the one with Tara & Sione and Danny) They were about mid-season and nobody looked as super buff as they did at the finale. It was an amazing workout! I loved it. I loved having Jillian yell at me and everyone else, but with LOVE. (ha) And at the end of 30 minutes I was sweating like CRAZY. Convenient and FAST. Yay for morning workouts.
And yay for being able to be left alone without eating the entire house.
April 18, 2010 at 11:06 am
If I’m alone and at home, I snack and graze more – I don’t tend to cook big meals. BUT … I also tend to eat out more and that is death for my diet. “Oh, it comes with fries? What a shame.” 🙂
April 18, 2010 at 11:20 am
Yeah!
One sandwich does not a binge make! Unless it’s like one of those horrible fast-food creations…but even then, to me a binge involves eating more and more afterwards. Mindlessly.
I am home alone often (I work at home and don’t have children) and so for me, serious bingeing was something I reserved for when Tim was out of town overnight. That’s not to say that I didn’t overeat on a regular basis when he wasn’t out of town. But I am talking about the bineging that involved a special trip to the store. I haven’t done that in a very long time.
I think these things have to take time…we can’t just stop overnight. We practice more and more compassion with ourselves and the time binges between binges gets longer, and if we do binge, we eat less, or at least try and eat “better” foods. And slowly, over time, it becomes a rarity. I have a fear of saying that it will never happen again, even though right now I can’t imagine it…
April 19, 2010 at 11:25 am
So true, Karen. I don’t think this behavior is ever gone “forever” – but I do appreciate that it is a rarity and much more the exception than the rule. Hard to believe.
April 18, 2010 at 3:54 pm
This so ties into the Twilight Zone this week and mindless eating. You can totally use your blog insights and tie it into the meeting. For My meeting today I used the Mirror Suggestion they were all like Ewwwwww. ha ha. I also gave a self disclosure on my twlight zone eating this week and how I Feel like I gained 5 pounds. They were like WOW you go thru that too. It was too funny!
April 19, 2010 at 11:24 am
I just downloaded the Twilight Zone theme to play at my meeting 🙂
April 19, 2010 at 6:01 pm
ha ha. Love IT!
April 19, 2010 at 1:33 am
I’m incredibly impressed with your mindful eating. There is change – a change in behavior – and then there’s CHANGE – a change in desire. Both are admirable, but the latter implies something more whole, less precarious. Does it feel that way?
April 19, 2010 at 11:21 am
YES – a change in DESIRE. Like Karen says, this change doesn’t come all at once, but I have definitely noticed it. And wow it feels amazing. I think the change in behavior comes first and then eventualllllly that change in desire catches up somewhat. Whew.
April 19, 2010 at 1:38 am
You really have a major accomplishment there my friend! I know the habit of binging alone I have been there done that just because.
Look at you!! So proud and excited for you 🙂
I am so looking forward to visiting. I know I have been MIA but do not fear I am coming 🙂 🙂
Will you make me a panini? LOL
April 19, 2010 at 11:21 am
YES I will make you panini, any kind you want!! I am so excited!
April 19, 2010 at 1:49 am
FFBB – this blog post belongs on Huffington Post. It’s brilliant and beautiful — just like the blogger. I’m serious. Please think of submitting it.
What you wrote reminded me of the only real diet guru I’ve ever had: Bob Schwartz of “Diets Don’t Work” fame. I used to have the four “guidelines” tatooed on the inside of my eyelids but, alas, they faded and you’ve recently seen the results. They were something along the lines of: eat only when your hungry, eat exactly what your body wants, eat each bite consciously, stop when you’re full. It’s always that last one that trips me up.
April 19, 2010 at 11:23 am
The Huffington Post? Oh Keta that is so very flattering. Thank you.
Yes, I believe very much in those guidelines. I’m not always able to follow them but I think they are excellent. And yes, the “stop when full” – actually not even FULL, but satisifed – enough- has always been the most challenging one for me as well.
April 19, 2010 at 10:30 pm
That’s been one of the best parts of getting into better habits with my eating. If I’m eating chocolate, I don’t feel ashamed about it. It’s lovely.
Do you have other exciting plans for your weekend?
April 19, 2010 at 11:02 pm
The weekend’s over now, but it was great. Yesterday I went to a solo performance class taught by this director from Comedy Central, and it was so fantastic, I learned a lot about how to make my show better and better. Then I went to see 4 amazing solo stars do THEIR stuff and I was so wowed and inspired. It was a great weekend.