Pattern Awareness
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I have noticed I have an issue with tasting/nibbling...it's so automatic but now that I log it's really apparent and scary!! How do I control this bad habit? I truly think it comes from being a mother of 3 and being to busy to sit down for a decent meal.1
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Traveling for work, if I eat the cookie on the airplane on my way to my destination, I end up being more lax the whole trip. The cookie gives me some sort of permission to not be as careful with food. A 120 calorie snack that leads to 500+ calories I wouldn't have normally eaten.2
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stroutman81 wrote: »
I'll troll the crap out of you if you slack.3 -
KyleGrace8 wrote: »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.
I think that's a good rule in general, really. If you start an open-ended meal or snack... like a brand new bag of Doritos sitting in your lap, the chance of stopping before too many calories are consumed are slim to none.
You say that you form habits easily. Does that work for good habits, too?
More importantly, what changed for you that led to the whole daytime restriction followed by my heavy calories at night? It sounds like this was a recent development.0 -
ronjsteele1 wrote: »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.
You should be proud. Many people can't find it in themselves to allow for flexibility, trial, and error. Unfortunately... it's the only way to figure things out. So good on you for making the space and giving yourself permission to learn on the fly. That's really freaking huge.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.
For what it's worth, I follow a similar pattern most days. I can sleep through a hurricane... so it's not so much about that. But I've learned that I feel my best, physically and emotionally, when I allot a heavier portion of my calories in the afternoon/evening compared to a more even distribution or whatever. At first it was a little challenging, since I, too, was accustomed to a large breakfast. But it didn't take long for a new pattern to be formed. Once I built out a number of options for satiating, energy-sparse breakfasts... it became second nature. It evolved from a skill I was trying to develop to merely something I do to feel my best.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.
The research would agree with you.
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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
At least you're aware of it. Armed with that, you can start figuring out a way to adjust. Do you track your intake? If so, has that unearthed what's different compared to before?
Same number of meals/snacks?
Generally same amount of physical movement across the week?1 -
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.
Nice work so far! You should be proud.
It sounds like your preference for not eating after dinner is more emotional than physical. Would that be accurate?1 -
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 LOLIt 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.
Instead of telling yourself that you deserve to let loose on these days, what else could you start telling yourself that might trigger different emotions and thoughts? Ones that actually serve the version of yourself that you'd prefer to be?0 -
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 LOLIt 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.
Half a bottle? Amateur.1 -
kommodevaran wrote: »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!)
Do you ever NOT eat what you served yourself? As in... you're dialed into how satisfied you are and you reach that point of satisfaction before your plate is clean?
And yeah... I think that's pretty common. People have a hard time eating in ways that honor their health and fitness because they're focusing on what they CAN'T have instead of what they CAN. Perception is a powerful thing... that's for sure.
I'm glad to hear how your mindset shift has helped. This is definitely an introspective journey!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.
I wonder if it's simply that the visuals help connect you to the satiation signals that your body is giving you. Without the visuals, your mind's too out of it to remind you how satisfied you are. Just spitballing... but interesting nonetheless.
I think visuals are great for people, though. I know I use them when thinking about serving sizes.0 -
RunRutheeRun wrote: »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.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Would you say sheer grit helped move away from your former habit? Or was it planning out reasonable snacks that were calorie controlled yet still appetizing?0 -
I have found that applying the same ideas that are taught to people learning to budget really helps me. The want vs. need idea really works for me.
For example, I have been in the pattern of eating dessert directly after dinner and realized I was using a lot of calories that way. So I started asking myself whether I needed that dessert or just wanted it. The answer is usually that I just want it (which is okay!). Knowing that I just want it I try to put it off for half an hour just to see if I still want it - sometimes yes, sometimes no.
But just being aware that it's a habit/pattern makes it easier to try to change it.3 -
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?
Hey, ya know what? That you're even weighing that choice the way you did last nigh is a testament to the fact that you're changing. Most nighttime snacking is barely conscious. It's driven by automaticity because of things like patterns and emotional cravings. The more awareness you can build into your routines, like this, the more you'll be able to uncover other needs that are simply manifesting as emotional cravings right now. And that's when you can start doing the work of nurturing those needs specifically... rather than general remedy you're currently rocking. Which is, "Eat cookies."
Stay the course!
Also, I'll say this. Counting calories falls down some of the time because it disconnects people from what their bodies are telling them. "I'm satisfied but I'm supposed to eat this many calories. I have some left to fill. Might as well eat something." This sort of behavior, over meaningful spans of time, can really do a number on intentional eating.
Food for thought.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.
My advice? Don't make it about "serious restructuring." Rather, make it about subtle changes as you experiment and flesh out what leaves you feeling your best. I do think, though, that it'd suit you well to start building in more awareness of hunger and satisfaction. Otherwise, you're always going to be a slave to the quantification approach you currently find yourself on.
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I have noticed I have an issue with tasting/nibbling...it's so automatic but now that I log it's really apparent and scary!! How do I control this bad habit? I truly think it comes from being a mother of 3 and being to busy to sit down for a decent meal.
Hmm, is it that you're actually always hungry because it sounds like you're never sitting down and getting truly satisfied from a full meal?
Or is it merely a habit of liking the sensation of having something in your mouth?
Or something altogether different.
I think it's important to get more specific in order to unpack it all and find lessons you can learn from.1 -
storyjorie wrote: »Traveling for work, if I eat the cookie on the airplane on my way to my destination, I end up being more lax the whole trip. The cookie gives me some sort of permission to not be as careful with food. A 120 calorie snack that leads to 500+ calories I wouldn't have normally eaten.
Good insight. What are you telling yourself after you eat that cookie?
In that narrative lies the data that can help you wake up your intention.0 -
stroutman81 wrote: »
I'll troll the crap out of you if you slack.
Like I'd expect anything less from you.
Dick.3 -
Eating when it's time, not when my body tells me to eat. Breakfast is at 9, Lunch at 12, snack at 3, dinner at 6/6:30 and dessert at 7.0
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stroutman81 wrote: »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
At least you're aware of it. Armed with that, you can start figuring out a way to adjust. Do you track your intake? If so, has that unearthed what's different compared to before?
Same number of meals/snacks?
Generally same amount of physical movement across the week?
Yes I'm still tracking, have my calories set to 250 defecit but I'm just not adhering to it well enough ..my "pattern" is too slack
I've tried to supplant my reduced activity with more purposeful exercise and I'm not gaining ...so there's that
I need the adherence back ..can't find it ..but I know that's what's missing
Nice to see you back...I enjoyed your old thread, but I was more of a lurker0
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