Portion Control and Eating Mindfully

This could be me

Do you ever eat like you didn't miss the workout?  I sort of thought I might get in a later evening workout tonight.  I needed a good 6 mile-ish tempo run that did not get in as I spent most of my day rushing to pre-school orientations and then home to get everyone down for naps.  My hope was to get in a run when my husband came home from work AND in my excitement about doing that, I ate the other half of my child's cheeseburger dinner, some fries, a bunch of carrots, AND a bowl of leftover cheesy quinoa from last night.  SO MUCH FOOD.  So much food.  I held out hope that my run would happen until it was 7:40 PM, and I was rocking the baby to sleep for the SECOND time, and I just gave up.  It was dark, going to the gym just wasn't in me, and now I am sitting on the couch stuffed with way too much food.

More and more, if the workout does not happen before 2:00 PM, there is no way it will happen.  No way.  If I had a treadmill in my house, I can see getting in a lot of nap time runs.  However, I scarcely have anywhere to put my children, let alone a treadmill.  In my dream world, I have somewhere to put a treadmill.

Anyway, I have sometimes thought of visiting a nutritionist to discuss portion control.  The reason for this is that in occurs to me often that I do not eat until I am full or until I am sustained; I eat until it is gone.  Whether it is chocolate or quinoa or guacamole, I finish it.  Uncomfortably full is how I live.  Now it is generally great food, (please ignore my half cheeseburger confession from earlier in the post) but still.

And actually, more than a nutritionist.  I would like to research mindful eating.  There was this great article in the NYTimes about the principal behind relishing your food and making an effort to sit down and enjoy what you put in your mouth.  There is a whole study of eating that focuses on finding joy in your food as opposed living your life like a Japanese eating contest, which is pretty much how I roll.  I would like for my children to eat with me without the fear that the mother might eat all of her food and theirs, and MAYBE them?

There has to be a better way than my current way.  The half-cheeseburger was good tonight, however.  I mean it was really good.  Also, to redeem myself, I did get in my bike ride this morning and it was a pretty fast 17 miles.  The tempo run was important though, and I missed it.