Battling the Binging

Are you a night eater? I’ll admit that I am. It’s the hardest time of the day for me to resist temptation. I can go almost all day – proud of myself for eating rather light. Not much for breakfast other than coffee and a nutrition bar –oh no, just a lite lunch, thank you. Then it kicks in. I want something more ‘substantial’ as a mid-afternoon snack, because hey, I've hardly had a thing all day. Then dinner comes and I’d like a dessert, of course. I add up my all my calories for the day so far and discover that, hmm, gee I have a lot more calories to use up in order to meet my goal for the day. Must not under-eat. If I’m not careful, though, I’ll end up over-eating because my craving nature kicks in and before I know it, the extra 300 calories I had to spend on dessert will end up ‘encouraging' me to eat 600 and I've blown it for the day.

And perhaps we share this issue, too - the more I eat, the more my body wants to eat. If I over-eat, say give in to that afternoon or night craving, I find the next day my body wants more - even to the point of hunger pains poking at me around the same time I overindulged the day before. It’s as if my body is saying, ‘Hey, you fed us yesterday at this time, let’s do that again!’ It would be really easy to give in to those urges just to shut them up. That’s where our tough resolve has to kick in. It’s hard. I know. But if you can battle it back –ignore those desires/pains/cravings for one day, it will get easier the next. And the day after that is even a little bit better because you now have a history of winning the fight. If you can hang in there until you begin to see results on the scale or in the way you can now breathe easier when you don a certain pair of jeans or skirt, that will give you more incentive to continue the fight. You can do it!

The Business of Eating

Yes, it has been a few days since my last posting. I've been out of town for several days on business. But that brings me to the subject of today's entry. How do you eat when you're living for days out of hotels and restaurants? It isn't easy, but the encouraging thing about it is this: if you are diligent on a daily basis, then you can actually fade the heat when it comes to going a week off your program and unable to do any calorie counting.

The challenging thing I found is that being with a group of business people, it's hard to eat 'lite' or ask for any special compensations of the restaurant chef without drawing attention to yourself and having comments made by your fellow diners; something you really don't want to have happen. So here is what I did. Breakfast, thankfully, was easily taken care of. I packed plenty of nutrition bars to bring along. Most every hotel room has a coffee maker of some kind now, so it was easy for me to have my usual breakfast of coffee and a bar. Lunch meals ran the full spectrum of everything from something grabbed on the road, to an actual sit-down meal in a small town diner where a serving of chicken fried steak or chicken and gravy over homemade biscuits are the norm. For the on the road stops, a Subway Sandwich shop fit the bill. But for the diner stops, the choices were tougher. In those cases, I sometimes opted for a salad with dressing on the side. Instead of pouring all of it over my salad, I dipped my fork in the dressing before each bite, and that gave me the flavor I wanted without having a salad 'swimming' in dressing. Or I would pick a cup of soup with a small sandwich. When I finished, there was still food on the plate.

Dinner was the toughest. When you're eating out with a group of colleagues, particularly men, they tend to lean toward ordering those huge steak dinners complete with wine and dessert. Even in those cases I tried to lean toward the healthy end of things. Most steak places still offer a few fish and chicken dishes. As long as the meat is broiled or baked and not battered and fried, you're probably pretty safe. And forget what Mom said, you never have to clean your plate. In fact, if you do that by today's American restaurant servings, you're probably eating enough for 2 other people.

Side dishes can be loaded with fat and calories. In those cases I opted for a baked potato dry, (as in not loaded with butter, cheese, and sour cream), and got those items "on the side" to add as I saw fit. Frankly, I didn't add them, but they were there if I'd wanted. Other 'healthier' choices available were steamed vegetables, which I also opted for on occasion. I did order steak one night so I got the leaner cut, the filet Mignon over say a fatty prime rib or some such. Wine was easy since as long as your glass is half full, no one knows whether you're drinking it or not. Sipping it slowly as an accompaniment instead of a thirst quencher, allows you to join in with everyone but not go crazy with empty calories. I always have a glass of water next to my wine glass and that's what I end up drinking mostly. One out of 5 nights of straight restaurant meals, I went ahead and selected a dessert. And even then I went for what I thought might be a tad healthier. In this case, Key Lime pie over what I can only call the biggest slab of chocolate cake I've ever seen. (And Americans wonder why we're so fat!) Remember, you also always have the option of sharing a dessert if someone else at the table wants to.

All in all it was not a bad week of eating. When I stood on the scale this morning, even I was surprised to see that the number was the same as it was the day I left. I attribute that all to the fact that I'm careful about what I eat and how much, most of the time. If you're careful, then every now and then when these events come along that are beyond your control, you and your body will do just fine. Afterward, you can get back on your program, which I've already done, and carry on!

Develop Good Personal Habits

It's important not to eat later than 7pm or less than 3 hours before bedtime. You will sleep better and feel better overall for it. If you tend to binge at night, this is especially important to help keep that under control. There are folks who eat sensibly all day long, but when darkness falls they start hunting for snacks and nibbles, utterly destroying all the good they've done for themselves all day! Pick a cut-off time for yourself and stick to it. But again, be sure it's no less than 3 hours before you go to bed. Eating late at night and then sleeping on all that is a sure way to gain weight.

Do eat three meals a day plus a mid-afternoon snack. Don't skip any meals. Skipping meals only makes you hungrier when you finally do get to eat, risking the chance of over doing it.

Find a good meal substitute nutrition bar that you like and keep a box or two on hand. Some can be loaded with sugar so read the nutrition label and see what works best for you. If you're prone to diabetes, you'll want to ask a nutritionist or your doctor about supplementing with these food items. I like them because they're a quick meal if I'm crashing with hunger and don't feel like preparing anything, or when I know I'm going to be in the car during lunch and I'll need to eat on the run. I keep one in my purse if I know I'll be out. It's a much better choice and literally hundreds of calories less than pulling in the drive-thru for a burger and fries. The burger and fries are more satisfying, you say? Not when you realize such a meal can blow your entire calorie count for the day! Think of that skirt you still can't button, or those cute jeans you've been missing from your wardrobe choice. Personally, I've been satisfied with Zone and Slimfast bars. But all our tastes are different so try several to see which ones you like and will hold your hunger at bay the longest.

Some critics don't like calorie counting because they say it doesn't regulate nutrition. There is nothing to make sure you are balancing your meals. That's true, but I think if you realize that you can eat a larger amount of healthier foods, i.e. grilled chicken, fruits, and vegetables because they're lower in calories, you might find that you'll regulate yourself. Sure you can eat 3-4 candy bars in one day and be done with it. But try that every day for a week and see how you feel. The important thing is balance.

Take vitamins if you think you're not getting enough nutrition on a restricted diet. And go for healthier snacks. There are a number of wonderful options now. For example: hummus and pita chips, low fat cheeses, a handful of dried fruits and nuts in moderation, low fat yogurt... these are all good. I find that toasting an English muffin and spreading 1/2 tablespoon of peanut butter on each side is very satisfying. The warmth of the muffin melts the peanut butter, making it go further. A little bit really does go a long way!

The important thing is find what works best for you while keeping in mind your total calorie allotment for the day. The more you do it, the better you'll get at it. After awhile it won't feel like measuring, weighing, and counting, you'll just have a feel for it and do it automatically.