I noticed a pattern recently where I get mad at myself/my body for only taking a few bites and then she’s (my body) like “Ope, I’m already full, gotta stop eating.”
I’m like… wtf woman??? We just started eating??? I’ve been doing this food protocol since February, I’m down 75lbs, 5 to go, so I know this is a good protocol for me, it’s not like I’m constantly eating all day to where it would make sense if I only eat a little bit then I’m full (like -1 to +1 on the hunger scale or something). I eat a salad for lunch at 2, and dinner at 6, both meals include protein, veggies, fat.
I’ll put all this effort into making a nice dinner, very thoughtfully and enthusiastically incorporating each part of my protocol (protein veggies fats), the dinner turns out beautifully, even if I don’t even hardly put much on my plate to serve myself, I’ll start eating and like 5 bites in we’re already done.
My models look like this:
C: I cooked dinner, dinner is ready to eat, guess how much I need based on where I’m at on my current hunger scale, serve myself that much, sit down at the dinner table, start eating, halfway through the food I portioned out on the plate, I notice my body’s hunger signal that’s code for “stop eating, we’re full down here and if you eat any more you’ll feel too full and will have overeaten”
T: I should have been able to eat more than that! (said with a pissed tone)
F: Angry
A: I argue with my hunger signals, I ignore my body’s hunger signals, I continue eating past full/continue taking bites
R: I overeat.
C: Same as above but also add: this model is the moment after I have decided to stop eating, I’m sitting at the dinner table looking at the quantity of food left on my plate, reflecting on how much time dinner took to prepare from start to finish, and also taking into consideration the effort required to create this dish
T: I can’t believe I have to put in all this work for 5 little bites.
F: Resentful
A: Think about ways to force my dinner making/prep to be simpler/take less time so that the “effort matches the reward”, I judge my body and her need for a certain amount of fuel, say “I should have been able to eat more than that” “I can’t believe I’m already full and have to stop”, (not sure what else here but continuing to pay attention to this model’s A’s)
R: I force myself to eat more than it requires for fuel. (and: I argue with reality.)
I kind of feel like the scenario when a mom puts all the effort into making incredible dinner, then her kids barely touch any of it or are like barely hungry (not a case of I don’t like the food that I make, I really do like the food, healthy, nutritious, amazing) and then the mom’s pissed like wtf do you guys mean you’re full already? Eat the goddamn dinner I prepared!
This is a problem because sometimes I’ll make an “appropriately” sized salad for what I think my hunger scale is at, then the same thing happens above and I’m left with like half a salad. I usually choose to eat it even though my body doesn’t need it, but sometimes during dinner it’s less of a problem because I can usually do dinners as leftovers and just save it. But that’s neither here nor there.
