Mindless Munching

I ran an accidental kilometre this morning... Whether it be due to the fact that it was 5.30am and my brain wasn't awake yet or I that was just terribly distracted by the thoughts running through my head, I found myself on the opposite side of town when my Garmin buzzed for 5km. Whoops!! Don't get me wrong, I love running but I'm normally the type of person watching my Garmin like a hawk, counting down those last few hundred metres so that I can stop a bask in the victory of another completed run!

I figured I had two choices - I could stop running and walk back across town or I could just keep running and get there in half the time. No brainer! Even better, I got home and noticed that my normally sluggish early morning pace was slightly better than usual which meant that, despite the extra distance, I was in the shower and starting my day right on time!

So, while I can confidently say I am succeeding at building a good early morning run habit, I can't say that I am having the same fortune with my eating. Things seem a bit all over the show and I find myself cutting myself a little too much slack and it's time to get things back on track. I know exactly where I am letting myself down - Mindless munching! Since the marathon I have often found myself standing in front of the pantry when I walk through the door or at the kitchen bench while prepping dinner sticking random foods in my gob. In my mind I am saying 'This little handful of choc chips won't hurt' or 'I ran an extra kilometre this morning, I'm allowed to eat four biscuits as a reward!' (And math was my strong point in high school!?)

I've still been keeping a food journal and I try to be honest about these 'moments'... When it gets to the end of the day I can see the true damage that these 'it won't hurt' moments are actually doing - they add up very quickly! And then there's the guilt I feel over it. Guilt is never a healthy emotion and I try to do my best to avoid it. I'm not bad-mouthing snacking in general. In fact, I wouldn't make it through the day without snacks - well-planned, mindful snacks!

My plan of attack to get these mini-binges under control is to force every eating situation to be a conscious one. First thing to go will be snacking (or 'tasting') while prepping meals and dishes. Sometimes it feels like I have eaten my whole dinner by 'tasting' before I even sit down with Danny! Do you think that stops me from still eating my full dinner anyway? And then there was getting the food ready for Danny's birthday! Holy wow! I must have eaten the equivalent of two cupcakes and three brownies on Saturday just while cooking!? What happened to the person who could bash out 50 cupcakes without a morsel of batter or frosting passing her lips?

Second problem to tackle - Random pantry raiding! This is a little harder because sometimes I will have happened upon the alluring pantry contents before I am even aware of it. Now, when I catch myself being pulled into its orbit I am going to take myself to another room, set the timer on my phone for five minutes, occupy myself with something else and then I will make a conscious decision about whether or not I need to be scoffing half a bag of almonds. Chances are, I won't but if I do, then I will do it mindfully by putting whatever it is in a bowl, walking away from the pantry and sitting somewhere to eat it instead of rummaging through the packet like a rabid monkey. Fully aware!

 

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Danny's birthday has come and gone... I wish I could write more about it but unfortunately it was completely obliterated by family drama that I don't really want to get into here. I'm sad and annoyed that his birthday was ruined but he seemed happy with the cupcakes and I tried to save the day from complete disaster by agreeing to go to the movies with him that night. We saw 'Silver Linings Playbook' which was surprisingly enjoyable. I hope it made for a good end to a challenging day.

 

 

 

I'd Like To Know...
Do you ever run accidental kilometres/miles?
Or are you a watch watcher too?

How are you at snacking? Do you do it?
Are you guilty of pantry-raids too?