Pattern Awareness

stroutman81

Our brains love patterns. Its natural inclination is to reduce its operating costs when it comes to patterns of behavior that you repeat time and time again. Think about the complex task of driving home from work. There's a lot of processes happening in that commute. Driving a car is involved. Navigating is involved. Yet, you likely do it automatic to the point where you don't even remember it. You're busy listening to a podcast, singing your lungs out, or raging at the guy who cut you off.

Yet, your brain gets the job done.

Patterns can bite you in the booty. They create an itch that seemingly needs to be scratched. For example, if it's the weekend and you're driving the same route you'd take to work to get to the supermarket... you might turn right into the work parking lot rather than turning left into the supermarket lot. It just happens.

In the world of fitness and eating, a common pattern is snacking after dinner. If it's something you've always done (maybe since childhood), it feels downright uncomfortable not "taking that turn."

My question to you is, what patterns can you identify in your life that get in the way of acting in accordance with your best self?

kommodevaran

It feels uncomfortable to stop eating before I'm stuffed - even though I hate feeling stuffed. I was a member of the clean plate club. No more! Now I'm using all kinds of "tricks" to know when I have had enough. It's not really in the way... but it slows me down.

stroutman81

kommodevaran wrote: »

It feels uncomfortable to stop eating before I'm stuffed - even though I hate feeling stuffed. I was a member of the clean plate club. No more! Now I'm using all kinds of "tricks" to know when I have had enough. It's not really in the way... but it slows me down.

Great awareness! Thanks for sharing. What tricks do you find most helpful?

sllm1

It has become a pattern on my "rest day" (Thursday) for me to sit too long on the couch in the evening and for me to eat over my allotted number of calories. It's not so much that it completely undoes the work I've done all week, but it is definitely impeding my progress. By Thursday I'm exhausted from my workouts (and hungry), and I feel (at the time) like I deserve it.

I've got plans tomorrow night, so hopefully that will keep me from munching at home (although I'm going out). I think it will at least break the pattern.

Next Thursday, I can perhaps get some Christmas shopping done - so I'll get in some steps and not be sitting.

I'm all set to break the pattern, I believe. Thanks to the holidays, strangely enough.

kommodevaran

stroutman81 wrote: »

kommodevaran wrote: »

It feels uncomfortable to stop eating before I'm stuffed - even though I hate feeling stuffed. I was a member of the clean plate club. No more! Now I'm using all kinds of "tricks" to know when I have had enough. It's not really in the way... but it slows me down.

Great awareness! Thanks for sharing. What tricks do you find most helpful?

I have "set" breakfasts, lunches and dinners - I know how much is appropriate (I counted calories for two years) - and portion it out before I start eating. (Okay, I still clean my plate - I hate waste - but I serve myself the amount I want and need - I'm not eating to my parent's standards anymore.)
(This is embarassing) Ursula Philpot (dietician, from Supersize vs Superskinny), in my mind, (so kind, so calm) "telling" me "you have had enough now"
Leave room for "dessert" after each meal. My body doesn't give me feedback for "pleasantly full", it just feels like "nothing" (I don't feel it when I fall asleep either, same thing), but when I can still eat a coffee cup of food, but not the same meal over again, I know that I have eaten enough, but not too much. (Fascinating that one coffee cup is the difference between "pleasantly full" and "overly stuffed".)

JeromeBarry1

The pattern of me sitting on the sofa with the television on and food at hand is one that I know is associated with my persistent obesity. Now, I take my meals at home at the kitchen table.

I handle the "after dinner" snack or dessert concept by scheduling a serving of prunes after dinner. It's sweet, about 100 calories, and good fiber. It satisfies a goal of having a fruit. It satisfies a goal of having fiber. It satisfies a goal of having a little bit more food.

stroutman81

sllm1 wrote: »

It has become a pattern on my "rest day" (Thursday) for me to sit too long on the couch in the evening and for me to eat over my allotted number of calories. It's not so much that it completely undoes the work I've done all week, but it is definitely impeding my progress. By Thursday I'm exhausted from my workouts (and hungry), and I feel (at the time) like I deserve it.

I've got plans tomorrow night, so hopefully that will keep me from munching at home (although I'm going out). I think it will at least break the pattern.

Next Thursday, I can perhaps get some Christmas shopping done - so I'll get in some steps and not be sitting.

I'm all set to break the pattern, I believe. Thanks to the holidays, strangely enough.

