Comfort eating is triggered by feeling deprived.
My husband, Angel just walked into my office with a ‘daddy sandwich’ on a plate. He paused to give me a kiss and to offer me a bite of his sandwich before he headed into his office to start the day.
A Daddy sandwich is the term that my kids and I created that describes a sandwich that Angel made. Here at home we loooovvvvve Daddy Sandwiches.
It’s really just a nice regular old sandwich made with real bread, different combinations of cold cuts like ham, turkey, cheese, sometimes salami all spread with mayonnaise.
As a former dieter perpetually watching my weight, my idea of a sandwich was a couple of thin, tasteless lite-as air slices of bread that reminded me of chewing on a pillow. Between the wispy bits of bread, there was a slice or two of the lowest fat meat, cheese or meat substitute that I could find. I’d also add tomatoes and lettuce which inevitably would soak right through the lite bread of my sandwiches making a soggy mess of my meal.
To my way of thinking, I would never have spent calories or points on a real honest to goodness sandwich. It was just too big a calorie expenditure for me. The kinds of sandwiches that I was raised on by my Nana would easily have exceeded at least a half day’s food quota on any diet.
So I lusted after sandwiches for many years, wanting them and yet never giving in and actually eating them while I was dieting because I didn’t feel that they were worth the cost and consequently because I wanted them so very much, I ate them with a voraciousness and mindless hunger that led me to swallow them in the blink of an eye and wonder if I really did eat a sandwich and why on earth was I still so hungry.
Now I can eat sandwiches all the time and suddenly I find that a bite or two satisfies my desire. I no longer need to eat the way that I used to because I derive my satisfaction from knowing that I have choices.
So it was lovely to realize that when Angel walked in and offered me a bite of his sandwich, I took a mouse sized bite, gave him a big hug and a kiss and thanked him for sharing. I didn’t want anymore food. I realized what I really wanted was to take a nap.
I’m off to catch 40 winks and whenever my body tells me that I’m really hungry, then I’ll get myself something to eat. Who knows maybe I’ll make a daddy sandwich.
How about you? Have you realized that you have more control over food than you thought you did? If you’re a woman struggling with emotional eating and find that food is cluttering up all the spaces in your life, then come join my Juicy Woman Yahoo group and get a taste of some real honest to goodness sister support that works to help you to overcome food obsession as you slowly and naturally take steps to lose weight without dieting.