Do You Eat In Your Car?

I was talking with my battle buddy the other day and she brought something to my attention that I have not realized before. She asked me how I did with my eating plan for the day. I told her I ate two cookies from Subway along with two Veggie Flatizzas. I had been running around most of the day, skipped breakfast, and was starving by mid-afternoon. She said that at other times when she has asked me about eating and I had gotten off plan, it was a similar pattern and I was in my car! She then asked me to drill down as to why I wanted the cookies. My first thought was that I was craving sugar which makes sense - my blood sugar would have been low because of skipping breakfast and lunch. But, when I talked through it with her, I saw some deep rooted issues around food and wanting comfort when I'm in my car. That awareness will help me in the future. I think most of us who have struggled with obesity for many years have deeper rooted issues with food and once we become aware of those issues, we can take the steps we need to face the fears and move past it.

Eating in our car is a common practice these days. We're all time-starved, running around trying to get everything on our to-do list done. I will be going to Indy to a small business conference today, so I know I will be eating in my car at some point along today. However, with my new awareness, I will make sure that I prepare by bringing some fruit so my blood sugar doesn't drop and create those intense cravings that combined with the deeper seated issues makes temptation to binge on junk food overwhelming.

Do you eat in your car? Is that when you are most likely to get off track with your clean eating plan? Do you carry healthy food with you if you know you're going to be away from home for long periods of time? Do you know why you eat what you eat? What purpose does it serve? Is it for nourishment or comfort?

Food for thought.

Kathy

Hibernation Mode

I often joke to my family that I go into hibernation mode in the winter. My body feels like a sleepy bear in the winter. I just want to cozy up on the couch and read or write. Along with that cozy feeling, I want comfort food. Winter seems like an uphill battle when it comes to sticking with an exercise and clean eating routine. I thought maybe it was just me until I was reading "Flip The Switch" by Robert Cooper. Here's what he says:

"A lack of physical movement, no exposure to bright light, skipping breakfast, and other unhealthy A.M. habits can each increase the body's hibernation-like instincts. This casts a long shadow, since you're more likely to store fat and feel tired all day long." 

Wow, does that ever resonate with me! I don't usually skip breakfast, but I often don't have my first meal until mid-morning, which I know isn't a good idea because my body has already went 8-10 hours without food, sometimes longer depending on how late I ate the night before. I feel like I'm solar powered and run out of energy if I don't spend some time in the sun. I know a lot of people who tan in the winter just to get exposure to bright light, but I don't feel that's the healthiest thing for me to do. I have windows and skylights to look out of in the winter, but that's just not the same as being out in the sunshine. I love to go for hikes at the State Parks and can't wait to get started doing that again soon.

Going into hibernation mode sounds like an excuse, probably is, but it feels real to me. I know it's a vicious cycle too because once I eat the comfort (aka junk, processed, sugar-laden) food, it makes me feel sick and tired, then I don't want to workout which makes me feel sick and tired on and on it goes until I'm completely out of the flow. I am holding onto hope that I will bust out of this vicious cycle soon.

Spring cannot come soon enough for me!

Kathy