So do you think the pattern of eating too much on Thursdays has more to do with the longer sit time on the sofa or or maybe you're doing too much or eating too little leading up to that day? Obviously there are more factors at play, too... but figured I'd start with the obvious.

stroutman81

kommodevaran wrote: »

I have "set" breakfasts, lunches and dinners - I know how much is appropriate (I counted calories for two years) - and portion it out before I start eating. (Okay, I still clean my plate - I hate waste - but I serve myself the amount I want and need - I'm not eating to my parent's standards anymore.)

Excellent! I think that's a great rule of thumb. Does this ever backfire... in that you start feeling restricted by a rule of "just one helping"?

(This is embarassing) Ursula Philpot (dietician, from Supersize vs Superskinny), in my mind, (so kind, so calm) "telling" me "you have had enough now"

I actually love this! Very creative and I can see how it'd help. It's a facilitator of awareness and reflection.

Leave room for "dessert" after each meal. My body doesn't give me feedback for "pleasantly full", it just feels like "nothing" (I don't feel it when I fall asleep either, same thing), but when I can still eat a coffee cup of food, but not the same meal over again, I know that I have eaten enough, but not too much. (Fascinating that one coffee cup is the difference between "pleasantly full" and "overly stuffed".)

Very interesting. So it sounds like you're saying you don't have really good awareness of the satiated sensation. But there's enough of a signal to measure in coffee cup size increments how close you are to enough. Is that right?

stroutman81

JeromeBarry1 wrote: »

The pattern of me sitting on the sofa with the television on and food at hand is one that I know is associated with my persistent obesity. Now, I take my meals at home at the kitchen table.

So you've dissociated the habit of television watching from the habit of eating. How's that working out for you?

I think it's a great guideline... to use the kitchen for food prep/eating and the rest of the house for other forms of self-care and living.

I handle the "after dinner" snack or dessert concept by scheduling a serving of prunes after dinner. It's sweet, about 100 calories, and good fiber. It satisfies a goal of having a fruit. It satisfies a goal of having fiber. It satisfies a goal of having a little bit more food.

How often do you do this?

ahoy_m8

Nice seeing you on the boards, Stroutman.

KyleGrace8

I do the snack after dinner thing but that's recent. I just eat sparingly all day so I can have more at night. I do feel like something isn't right if I can't have anything after dinner though. Things become habit to me really easily. I used to have a banana every morning and then when I didn't have one my body expected one. I just pushed through that feeling. Only tips I can think of is never sitting down with more than a serving of anything bc I will over eat if I do that.

SideSteel

Glad to see you posting again Steve!

ninerbuff

Been awhile Steve. Good to see you again.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ronjsteele1

Things tend to become habit very easily for me. This is good and bad. For me, eating after dinner, before bed has been something I've had to find a work around for. I CANNOT go to bed with an empty stomach. I will not sleep or I'll wake up at 3:00am starving and won't be able to go back to sleep unless I eat a banana or something light. For a long time I kept running over my calories b/c of my bedtime snacking. It has taken MONTHS of practice, trial and error, etc. to finally get to a place where I keep enough calories for a bedtime snack that it doesn't send me into maintenance calories. This didn't become a habit easily. I'm use to a large breakfast and I had to learn to cut that back so I can have those calories at night. I had to decide which was more important to me - a large breakfast, or being able to eat before bed. Sleep won out. LOL But even once the decision was made, I had to actively think about it and remind myself why I was making the change in my breakfast.

I think, for me, starting a NEW habit is much easier and I quickly adapt as opposed to CHANGING a habit. For some reason, the latter is harder for me.

Sued0nim

I lost 50lbs and hit maintenance for 2 years, I had set ways of eating: same breakfast, same types of food I'd take into work for lunch plus Greek yogurt and berries, same snacks

Only I changed jobs in September and my patterns of behaviour are no longer keeping me in my comfort weight range because somewhere, somehow I'm sneaking in too many calories or not burning enough ..I know this logically...I know this is the reason I'm now water weight fluctuating by the same amount but 5lbs up on my goal weight

And I know it but I'm finding it hard to amend my lifestyle back cos of habit and comfort zones and my patterns of behaviour feeling set

Lynzdee18

I've taught myself over the past 16 months of mindful eating and 60 pounds gone, that I prefer to go to bed with an empty rather than full stomach. Not growly empty, but nothing to eat since I finished a satisfying dinner at 6 pm. If I break this pattern, I tend to lie awake and end up berating myself for overindulgence. Disappointed, not angry. I know better than to take in extra calories that I really didn't even want.

sarko15

sllm1 wrote: »

It has become a pattern on my "rest day" (Thursday) for me to sit too long on the couch in the evening and for me to eat over my allotted number of calories. It's not so much that it completely undoes the work I've done all week, but it is definitely impeding my progress. By Thursday I'm exhausted from my workouts (and hungry), and I feel (at the time) like I deserve it.

