Things I said to myself that enabled my overeating
19 November 2007 by livingrainbowcolor
What’s the opposite of affirmation? Disaffirmation? Whatever. I got it.
Today I ate great compared to a year ago. My day was busy, so food was not very important and I didn’t overeat, when judged by your typical 2000 calorie a day diet.
But I ate more than I technically wanted or maybe needed, a bite at a time. My choices were good: half a bagel and fruit for breakfast, salad for lunch, sandwich for dinner.
Something in my brain tells me to keep eating when I have the possibility to stop. Here are some of the disaffirmations I used to keep eating today:
- It’s just fruit, so I can finish it
- Clean the plate
- Empty the glass
- You bought it, so finish it
- You need a bite of chocolate
- You have to set an example for others
- It still tastes pretty good
- It doesn’t matter if you eat the rest
If each of those decisions induced me to eat just 50 excess calories, that’s 400 calories I ate mindlessly. One of these days I’ll figure out how to leave more of those behind.
I deal with the same issues you listed, especially when it’s a healthy food I’m eating–just because it’s good for me, I see no harm in finishing it, even if I’m full. I am getting better with this though.