When did tea become so complicated?
I love our new tea box.
It’s nice not to have our tea in a plastic shoe box anymore!
Everything’s so nice and organized (okay, except the Celestial Seasonsings brand tea that we still keep in the pantry because they come in pillow tea bags)…
and I have loved trying the tea shared with me by Gina, Jen and Erin, and some of your recommendations!
But, I am a bit sick of tea.
And not because I don’t like the way it tastes. Or the fun of making and drinking it. Or the social aspects of it. I actually really enjoy all of that!
I am sick of using tea as a substitute for food.
And no, I am not drinking tea when I should be eating food. I eat plenty of food.
I am sick of trying to control my urges to snack when I don’t need to be snacking, by drinking tea.
I guess I am just sick of having the urge to snack when I am stressed, bored, anxious, nervous, happy, alone, etc. I am sick of having urges to sometimes binge eat, because I am avoiding something. I am sick of living between two extremes – fear of eating too much/and out of control eating.
Why does food have to be so complicated for me?
There have been very few times in my life where I have just been able to eat to fuel my body, without emotion attached.
Sigh.
I hate talking about stuff like this, but I needed to get it out there. I have been trying to get to a healthy weight, and it is frustrating. And not how slow the weight loss is – that is fine! What is frustrating is the “thinking about food so much” part. I hate having food on my mind.
Do you ever feel like you think about food too much? Any tips for me?
Themocracy
Food has definitely had it’s time as the spotlight of my focus & thoughts. Currently, it’s not so much, but I understand where you’re coming from.
What if you pick some food items that you’re always allowed to eat, and make sure they’re healthy? e.g. I’ve told myself I can always have broccoli as a snack, and if I am hungry for a snack outside of regular snack times (I do still eat other snacks, but this is for that 4th snack of day+) then that food will do?
I think about food all the time. I get hungry every 2 hours and I just want to eat and eat and eat. Sometimes if I stay busy at work or home, I can just forget about the hunger but that doesn’t always work.
I’m not much for snacking so I don’t think I’d be of much help. I used to snack in the evenings with my Dad but somewhere along the way I stopped. I keep some snacky foods in my house but I really just don’t eat them. My biggest issues with food is going out for lunches and dinners (or ordering in). I am hoping that when I have my own kitchen I’ll want to cook in it more often than I do now.
You also made me want a glass of tea this morning. 🙂
That’s a tough one, food is so complicated. But do give yourself some credit for coming a long way with healthy eating and excercise. Sometimes the “thinking” about things comes b/c we are trying so hard to “not” think about things. Try embracing it instead of resisting it and see what happens. When a thought crops up again about food, let it in, accept it, tell it “there you are, I knew you’d show up” and let it go. Not sure if that helps…
Yes. I feel like since starting to try to be more healthy back in 2009, I actually think about food a lot more. Unfortunately throwing all the healthy living stuff out the window and eating “intuitively” does not seem to be any better. Sorry you’re dealing with that same preoccupation.
I think about food all the time … and with two kids find that I do a lot of my “eating” on the go. I rarely sit down to have a meal and instead just throw crap in my mouth all day. It makes me unhappy with how I look (and what I weigh) but I cant seem to get a handle on it. I know how you are feeling! But, I wish I would use tea to stop thinking about food. I use food to stop thinking about food 🙁
yes yes yes. Food is hard stuff. Just when I think I get it under control, I know that it isn’t. I’m ridiculously emotional when it comes to food…
I hear ya! I think about food ALL.THE.TIME! Constantly thinking about my next snack, meal, etc and looking at the clock to see if it has been “long enough” since my last meal or snack for me to eat again. If I find myself wanting to eat just because, I try to reach for fruit so I don’t feel so bad, or chug a bunch of water to see if I am just thirsty…
*hugs*
I wish I had some advice for you. I seem to have skipped the emotional eating rollercoaster but I do sometimes eat when I’m bored. I find that just not having “snack stuff” around makes it less likely I will randomly graze or eat too much. I do think about food a lot, though, and sometimes wish we could just take pills to get our nutrition so that I didn’t have to worry about meals and shopping and everything else.
I’m really glad you put this post up. I’ve gained so much weight since November, and between being so stressed out and developing the TMJ, I’m not doing better at all. I can’t chew gum or carrots which were my afternoon staples to fight off the snack attacks. 🙁 Everyone keeps telling me to drink more water…I already drink water all day long! I’m looking forward to seeing all the input on this.
I think about food all. the. time. Constantly. I’m sitting at Subway having just finished my breakfast, excited that after class (2pm) I will get to have lunch!!!
I think food is complicated for everyone. I’ve been doing a lot of boredom eating lately. Its not good.
I think about food all the time too. A couple of things that help me:
*Not training so much – Now that I’m not IM training, I’m not as hungry. Now, I do shorter, more intesive workouts and I’m not craving food as much. Plus, I feel better and I’m stonger.
*Meal planning – we’ve talked about this and it helps!
