When I was 13 my grandma who grew up in Texas told me about picking cotton, and how she and her siblings would play dolls when the adults weren’t looking. She told me that her family had known hunger.
And yet – even with that sobering news – younger-me repeatedly complained, “I’m dying of hunger!” just before inhaling calories.
Somewhere within the last two decades, it dawned on me that my abysmal self-talk needed a makeover.
This is Your Brain on Hyperbole.
When I tell myself that I’m starving to death, my cavewoman-brain springs into action thinking: holy cow, the chick that I work for is in a horrifying situation yet again which only I can repair.
And with that, you’ll find me diving into the highest caloric porn-food I can find.
So, rather than telling ourselves, I could eat a horse, we need to instead put our laser-beam focus on the hunger-scale that says if we’re at a “one,” we’re very full (to the point of not feeling good) and if we’re at a ten we’re incredibly hungry (like get-woozy-and-pass-out hungry).
A Fabulous New Habit.
Our challenge is to develop the habit (remember, sixty-six days of monitoring) of keeping our tummies at a four or a five. Once I’ve hit a six, I’m likely sliding into a seven, an eight, and then into the ice cream.
After 15 years of maintenance, I still fantasize about how amazing several packets of peanut M&Ms sound. That is, until my pre-frontal shows up and says, “look, you’re merely hungry. Eat something that provides the fuel you need, and the M&M fantasy will disappear.”
And omg. It. disappears. every. time. The minute I’m feeling satiated with cottage cheese, yogurt, an apple and so forth, I completely stop thinking about the peanut M&Ms.
Your Takeaway.
Catch yourself when you default into hyperbole and replace “I’m dying of starvation” with where am I on the hunger-scale?
Keep yourself at a four or a five and your ability to stay on your smart eating path skyrockets.
Best tip #1: I never leave home without my cold bag of baby carrots, cut up broccoli, slices of cucumber, yogurt, cut up apples and the like. The idea being that I’ll munch on stuff while driving that I otherwise wouldn’t necessarily find time for at home.
Look for a beautiful insulated lunch box. Many of the pretty ones are way too small to be functional.
Best tip #2: Consider thinking about your home and kitchen as a “safe space” where smart food is in abundance. Meaning make your kitchen a happy place with plenty of convenient healthy food that you can grab quickly like hard-boiled eggs, a teaspoon of peanut butter on a banana, an oatmeal bowl with fruit and so forth.
As always, let me know if you have questions or suggestions in the comment section below. I read and love comments! 🙂
And remember, you were right all along. Health is hard.
♥, Wendy
P.S. Have you read Buh-Bye Aunt Bea Bod: 13 Tools to Lose Weight & Maintain a Forever Loss?
I packed Aunt Bea with every essential method I used to lose fifty-five and still use today.
Remember getting your driver’s license? How learning to drive wasn’t a “one and done” thing? Same with Aunt Bea. The Aunt Bea post is your ride to embedding Smart Eating habits into your life, habits that will have your back forever.
Click Begin Here. ♥♥♥ Print Aunt Bea, and tape her inside a kitchen cupboard, on your car’s dash, under your pillow, and so forth.
Apply to life as needed. 🙃
8 Comments
I know you mentioned a lot of great, healthy snacks, but now I just want the peanut M&Ms! (I think I’ve got some in my car!) 😉
Totally cracked me up!!
Wendy
Just found your blog via Momfessionals, and I’m glad I did!! I turn 57 next month, and I’ve been struggling to lose the same 20 pounds for the past few years. Up and down, up and down. I’m eager to read past posts and get some inspiration!
Fantastic Tami! It’s fun to find someone precisely my age! 🙂
Great information! I love the cold bag idea!
I’m so glad you like it. That little cold bag has saved my bacon many times!
I love this, you are very inspiring and I need to adapt a few of those habits
I forget who, but somebody said, “we’re not human beings, we’re habit beings.”
It looks like our brains love habits because it makes us more efficient.
Thank you for the super nice words!
Wendy