One Bite at a Time, One Decision at at Time...

Those who are friends with me on MFP (user name: sugar4becky in case you want to add me!) know that this week I've been struggling with overeating.  For the last 5 days I haven't been able to stop myself and it is SO frustrating.  As I'm eating, I KNOW that I'm eating more than I should and that it will cost me.  But I just don't stop.  I'm reminded of the bracelets that Priorfatgirl.com has that say "One bite at a time, one decision at a time..."  There is so much truth to that.  I made poor decisions this week, and I will have to pay the consequences.

First things first, let's get to the nitty gritty.  I didn't lose weight this week.  Actually, that's not true.  I was down to 153.6 around Thursday, but my bad eating habits cost me dearly and I end up this week at just about exactly what I started last week at.  What a bummer!  If you look at weeks 6-9, you can really see that my September has been less than productive weight loss wise.  I've been hanging out around the same weight for almost the entire month.  I've lost a total of 1.4 lbs this month.  Not very encouraging when I was averaging 2 lbs lost per week before that!  


However, rather than get discouraged I dove into the details a bit more.  In the last four weeks I have lost almost an inch on each thigh.  I've also lost 1.25 inches on my hips.  I've lost half an inch on my waist.  I'm still losing inches; it just isn't translating on the scale.  So, this is a nice reminder to everyone out there (including myself) that the scale doesn't always reflect what's going on with our bodies.  Track your measurements--they tell you the real story!


Even though I feel good about my progress, there is still that pesky issue of overeating that I mentioned above.  I know that on my race day I needed more calories, and I had actually planned on that.  However, yesterday I did not need the 500 calories from the homemade ice cream.  I also didn't need the second helping of potatoes.  So, I decided to do some research on how to curb overeating.  WebMD has a really nice article on this issue that I am going to quote from.  Shall we?

• Eat Slowly
• I think we all know this one.  It takes 20 minutes for our bodies to realize we are full.  By that time, we've already eaten more than we should.  Slow down and savor those flavors!
• Be Aware
• This one gets me all the time at work and when I eat while on the phone.  Pay attention!  Just yesterday I heard someone say "well that potato must have been delicious because it's not on my plate anymore, even though I don't remember eating it!"  Once again...slow down and savor those flavors!
• Make the First Bites Count
•  I shall quote the article:  "After a few bites, taste buds start to lose their sensitivity to the chemicals in food that make it taste good," she explains. Satisfying your taste buds by really savoring those first few bites may help you stop eating when you're physically comfortable.  (I'm noticing a theme here...)
• Keep Up Appearances
• Use smaller plates and smaller utensils.  The brain perceives a big plate with small portions on it to be a lack of food.  However, if you put the same size portions on a smaller late it thinks the amount is satisfactory.  This is one that I can personally attest to--it works!
• Choose Satisfying Foods
• And I don't mean ones that satisfy our sweet tooth!  These are foods that are high in fiber, protein, and/or water content.  They will be more satisfying with a lower caloric content.  Apparently there is a mathematical formula for how to find out if a food is satisfying.  No joke!  Check out the full article to see it.  

I'm going to try more diligently this week to pay attention to the food as I eat it and minimize the distractions.  Temptations will run high this week as I am constantly going to be surrounded by an abundance of junk food.  I'll be drinking a lot of water and staying away from the kitchen as much as possible.

How do you combat overeating?