When living to control your body’s weight, a big enemy is deprivation. If you are working hard to convince yourself to eat less food, the last thing you need is to feel deprived after all that effort. If you don’t pay close attention to your body and its needs, you are in danger of pushing yourself too far. Then, the risk is that part of you will take over and you won’t be in control of your food intake any more.
You’d think that being at home more (due to coronavirus quarantines and restrictions on a lot of us) would make it easy to stay on top of food intake and avoid deprivation. Who could feel deprived with roasted pork and apples for dinner, with roasted Brussels sprouts?
My food intake and calorie count
Breakfast – Johnsonville bratwurst (260); and 1/4 wheat wrap (25); with fried onions (15);
- 300 calories
Lunch – 1 ounce Ukrainian bread (100); Aldi half pizza (570);
- 670 calories
Dinner – Pork loin (180); baguette bread (150); roasted Brussels (50); banana (50);
- 430 calories
Snacking – tea with half and half (80); hummus (100)
- 180 calories
Total for the day: 1580 calories (limit 1800)
Deprivation is bad for dietation
You will notice I had 1580 calories today. Part of that is because I ate a small breakfast. And that is because last night I lost control and ate 300 calories after dinner! I knew right away that I had been feeling deprived but hadn’t paid a lot of attention. And where did the feeling come from? I had plenty of calories yesterday, including a gyro for lunch at my favorite Greek cafe!
The answer is I put lunch off too long. I didn’t eat until 1 o’clock, when I was hungry (and knew it) at 11.30. I got busy while I was out picking up my sandwich, and did a few chores and errands….I convinced myself it would only take a few minutes, but it took longer. By the time I got to the gyro, I was too hungry and I didn’t really enjoy it – ate too fast for that. You would think by now I would notice these things and try to head them off! I threw away a lot of work last night, because I didn’t pay attention to my body and meet its needs.
Today, I explored the possibility of eating less and was comfortable eating 300 less calories for breakfast. But if I had felt deprived I would have eaten the full 1800 calories for the day. It’s no good ruining two days with deprivation and making myself angry and resentful. But today I was more careful and ate my meals more on schedule, though I was still slightly late with lunch (12 PM instead of 11.30). I did notice that I was a bit too hungry at dinner time, maybe that was because I had lunch a bit late.
Don’t let yourself feel deprived! It is too much to ask – actual deprivation on top of food intake restriction. That’s a way to break your diet and demoralize yourself. Aim higher and pay attention to how your body is acting. Learn the danger signs and put weight control first over your other priorities! If you want it to work, anyway.
-The Doctor.
Hi Doc – Any updates during the nation wide shut-in? Strategies you are following from WAH, success or challenge, how are you doing?