When do I eat, and why?

I'm loving my new venture into the weight loss world. Why? Because I'm not running into it full force, starting strong, peaking at 2 weeks, bragging to everyone that Ive lost 10 lbs, only to be tempted by Cold Stone, and letting my entire game plan go to hell.

 Today was not a diet day. Not even close. I didn't eat breakfast. I didn't eat lunch. Ryan and I went to a movie at 12:40pm (First date since Brayden was born).. so, I ate half of a Snickers, a pack of M&Ms, Coke, and too much popcorn. Probably 1,500 horrible, no good, used calories... and because they were empty calories, by the time we left the theater... I was starving and I had a stomach ache from being loaded with junk. Ryan and I went to Firehouse around 3pm, where I got a Club on a Sub sandwich.... where I'm sure I tipped my daily calorie intake way into the 2,000's. It is now 11:30pm, and I'm eating a PB&J with a glass of 1% milk, because I am starving. I may or may not finish my other half of Snickers that's frozen in my freezer . Are you totally grossed out yet?


This new venture is allowing me to reflect a lot. My reflection today involves routine. Ive put a lot of thought into when I eat and why I eat. Do I eat when I'm hungry? Or do I eat because its breakfast/lunch/dinner? The more I started thinking, I realized that even when I was super thin, my eating habits sucked.


I never eat because its time to eat. I eat when I am hungry.. and by the time I notice, because I'm always so busy playing with Brayden, talking, blogging, cleaning, running around like a mad woman.... I'm STARVING. I often get the "shakes" because I haven't eaten. So when I finally eat, I eat eat eat until I feel satisfied. I'm consuming way to many calories this way.


I have zero sense of time when I eat. Breakfast means 11am.... Lunch usually doesn't happen, and if it does.. it happens when Ryan comes home on his lunch break, meaning I'm eating lunch when I'm not hungry at all, just an hour after my breakfast. I don't eat again until dinner... 6-7 hours later. Again, I'm starving.. so I eat like a maniac. Digest. And then I'm hungry again around 10pm, because even though I ate that day, I didn't space out my meals to feed my body effectively.

Once my "diet" starts... I will make an effort to eat a balanced meal every 4-5 hours, with healthy snacks between.. and no snacking after 8pm.

I also have the issue of eating when I'm bored. I know, who the hell has a 5 month old and manages to be bored? The true answer is: No one. Including me. I should never be bored, because there is always a million things to do when Brayden is napping. Laundry, dishes, wash bottles, fold clothes, vacuum, sanitize something, research something, return a phone call, make an appointment, organize something, clean out the fridge, restock the diaper bag, dust, sort through junk mail, cut coupons, plan meals, organize coupons according to my next shopping trip, cook, pluck eyebrows, beg Ryan to go to the dentist for his toothache... the list never ends. But, somehow... more then once a day, I find myself parked on the couch and eating. (Hey, stay at home moms are allowed breaks too!) The eating part needs to be cut out. Or, I need to make healthier bored eating selections. Ice cream and Gushers aren't going to cut it.

I need to cut the empty eating and empty calories out. I need to eat BEFORE I'm starving. I need to eat structured meals at decent times.

I just asked Ryan to get me my frozen Snickers. His response? "I already ate it"
Damn it!