OSB #3 Week 7: Mindful Eating and the Clean Plate Club

Morning peeps! Did you have a fabulous weekend? I DID!

It was super social and super fun. Friday night I went out for Japanese with Miss Steph and Steph and our bikini baby Lisa. We had a blast gossiping about gym, food, comps (what else do figure girls talk about lol) and ofcourse boys! Saturday i had a friends 38th birthday down at Broadbeach. We went to this amazing restaurant called Koi. The food was sensational. I had this coconut and macadamia encrustred Barramundi on a tiger prawn, with saffron and lemon scented risotto and steamed bok choy. SO good. Then to top it off i SHARED dessert, a delicious Chocolate Lava Pudding. The main street was closed off and guess who was singing? Kate Cebrano. Not typically my type of music but it made for a great atmosphere.

On the food side of things i will be upfront now and say that last week was a complete write off lol. It was just one of those social weeks where I ate out way more than usual, ate way more 'treats' than usual and for that reason Ms Fluid Fairy is taking her sweet-arse time to... FUCK OFF! You know me, Miss gluten and dairy intolerant grrrrrr hence the mega fluid retention! But thats ok, i'm dealing with it. No excuses, i've let go, learnt and moved on! ;-)

16/08/2010 Week 6
Weight: 62.6kg

23/08/2010 Week 7
Weight: 63.2kg

Difference: 600g GAIN .... yes we are playing the scale game AGAIN!

One thing i'm going to let you in on is that i am half way through the book Naturally Thin by Bethenny Frankel. Its been a great read so far...i have NO desire to be 'thin/skinny' but i do have a desire to be Naturally LEAN. I will NOT be that yo-yo dieter anymore and i will soon have my sexy-bitch body that i WILL be keeping for life...just watch me!

I'm picking up some great pointers on how 'naturally thin' girls stay that way. Ofcourse genetics play some role in body maekup, bone structure, fat distribution etc BUT what i am learning is that 'naturally thin' girls have a different relationship with food to the girls who aren't 'naturally thin' YET! So over the course of the upcoming weeks i will be implementing her 'rules' into my life.

1. This week i am working on 'losing my membership to the 'clean plate club'.'

I never used to belong to this club till my food/fat issues began with mum (ex-hemorrhoid) when i was 15. I was always one of those kids who took FOREVER to eat their food.... hmmm 30 mins to eat a peanut-butter sandwich for breakie was a good day. My slowness used to drive my parents crazy lol.

Bethenny writes that 'naturally thin' girls 'eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full'. Pretty simple hey, just think about it. Its pretty hard to pile on the kgs when you are not overeating (providing you're exercising and making good food choices ofcourse). It got me thinking that in some respect, following a strict 'diet plan' that tells you EXACTLY what to eat causes you to disconnect with your body and your hunger. You eat because it is x o'clock, you  eat x grams of this, x tbsp of that and so forth. You stop listening to what your body actually wants/needs.... (N.B. I'm not writing in regards to comp prep, that is a totally different ball game).

So basically what Bethenny is saying, if you become full 1/2 way or 3/4 way through a meal- STOP EATING! Whats the point of consuming more calories just because your plate is not clean or because you 'have' to? 'Naturally thin' girls do this automatically, they LISTEN to their body. My "STOP" button has been lost for a LONG time, so i have finally decided it is time to send out a search party and bring her back to mumma!

As you may recall, i'm also shying away from the bodybuilding rules (meal timing and strict C:P:F ratios) which is working well in my favour. I know that i will never be that 66-67kg girl again (that requires way TOO much food and stress lol) and i'm not too far off being that 60-61kg girl... My meals are still structured very well but i have cut back on quite a bit of protein which my body just does not need now. To get to my goal will require a bit of tweaking...

In conjunction with the 'clean-plate rule' comes 'conscious/mindful eating'. By that i mean, not eating in front of the TV, computer, whilst driving, whilst prepping other food etc. I'm sure you've been guilty of eating this way at times. Suddenly your meal has disappeared and you didn't even remember tasting it. Thats because you inhaled it! So no more two-timing lol

I've noticed that when i just focus on eating:
1. It takes me way longer to finish my meal (remember i am naturally slow lol)
2. I enjoy my meal
3. My stomach fills up quite fast and i feel satisfied.
4. And because i am satisfied there is no urge to open the fridge and/or pantry and stare into space!.... then walk back 5 mins later and stare some more lol

Breaking the binge (and overeating) is complicated but i know it CAN be conquered and I know i WILL conquer it. I know it will take time and persistance. I am learning new pointers every week and creating new habits. I am becoming stronger, more resiliant and more aware of my body, my emotions and the crazy world that is my life.