[Mindful i Mouse] Pleasant Fullness

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Yesterday had it's moments of flukiness with trucking dispatching, but it is all sorted out and we will be heading to TX again. Anything to keep out of the winter storm area's as long as we can. We got a message about all the rollovers and jacknifes for the company. So frightening and sad. It is warm here in CA, we saw 86 degrees on the truck's thermometer, but that can be a bit high because all the trucks parked together can stir up the heat. Still, nice to not have to even wear a jacket! I noticed that although I ate slowly last night, I wasn't much interested in eating. It was harder to find the mmmmm moment so I just let it go. Tonight, I don't want anything except the sausages and I plan on even keeping the lunch light. While I am doing good with the mindful eating part, I am still not taking the time to gauge hunger. I read last night about how there are levels to hunger, that biological hunger is quickly gone after the first few bites and that after that it's not longer about satisfying hunger but about finding the pleasant full satisfaction moment. It was also about making our own decisions about which meals to have our own guidelines about just how full we want to feel. Since many of us pretty much have a routine with breakfast and lunch (often eating the same amount day in and day out), perhaps those meals don't need as much mindfulness to when we are full as dinner might. This made me think about how routine my meals on the truck are. We have enough food to get through 5 weeks. After 2 years, we know exactly how much we need of the sausages, cheese, eggs, coffee and olive oil. The fresh foods like the tomatoes, onions, cucumbers and carrots are bought when we have a chance to stop at a Walmart that allows truck parking. So our meals are pretty much rationed. I am not faced with second helpings or larger portions at any of my meals. I make the same meals, the same amounts, everyday. We do occasionally eat at a restaurant, mainly to just get off the truck for a change of pace, but as I learn how to find the best edible low carb items from the menu, I am usually telling them what to remove from the serving rather than deal with a large portion size. So it is hard for me to try and work on this thing about stopping when pleasantly full. What would I do with the rest of the food? It not like being at home where I could concoct another meal with bits of leftovers. Eating on the truck is very much routine. But I am intrigued by the idea. Pavel mentions that sometimes we may choose certain meals, to eat past that pleasant fullness. I love that the word pleasant is used. I use to think that I had to stop the moment I was no longer hungry and I did observe that the moment I am no longer hungry is after a couple of bites! It seemed so unfair! But to eat past the neutral feeling of no hunger to pleasant fullness sounds like the place I really like to be. And now I understand why we need to take the time to pay attention to where that point is. However, it seems to me that it is more important to do that in a situation where the food is plentiful. For me, I have long learned to eat the amount I know doesn't make me feel full. I have done that for such a long time by eating from a small bowl. I visualize that amount as the amount my stomach holds comfortably. So again, I am just not sure how to incorporate finding pleasant fullness by just eating, I have found it through a visual cue, not a body cue. I may let this one go for now, but keep it in my thoughts when I on home-time. THAT is where I have had the most trouble with my eating. Since my hunger seems to have dropped off the face of the planet through ketosis, I also feel it's hard to gauge hunger cues. Funny that I use to worry about eating too much but lately I worry about eating too little. I eat because it is time to feed my husband, not exactly the ideal for me. Only once in awhile do I feel hunger strongly. I have not helped that cue along since I have a snack of raw pecans every day. Today I will drop the pecans and wait to eat them only when I feel true hunger outside a meal time. To keep them in my range of foods, I will just add a few to my lunch. I think the nuts have kept the hunger at bay. It’s hard to have so many ideas swirling in my head and wanting to write them all down. But I must get on with my day, I am working on a commission for costuming and hand stitching takes a lot of time. Tomorrow is weigh in day! I am hoping to be down 2 pounds. That would be 235. --

Posted By i Mouse to Mindful i Mouse at 1/14/2011 07:16:00 AM