*Staying busy
*Eating fewer meals – I know, I know…all the “experts” say we should snack. However, there’s a lot of evidence that says we shouldn’t. When we were cavemen (I know that was a LONG time ago) we didn’t snack. We fasted and gorged. When we could eat, we ATE! It’s a WHOLE different mindset. I’m actually experimenting with this now and I like the way I feel. But, that’s me…
Just my 2 cents…
Ha! You fooled me! I thought this post was going to be about tea…and it turns out it’s about that awful feeling you get when you would really like to stop thinking about food so much. Yes, yes, yes – I can relate. I could eat all day, seriously. Tell me if you figure it out, because I would love to solve this one, too.
Oh, and if you email me your postal address I am going to send you a couple of bags of my favorite tea to go in your cute tea box! Hang in there – it might not get better but at least we’re in this together!
Sorry! I didn’t mean to trick you! 🙂
I am not sure if I am going to figure this out any time soon. I am getting better, that’s for sure, but I still have my moments of binge eating crappy food.
I am happy I have another blogger friend who can relate!
Love the new header! Run, cougar thingy, run!
I can not give you any good advice, because I love food, and I like to eat food, and I think about food all the time. I envy the people that seem to eat to live and not live to eat. I just can’t be like that. You do train hard, maybe you need the food? Maybe it’s a matter of what kind of snacks you are eating?
I envy those people too. I think my siblings are like that. It’s hard to believe we have the same parents (maybe we don’t – scandal!!!).
When I am genuinely hungry for a snack, I eat healthy. It’s when I am eating out of boredom that I eat a bunch of crap. So I should just surround myself with healthy snacks! Except NOT strawberries 😉
i like your tea box. i’m super jealous. since shopping at trader joe’s i’ve gotten to only buying a few kinds…. and they all come in pillow tea bags (new term to me) i should hit up a different store (whole foods, perhaps?) and get some different kinds.
i used to drink tea instead of eat snacks. i didn’t even realize i was doing it, but i always had a cup of green tea in my hand for about 2 years when working at a lawfirm. i guess it kept me from going to the snack machine…..
i hate the “up and down” with eating. my body weight does the same thing…. balance is hard.
Yup, i’ve been there with the food & eating stuff. I recommend trying to incorporate more protein and veggies to prevent wanting snacks. And i think drinking tea is a great habit, and we’ve gotten into fancy green tea, too.
I was hoping trying some protein powder would help, but it was gross. I guess I should go the nut route!
Thanks for commenting!
I love your new tea box!
And I’ll be no help in the thinking about food department. Marathon training ruined me … because I had to increase what I was eating during that time and it’s been a very difficult road cutting back how much I eat (and even worse, how much my brain thinks I should be eating). I need to read through your comments, but if you find out the key, please share with me. Pretty please!
I know this feeling all too well. Today, especially, I was back to wondering if I’ll ever find my happy weight and ever gain control over my eating habits. I’m actually not too bad at snacking. As long as I’m keeping busy, it helps me to forget about food. It’s the meals where I tend to overeat (and always think I need something sweet afterward!).
The best advice I can give is to have something healthy on hand to snack on. Our bodies do need fuel and sometimes that urge to snack is a real urge to eat! And sometimes it’s not. But if you eliminate all the bad choices, only leaving yourself with GOOD choices, it can be easier to make the decision. I know I’ve seen this in my own life.
I actually stopped thinking about food all the time when I decided to properly fuel my body AND to not make anything “taboo”. For me, that would just KILL me. I had unrealistic expectations of what I *should* eat and why. These days, I do try to eat fairly healthy foods and that has helped a lot, but anything is game, more or less.
One other thing – I find that when I increase my exercise/training, I eat a lot more.
This post SPEAKS TO ME. No joke, I do the same thing, and I also struggle with thinking about food. As for feeling out of control, I try to remind myself to eat in a way that wouldn’t embarrass me in front of other people. If I feel like I want to eat handfuls of cereal out of a box, I try to remember that I wouldn’t want my classmates to see me eat like a slob, so I reign it in.
Your tea box is super classy. I want one!
That is a great idea – just ask myself “Would I be ashamed if anyone saw me eating this way?” I think that would help! (Which is ironic, because I usually don’t care at all what others think of me, but think that would be a good trick!)
Add me to the me too list on this one! I so wish I could just not think about food. I’m also using tea A LOT to help me with cravings. My current favorite is Tazo Joy made as iced tea with the Keurig Coffeemaker we got for Christmas. (Seriously…BEST. GIFT. EVER.)
When it comes to food, I try to remember to ask myself how I will feel if I eat it/don’t eat it and also how I want to feel. Most of the time that reminds me that I want to feel healthy and in control. But UGH, I’m so jealous of the people who don’t struggle with this! 🙂
Ugh, I only drink hot tea when I’m sick.
I currently have no desire to eat. I’m finally at a point in my life where I am expected to get fat, but I don’t want to eat. Where was this lack of desire when I was dieting?
I think about food all day long. And now that I’m pregnant and I think about it even more, I’ve decided to embrace it…but I do generally think that I’m a bit obsessive. I try and drink water or tea, but like you, I also get sick of trying to distract myself. I feel your pain sister.
I think about it all the time. And probably eat too much of it — not during the day, but at night. I love it and am scared of it at the same time. It’s something I rarely verbalize, but it’s the honest truth.