Food rationing and mindful eating

1/5/13 Day 3 of VLCP.

- day 3 of my sore throat that is now moving into my chest, with sneezing and sinus drainage as well
- after watching the flu season problems in MN, I think we'll try to get vaccines today

The first two days of VLCP have been fairly uneventful. Lunch was a blackened chicken, celery, and orange salad. We both experienced gas after dinner, which was shrimp, tomatoes, garlic, onions, and spinach.  With slight light-headedness last night, I'm starting to experience hunger now, and taking the time to sense it. It's difficult for me to sense when I'm hungry or full. There are alot of resources out there that speak to "mindful eating". 

Robin Woodall offers some great thoughts into food rationing in her book which I will discover more today. The thesis is that we are an overindulgent society due to the overabundance of cheap food. And cheap food can sometimes be the worst kind. I just read that Wendys just expanded their dollar menu to stay in competition with McDonalds. People are choosing combos less often, for both penny- and weight-consciousness. [note: I LOVE McDoubles and small fries]

Mindful eating and food rationing both have environmental and social ramifications as well (not to mention financial). One blog was from a woman who was challenged to buy her food daily for less than $10 a day, with the mandatory order to include chocolate every day. That lasted 5 days, and she averaged $12 a day.  

But what if we did have to scavenge for food every day, and when we had food, needed to make the most of it, in terms of nutrition, cost, quantity, and even flavor? Obviously, foods like rice, dried beans, and flour are much cheaper than meats, seafood, veggies and fruits. One would have to consider that those items were also in very short, limited supply. In warmer climates, produce would be more available than here up north, for which we pay a premium for fresh options.

The point is  - How would you conserve food consumption to make it last as long as possible for your family? Eating only when hungry. Stopping at the first sign of contentment. Looking for the nutritional benefits of what you eat. Enjoying what you eat by focusing on its preparation and flavor, and where you eat, and with an attitude of gratitude.

The tougher questions are: what would you do when you are bored? or, how would you celebrate something without food? Those are killer questions I need to find answers for, which only confirm that much of my identity is tied to food and alcohol. Research is needed for the answers, for me.

"With a change in perspective, suddenly eating less doesn’t feel punishing at all, and weighing yourself as motivation, seems stupid. This view changes what is perceived as emotional hardship—away from the superficiality of weight and emotional eating, to the profound and meaningful importance of life and family. Food instantly is viewed only as a physical necessity and emotional eating is obviously viewed as irrational."


"Relearning to trust the physical cues of hunger requires that you let go of calorie counting, pre-portion controlled foods, and pre-determined meal times. It demands that you end all emotional judgment about food. You must completely start over with your diet so you can develop confidence in your ability to listen to your body when eating—without the extreme opposites of our cultural excess, and without a diet’s control. The goal is to recognize how your body gives feedback, and to allow this feedback to guide when and how much food is needed, since varying foods influence this system differently. After you’ve mastered functional eating, the next goal would be to apply nutritional intelligence to the foods you choose. To be successful, you need to focus on eating functionally before you attempt to learn to eat nutritionally. This requires you to trust and learn to use your sense of hunger. This is where the protocol comes in handy, and why its profound value surpasses the superficiality of weight loss alone."

Woodall, Robin Phipps (2011-11-08). Weight-Loss Apocalypse : Emotional Eating Rehab Through the HCG Protocol (p. 28). AuthorHouse. Kindle Edition.