Fasting Journal 10

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

"Life in the Fast Lane"

Fasting Journal 10:  Eating only when you're hungry, what a crazy concept!

We're so programmed to eat by the clock.  It's noon, time for lunch!  It's after six, gotta eat dinner!  Coffee break time, grab a donut!  Walk by a co-worker's desk and grab a handful of cinnamon hearts. 

We're constantly putting something in our faces.  And that's not natural.  Not by a long shot!

We're often eating because the food is there.  We may have had lunch only an hour ago but there's that little cookie just sitting there so we grab it and toss it back without a thought.

When we continually shove food down our pie holes we're messing with our insulin signals.  And what's more, if what we're eating easily converts to sugar in our bodies, then we're really asking to put on the fat pounds.

If you're following the standard dietary advice (low fat / high fibre) you'll be hungry every 2-3 hours and feel the need for snacking.

If you're keeping your carbohydrates low and avoiding sugar you'll likely forget a meal here and there.  Hunger will seldom plague you.

Here are some things that can make you feel like you need to eat even when you have no need for nourishment - no reason to eat at all.  Pay attention!

Eating for the Sake of Eating

Here are some reasons folks use to justify eating even when they're not hungry.  I'm guilty too!!

- Boredom
- Lack of sleep
- Stress / Anxiety
- Routine / Eating by the clock (family meal times)
- Everyone else is eating (social)
- Eat now in case you get hungry later
- Clean your plate (eating past satiety)

So let's address some of these.

Eating Out of Boredom

Boredom is often a sign of feeling a bit blue.  Eating of course does nothing to address the cause of the boredom or the depression.  If you're bored go do something like take a walk, write in your journal, or read a bit.  Change up your life a little by breaking up your daily patterns.  Do something out of character if you need to.  Just get out of your head and do anything but stand transfixed and bored while contemplating what to eat to fill that "hole".  There's always something to do.  Go do it.  Do anything.

Lack of Sleep

We've all had sleepless nights and they're just awful.  But when it's chronic it can mess with your life, your weight loss efforts and your health overall.  Lack of sleep will make you feel very hungry.

What works for me is taking daily magnesium glycinate.  I talked about vitamins and supplements yesterday.  If you'd like to learn more read about it here.

I also enjoy a warm Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) bath for a half hour before bed. I love the lavender scented salts.  I find doing this to be the best tonic for a good night's sleep.  I also drink Sleepytime Tea about an hour before bed.

The worst thing you can do is drink alcohol to help you sleep.  Over time it backfires and will cause insomnia.  Ask me how I know! Try the magnesium and see how that works for you.

Stress and Anxiety

For me, just having a quiet bath in the Epsom salts helps to soothe my mind.  If I've had a particularly stressful day, I close the bathroom door, light candles, turn off the light and just soak. 

If you need to, tell you family not to disturb you during this 1/2 hour - 45 minute break.  While you're soaking, practice a little meditation.  Focus on deep breaths and long exhales.    When you're done, towel off gently and apply your favorite moisturizer.  Make this a daily ritual and you'll get great relief.

Coming home from a stressful day and relaxing with a glass of wine is NOT going to help.  It just seems to help.  All it does is tune you out and alter who you are.  And the last thing we want is to tune out of our lives and be less of who we truly are.  Make a soothing cup of tea, sit down and breathe for a little while.

I'll talk more about mindless eating in tomorrow's installment. 
Stay tuned!

My Journal - Day 10

Start Weight: 154
Today's Weight: 150 (-4) no change from yesterday

As you'll see from today's journal, I was not very hungry at all.  And you'll also see that dinner was much later than I usually eat.  Life happens and dinner was delayed.  Had I not been hungry I would have skipped it but I did feel hungry so I ate.

11:00am
5 oz chicken breast with skin
1/3 cup guacamole

6:45pm
1 serving of Chicken Stuffed Bell Pepper

Calories: 707
Protein: 68g
Carbs: 17g
Fiber: 7g
Net Carbs: 10g
Fat: 40g

50% Fat, 40% Protein, 10% Carbs

I made a salad to eat on the side but after eating the pepper half I didn't have room for the salad so I put it away for tomorrow.  It's why I never put dressing on the salad before I eat it.  This way I can have it the next day and it's not all wilted and slimy.

Chew on This:

You don't need to be eating all the time.  Pay attention to your triggers.  Are you really, truly hungry?

Below are products I personally use for relaxation.  

Let's leave this fasting journal 10 page and see what's up for tomorrow.