Hungry? That's not when you eat

Today I am looking at all the reasons why I eat, or at least the ones I have identified in the past. I wish it were the times when I don’t eat – it would be a much shorter list. I could sum it up simply with; when I feel content and fulfilled. So, in alphabetical oder;

B is for Belgian Chocolate when bored
Chewing is doing something. So eating while watching tv probably increases my brain function beyond what it would be if I just sat there like a zombie. I’ve come to realise that when I walk to the kitchen while watching tv, it’s not that I’m hungry, just bored even when I think I’m enjoying and learning. I don’t think the brain is used to spacing out in a vegetative state – just try not thinking for 5 minutes. For an equivalent or slightly higher mental state, I should either be asleep or meditating. During sleep my brain does lots of exciting things like dreaming; when meditating it’s doing cool things like not thinking about anything. Especially food.

C is for Chocolate Cake when in need of comfort
If I’m stressed, I eat. If I just got through a difficult day, I eat extra as a reward. Upset, jealous, lonely, I eat. When feeling fat, I eat. Angry, exhausted or anxious, that’s right, I eat. So, you get the picture. In fact the only time I don’t eat that much is when I feel really content.

F is for Filling up just in case
I don’t like being hungry, really hungry, like when I haven’t eaten in about 4 hours. My primitive brain tells me, that while times are good (this meal) I should eat a little more so when times are lean (before the next meal) I have some in reserve. And because I am good at stockpiling, the system is working great! I keep some ‘in reserve’ for times when I’m not within 30 minutes of being able to acquire my next meal. I think that only happens on international flights on certain airlines.

O is for Orgasmic food
Perhaps I’m unusual, but the thing I never understood in “French Women Don’t Get Fat” is that I don’t get bored when eating amazing food. I just want to keep eating and eating and eating and eating and you get the picture. In fact one of life’s blessings is tastebuds. Eating is the simplest pleasure I can image, simply because it has to be done, but it’s actually enjoyable…unlike doing tax returns…unless you are an accountant. I think that goes under P for procrastination.

P is for Pecan Pie when Procrastinating
What’s the best thing to do when staring at a blank page on the computer screen? Indulge your creativity with some chocolate cake. It always seems that on the way to the fridge, ideas just seem to flow! Generally while the page is still empty, but all other sources of procrastination have been expended like reading other blogs, reading the news, checking out what the celebrities are doing, food is my saviour. Yes, that would be the old avoiding technique – eating to avoid other challenging activities. Eat cake or do tax…eat cake or do tax…which would you chose?

V is for human Vacuum cleaner
If it’s on my plate, I’ll eat it. Simple. I can’t stand food waste. There is so much environmental damage done by food production. Worse still is leaving meat on a plate. I cannot leave meat on a plate in a restaurant even if my stomach is threatening explosion. If it died to be on my plate, I couldn’t bear the thought of it’s flesh being thrown away. Animals destined for food production already suffer enough, it seems an insult to kill them and then have their meat go to waste.

Notice the lack of the letter H?