Today, let’s talk about paying attention. I decided to pay attention to the times of day when I get hungry. It’s a balancing act. I WANT to get hungry, because (1) it means I have not been overeating and (2) eating when you are starting to get physically hungry is the best kind of eating. You can reward yourself for getting properly hungry.
One of the problems people have when they are gaining weight is they lose that connection. They start eating for reasons other than hunger, and are eating for some emotional purpose. Emotional needs can never be satisfied that way! Think of it as self-medicating for your emotional needs. It’s much better to pay attention to WHY you are eating. Then weight control is possible.
My food intake and calorie count
Breakfast – bratwurst (260); 1/4 wheat wrap (25); onions (10);
- 295 calories
Lunch – half Aldi pizza (585);
- 585 calories
Dinner – 6oz Spaghetti (300); 6 meatballs (47); cauliflower (25)
- 605 calories
Snacking – tea with half and half (80); chicken wrap (155); Bluebird ice cream cone (130)
- 365 calories
Total for the day: 1850 calories (limit 1850)
The wages of paying attention
Just recording your weight is a step in a good direction, as far as weight control is concerned. It’s absolutely true that people who stay thin throughout their lives weigh themselves regularly. Just that amount of paying attention is enough to change your behavior. Do you know how much you weigh? I do, within a few pounds. I didn’t used to be able to say that. But I have more than a year of weight data written down, along with a complete food journal. That’s some good paying attention!
There’s more to it than that. You have to pay attention to why you are eating, how much, and how much you weigh. I also pay attention to which foods I find rewarding, and how much of them I have in the house. I even pay attention to which foods I have available for tomorrow and next week. I buy ahead, cook and prepare menus ahead. I do a lot of paying attention.
I didn’t lose any weight between November last year and June this year; my weight stayed between 240-246. Even so, I (mostly) kept weighing myself. A few weeks ago, I felt able to start losing weight again. Now I am paying attention again to all the other things I mentioned. In a few weeks I hope to weigh less than 230 pounds. I haven’t had that weight in a long time. And I will still weigh more than I really want. But let’s leave that aside. Attention is more properly paid to the job right in front of me.
Why are you eating? What are you paying attention to?
-The Doctor