There are many times when I overeat, but when I’m tired, there is no stopping me: Anything is fair game. For example, I’m not a fan of Saltines, but if I’m tired, a whole sleeve can disappear in seconds flat.
Perhaps I eat because I need the energy. But a sleeve of Saltines — or a box of cookies, a package of Twizzlers, a carton of ice cream — might cause a momentary burst of energy, but it’s just that: a Band-aid. Plus, all these goodies cause my blood sugar to peak and crash, and my inner voice to start the assault on how little willpower I have. And what does that cause? I just keep eating.
I started to think about the tired/overeating connection this past weekend, when we were visiting our daughter, Caitlin, our son-in-law, Jim, our darling granddaughter, Sammy, and our brand new darling, Bailey Kate. It was a perfect few days, except for my lack of sleep, which led to some overeating. I thought I was going to escape Halloween candy this year, but of course we were in trick-or-treat heaven down South, which meant lots of leftover Kit Kat bars, definitely not my favorite, but they sure tasted good around mid-afternoon. And Sammy’s stash of white chocolate covered pretzels — let’s just say I owe her a package the next time we visit. What grandmother steals treats from her granddaughter? Guess I do.
Flying home Tuesday night, I thought long and hard about what I ate, when I ate it, and why. My conclusion: I was exhausted, ergo I ate. I attacked the goodies late afternoon and after dinner, the two times I have always been prone to overeating. And why? Because the stuff tasted so good.
But here’s how my life has changed. I woke up yesterday and got on the scale to face the music. Never would have done that in the past. I would have waited at least a week to get my weight back to normal. But the biggest surprise of all: I guess I wasn’t as horrid as I thought, because I only gained a pound.
The other surprise: I packed my food for the day and ate really well. Oatmeal, lots of fruits and veggies, and a quinoa/red bean salad for dinner. And remember that pound I gained? Gone!
Oh my gosh, when I read the title of this post I saw myself. I just figured out that's a big part of my eating problem- I eat when I'm tired, and I'm non-discriminatory at those times. I mean, I tend to lean toward sweet, bready foods (cake, cinnamon rolls, doughnuts, etc.) but in their absence, I'll eat just about whatever, and way more than I should. but I feel like I'm always tired, and I don't get enough rest (4 kids, and 2 of them are 2years old and 7weeks, so I'm really NOT getting enough sleep, lol), but I can't keep this up if I want to be around for them when they're my age, kwim? Glad to see I'm not the only one, and for the encouragement/ advice.
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