Recently I have been having trouble managing stress, and it’s been difficult to stay on top of the weight control. Last night was an experiment. I was trying to go to bed early to see if that would solve all my problems. I know, it’s never that easy. And it wasn’t. But it didn’t hurt anything to try, and at least I have had one whole day with controlled food intake out of it. Today is not over yet, or I’d call it two days of controlled food intake.
Lately, my pattern has been the same: I desperately try to maintain my food intake at a controlled level and manage all day, then lose it at night, when I eat heavily and go to bed really late. The cycle continues the next day. Why? Well, it’s an old habit in my mind. The right kind of stress is treated with food.
My food intake and calorie count
Breakfast – leftover beef and broccoli with rice (350);
- 350 calories
Lunch – 85g Italian bread (210); ham (180); cheese (70); olives (20);
- 480 calories
Dinner – 8.8oz chili (370); bread (140);
- 510 calories
Snacking – tea with half and half (80); crackers and cheese (200); oranges (50);
- 330 calories
Total for the day: 1670 calories (limit 1700)
Easing up
I am not able to force myself to control my weight, based on my years of trying. Instead, I can convince myself to do it, persuade, and make it easy. That’s about it, and that has generally worked these last two years. But, I have been trying to force it for several weeks now, and that is not working. So I will quit with the forcing and focus on the problem: bedtime. I am eating late and going to bed late.
I started this yesterday, and it was partly successful. I only had 1475 calories, and I was in the bedroom by 10PM, but didn’t get to sleep until past midnight. Today I woke up later than I would like. Now, I will try it again, only this time trying to get into bed around 10PM.
Psychologists like Jordan Peterson say they can often soothe a patient’s anxiety by having them get plenty of sleep and then eat a big breakfast. I’m not doing either of those things, and maybe that is a good place to start. I’m going to floss and brush my teeth and wind down early for a week or two, and see if that helps me relax. Controlling my weight will be a side benefit, which is an attitude that has worked for me.
Goodnight!
-The Doctor