Stressed Out by Food

There used to be a restaurant in Rhode Island that offered an "all you can eat" seafood buffet for something like $45.00. You could fill your plate with shrimp, lobster,steak or prime rib. They had all types of shellfish and side dishes and if that wasn't enough, there was a huge selection of desserts. I never went there because I knew I would feel pressured to overeat in order to get my money's worth. That sort of stress would completely destroy my appetite. A normal portion at a regular restaurant is usually more than I can eat. I remember my grandmother obsessing over food left on her plate when dining out. It seemed like such a waste to her and she always wished that she could be allowed to order from the childrens' menu. Now that I'm older, I can relate to that. I wish I could get a sandwich without such a huge mound of fries. I like baked potatoes, but not if they're the size of my head.

In the past I've been prescribed medications that require that they be taken with food. I would get up in the morning and dread having to eat some sort of food in order to swallow the pill. If not for the medication, I would probably be delighted at the prospect of a delicious breakfast. Some of these medications were to be taken two or three times a day. That would create a whole day of pressure to choke down three meals for three pills.

When my children were babies, I tried nursing for a time. Of course mother's milk relies on the mother taking in nutrients. This always set up a mental block for me. I would try to eat a sandwich or soup at lunchtime and practically be in tears because I just couldn't eat. Then someone told me that beer was an excellent way to enrich my milk. Well, if I thought the sandwich was difficult to swallow, the beer was impossible.

So now I'm trying to eat wisely and lightly in order to lose some weight. I decided early on that a good breakfast for me would be oatmeal and fruit. I've heard that oatmeal is good for the heart and does something to regulate cholesterol. I like oatmeal...oatmeal is not the problem. If you were to ask me what kind of fruit I like, I'd probably say bananas. Bananas are my favorite until I have them in the house. Suddenly there is pressure to eat them quickly because bananas go bad. As you can see by the above picture, once again, my appetite has been affected by food stress. So I guess the best thing for me to do, in order to lose weight, is go on some medication that needs to be taken with food, eat only at "all you can eat" buffets, buy bananas and have another baby...oh wait, that's impossible.

It is day six and I'm still walking and dieting. :)