I've got plans tomorrow night, so hopefully that will keep me from munching at home (although I'm going out). I think it will at least break the pattern.

Next Thursday, I can perhaps get some Christmas shopping done - so I'll get in some steps and not be sitting.

I'm all set to break the pattern, I believe. Thanks to the holidays, strangely enough.

This is me, too. On the days I work out/am active I find myself to also be focused on my diet and goals. I drink a ton of water and eat a ton of kale and it's easy. But it's very hard for me to take very active rest days, especially with a desk job. I always feel like I deserve the rest and then all of a sudden I've watched hours of Gilmore Girls without getting up and have drank a half bottle of wine without realizing it LOL

kommodevaran

stroutman81 wrote: »

kommodevaran wrote: »

I have "set" breakfasts, lunches and dinners - I know how much is appropriate (I counted calories for two years) - and portion it out before I start eating. (Okay, I still clean my plate - I hate waste - but I serve myself the amount I want and need - I'm not eating to my parent's standards anymore.)

Excellent! I think that's a great rule of thumb. Does this ever backfire... in that you start feeling restricted by a rule of "just one helping"?

I will eat more if I'm genuinely hungry, and I will consider eating more just because it was delicious But most of the time, I'm content with what I've served myself. I may have to say "no", but that's allright.
I have been thinking about "restriction", what that really means. I read about "the power of enough" (book) last night - one big factor that distinguises "simple living" from "poverty", is choice. I used to eat loads of junk, and very unstructured, because I believed that I was executing free will. It didn't occur to me (until I found MFP) that eating real food and eating meals, doesn't mean that I can't eat what I like and when I'm hungry. (This makes me feel stupid, mixed with bitterness, insight and relief!)

(This is embarassing) Ursula Philpot (dietician, from Supersize vs Superskinny), in my mind, (so kind, so calm) "telling" me "you have had enough now"

I actually love this! Very creative and I can see how it'd help. It's a facilitator of awareness and reflection.

Leave room for "dessert" after each meal. My body doesn't give me feedback for "pleasantly full", it just feels like "nothing" (I don't feel it when I fall asleep either, same thing), but when I can still eat a coffee cup of food, but not the same meal over again, I know that I have eaten enough, but not too much. (Fascinating that one coffee cup is the difference between "pleasantly full" and "overly stuffed".)

Very interesting. So it sounds like you're saying you don't have really good awareness of the satiated sensation. But there's enough of a signal to measure in coffee cup size increments how close you are to enough. Is that right?

Yes, it's weird, but correct. When I have something to compare with, I can feel how full I am. But just gauging, even considering how much I've eaten, isn't enough.

LivingtheLeanDream

Good post OP

Snacking in the evenings was the worst culprit for me, but slowly I changed that and don't think of snacking then any more. Once I have my after dinner cuppa with whatever little sweet treat I fancy that's me done. Sipping water really helped along with a steely determination that I had to form a lasting new habit.

Cylphin60

I admit I never thought of patterns. It's simply been limiting my food intake, but in light of a pattern, just last night I was questioning why I wanted that bag of mini chips ahoy cookies just before bed. I wasn't hungry, at all, but I wanted them and ate them. It fit within my calorie budget, so not a huge deal, but why if I wasn't even a bit hungry?

My standard day: Workout>breakfast>get to work and get a coffee and breakfast sandwich (why? Just had breakfast!) >mid-morning snack doing paperwork>lunch>Get home and....eat lunch? (Why? I just had lunch 2 hours ago!) >Do stuff and have dinner a mere 2.5 to 3 hours after my 2nd "Lunch"> Hang out with wife and snack before bed, hungry or not....

Wow - I'm dropping weight, but seeing that typed out answers my question about how fast I'm losing it, or not lol. Thanks OP - I have some serious restructuring to do. Even with only a few pounds to go, this can make a difference in how I feel each day, and look, after tightening things up a bit.

zyxst

I'm sure others would see my patterns, but I don't.