Sunday, September 2, 2012

Hungry? Thirsty? Bored? Emotional Rescue?

So I just ate some dinner here in the wee hours, and if I think really hard I will notice that my stomach is full but my brain feels hungry. And now I want to eat, and my tummy is like "Yeah, bring me some M&M's!" What's up with that??

I have read a lot of food blogs, lifestyle articles and diet/exercise journals and many of them indicate that often times a hungry feeling may mean instead that you are really thirsty and just have confused body signals. In my personal case this must surely be a bunch of malarky. Anyone who has seen me at work OR at home knows damn well I always have a cuppa tea or an ice water at my fingertips. I drink more liquid than almost anyone I know.

Since it's not thirst, and since I just ate dinner, the other two reasons for eating now emerge as options. I do tend to feed my emotions and my rationale goes a bit like this: "I don't drink, smoke, do drugs, cheat on my husband, or perform lewd public acts...so if everyone needs to have a vice I choose cookies." Or maybe like this: "This day has been complete hell, I was a horrible mommy today and so I must sweeten myself up with a few bites of this blueberry muffin and a cuppa tea." You get the picture. I even gave my Hubs an ultimatum one night after being driven particularly nuts by my three adorable children:  (in a hysterical tone) "Do you want me to be a drunk or a fatty, because right now I need something to keep me going!" And since he is a good and generous spirit, he peeled me open a peppermint patty and proposed a different option.

So for right now I am not at all emotional--kind of flat but not really upset or anything. It must be the boredom. When I have my book with me I can zone out and not worry about eating for what feels like days but here, at this place, at 3AM, I feel like I simply must have some peanut butter M&M's or time will not move forward! It's the boredom that makes me eat and it's one more reason why I truly feel as if night shift might just be killing me in the long run. It's an ongoing discussion at the homestead but for right now I am stuck, unless I can figure out how to grocery shop for $100 a month or less and pay off my car.

What do you think, does work boredom make you eat more?

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