I can understand the cravings, the not being able to stop, the hunger.
Part of this need made me realize early that I was probably prone to addictions. I happily embraced not liking the smell of cigarettes (and later, marijuana). I was glad that I didn’t like the smell of beer or alcohol. Any tastes of those “vices” just confirmed what the smell told me: yuck! I was happy because I felt that if I had liked them, I would have taken up smoking or drinking and I would become addicted; I would be the chain-smoker, the alcoholic.
(Another big factor that kept me from drugs and drinking was that I didn’t want to lose control. I had fainted too many times as a pre-teen, and it’s an awful feeling to regain consciousness and not know what has happened. Worse was after surgery, where I couldn’t remember getting dressed or speaking with the doctor – so, to not remember things I had actually done! This loss of control may, or may not, bother you!)
So perhaps I became addicted to eating. I used to be gung-ho about things. About running, cooking, gardening, cleaning. Some would say I am obsessive-compulsive about such things. So did I become gung-ho about eating? The only problem is, I didn't want to be gung-ho about eating. Why can't I be gung-ho about not eating? (Well, first of all, it is equally as dangerous to starve yourself.)
And then what happens when you do eat the right things and exercise, and still you gain weight? That is a conundrum the medical world has not yet figured out.
In a normal world, you can listen to your body and it will tell you what you need. But these days, our bodies are so out of balance, that it begins telling you that you need more fat or sugar or ...
What can we do?
Step one: can you figure out why you are eating so much, or eating the wrong things?
Are you eating because you are bored? If you are simply bored and find yourself going to eat, that’s when you should substitute another activity, like going to the gym or knitting.
Are you eating because of association? You can get into a bad habit by reading when you eat, which becomes eating whenever you read. So you should eat at a dining room table and do nothing else, and then you’ll want to hurry and finish eating to get back to your reading! Also, do not eat when watching TV.
Are you eating to stay awake? Instead of eating, chew (sugarless) gum.
Are you eating because you are depressed? Sometimes you don’t really feel depressed or sad. Maybe anxious, or frustrated. Maybe angry or irritated. And you eat to feel better, and often you do feel better, and that makes you want to eat more to feel even better, etc. This is the hard one to solve. A good night’s sleep is the best thing to deal with a normal immediate depression, anxiety, anger, fear, etc. Your body repairs itself and gets itself back into balance during different sleep phases. All these feelings are normal if they last a day or two. It is not normal if they last weeks. That is when you need medical help to get things back in balance.
If you can figure out a specific reason for eating binges, then hopefully you can find a solution. But when you can’t figure it out, it sure makes it harder.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Laundry Tip - Sorting?
I think everyone knows about sorting laundry, especially separating whites and colors. You used to have to separate delicates from heavier items like towels, too!
But sometimes you don't have enough clothing to fill the washing machine, and you always want a full load. For the environment's sake, don't waste water and wash partial loads!
Now, I am actually going to recommend a commercial product! I know I try to use natural products, but this time... I use Color Catcher by Shout. You throw a small sheet in the washing machine with a mixture of whites and colors, and if any colors are going to run, this sheet magically collects them. You can re-use the sheet for multiple loads, until it turns a dark purplish gray and you feel like it has soaked up enough color!
We have a front-loading washing machine, which recommends that you combine a variety of weights of clothing. So the towels don't get washed separately. If you have something so delicate that you wouldn't put it in with a towel, perhaps it needs to be handwashed.
So instead of sorting, I hope as you add clothes to the washing machine, you are:
1) Checking all pockets (Sometimes the only allowance I receive is change from pockets, with an occasional bonus of a dollar bill! Although money goes through the wash without a problem, it's the tissue and crayons that you want to keep out of the washing machine!)
2) Pre-treating all stains (If you don't have time to scrub them by hand, then by all means, use the Shout Stain Remover. I prefer the gel over the spray, since the gel goes right on the stain, while the spray goes everywhere!)
3) Treating all stinky spots with vinegar (See Laundry Tip - Vinegar)
4) Making sure all velcro closures are closed, so that the "hooks" aren't exposed to grab at other clothing
5) Closing all zippers
6) Hooking bras, again so that hooks aren't free to grab
7) Unbunching socks (a scrunched-up sock will stay that way and not seem to get clean inside the crunched parts!)
8) Tying strings together, like the strings on a hooded sweatshirt or on a men's bathing suit. If you don't tie them together, one end could get caught on a velcro hook and get pulled out entirely. And what a pain it is to string it back through!
But sometimes you don't have enough clothing to fill the washing machine, and you always want a full load. For the environment's sake, don't waste water and wash partial loads!
Now, I am actually going to recommend a commercial product! I know I try to use natural products, but this time... I use Color Catcher by Shout. You throw a small sheet in the washing machine with a mixture of whites and colors, and if any colors are going to run, this sheet magically collects them. You can re-use the sheet for multiple loads, until it turns a dark purplish gray and you feel like it has soaked up enough color!
We have a front-loading washing machine, which recommends that you combine a variety of weights of clothing. So the towels don't get washed separately. If you have something so delicate that you wouldn't put it in with a towel, perhaps it needs to be handwashed.
So instead of sorting, I hope as you add clothes to the washing machine, you are:
1) Checking all pockets (Sometimes the only allowance I receive is change from pockets, with an occasional bonus of a dollar bill! Although money goes through the wash without a problem, it's the tissue and crayons that you want to keep out of the washing machine!)
2) Pre-treating all stains (If you don't have time to scrub them by hand, then by all means, use the Shout Stain Remover. I prefer the gel over the spray, since the gel goes right on the stain, while the spray goes everywhere!)
3) Treating all stinky spots with vinegar (See Laundry Tip - Vinegar)
4) Making sure all velcro closures are closed, so that the "hooks" aren't exposed to grab at other clothing
5) Closing all zippers
6) Hooking bras, again so that hooks aren't free to grab
7) Unbunching socks (a scrunched-up sock will stay that way and not seem to get clean inside the crunched parts!)
8) Tying strings together, like the strings on a hooded sweatshirt or on a men's bathing suit. If you don't tie them together, one end could get caught on a velcro hook and get pulled out entirely. And what a pain it is to string it back through!
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