Friend of Julie: It's Time for an Evolution

My eating routine has evolved since I started eating the key-way. I used to think the time of day determined when or if I was hungry. Every morning I would get out of bed and it was immediately time for breakfast. At the strike of noon, I was hungry. A clock, I've learned, has nothing to do with hunger.

My eating routine completely evolved on the morning after my first session when I got out of bed and I did something I hadn’t done since I was 19 years old - I skipped breakfast. I just wasn’t hungry. The fact that I had woken up that morning fully embracing the concept to eat only when I'm hungry shocked me, but it felt good and it felt right, so I went with it.

It’s four years later and I still don’t eat breakfast - most days. I say most days, because my appetite changes from time to time. With no ties to the clock, I usually eat between 11-2 and then again between 5-8. There are mornings when I am hungry and I have breakfast, days when I’m not hungry and skip lunch or dinner completely, and days when I don’t eat at all. Yes, there are times when I don't eat for a day or two. Talk about shocker! Once again, it feels good and it feels right, so I go with it.

As I was writing this piece, I realized I was hungry. I noticed the time, 10:50am, as I got up from my computer. I wasn’t looking at the clock to determine if I was hungry, those days are long gone, I needed to keep an eye on the time so I wouldn't miss an appointment.

I heated up the last of yesterday's homemade chicken soup and as I stirred the soup I thought about a conversation I had with blog contributors at our potluck this past weekend. A few of us discussed the possibility that we may be using the concept to eat when you hungry to allow ourselves to eat too much.

Is it possible that we're on a plateau because we're eating too much? 

As I write this, my immediate response is:

If you think you’re eating too much, then you probably are.

Can it really be this simple? Yes, I believe it is this simple.

Looking at my bowl of chicken soup, I wondered if one bowl of soup would be enough.

Of course it’s enough – it’s a whole bowl of chicken, vegetables, and broth! 

The day before I made chicken soup from a whole chicken. At lunch I ate some of the chicken when it was still warm. At dinner, I ate three bowls of soup. Or was it four?

But that’s okay - right? Everything I ate was on program. The chicken-vegetable ratio was spot on. Sure, everything I ate was on program, but did I really need to eat that many bowls? Was I really that hungry?

I knew the answer: probably not.

I'm at a turning point in my weight loss journey and the answer to this question is essential:

Am I ready to evolve once again on my weight loss journey?

Yes,  I'm ready to evolve my weight loss program. Reaching my goal size depends on this evolution. This feels good and it feels right, so I'm going for it. 

What about you? Is it time for an evolution in your weight loss evolution?