March 23, 2020 - 192 - "Stress Eating"

 

My Kingdom For A Donut!   

     Oh my Lord.  All I wanted for the past week or so is carbs and sugar, sugar and carbs!  

     For the most part, at home, I am resisting the urge.

     However, on my work trips I've been eating way above my normal servings of C R A P.  (I don't guess I have to specify "work" trips these days. There's no such thing as a "fun" trip...not even to the local store.). 


     Yesterday was especially bad.  A deadheading pilot brought our crew a big box of Dunkin Donuts.  (Apparently, Dunkin Donuts is also on the 'essential workers' list.  Thank heavens/oh no!)  Donuts aren't usually in my wheelhouse...but yesterday nothing in the world sounded like a better idea. 

     I thanked the pilot and took a glazed donut and a cream filled chocolate glazed donut to the back...and immediately inhaled them along with a nice cup of coffee. 

     Then I began to forage through our catered food selections. 

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     I chose a Zoe's salad!

     ...but then accompanied it with a Biscoff cookie.

     ..and some Pringles chips.  I truly don't even think of Pringles as fit for human consumption.  Is there anything in those cans that the body might recognize as beneficial? 

    Anyway...it's hypocritical to even bring that up now because, believe me; I wasn't asking myself questions like that yesterday.

Desperate times - Desperate Measures

    I'm not usually even a stress-eater...but in these times I seem to be willing to make an exception.  

    When we deplaned in Newark, unsure of where we were heading, or when we might get back home (excuses...excuses...excuses)...I grabbed a strawberry-frosted donut on my way off the plane.  

     By then the donuts were cold, and the grease had hardened on mine, and yet I enjoyed every congealed trans-fat morsel.  (I don't actually know if the trans-fat thing is true...Dunkin Donuts might challenge this information...just trying to paint a vivid non-health food picture of this item.) 

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    So then...I got on the flight back home as a passenger.  

    I wasn't hungry.  In fact I felt a little sick. 
(I'm sure this shocks you as much as it did me:  A steady stream of stress and junk food all day...what could possibly go wrong?)

     So...I self-medicated with a hummus wrap.  Then I was good and truly stuffed.

     ...so I thought of my lunch bag.  What's in there that I could eat?  Michael helped me pack food yesterday morning.  He included all sorts of healthy fruits and vegetables.

     ...so I grabbed a container full of buttery mashed potatoes.

     ...and ate them.  Cold. 


     And I'm not ashamed (much) to admit that they were delicious.

Try To Do A Little Better

     A flight attendant told me about a meme on the internet.  It said something to the effect of:  I'll either come out of this scare looking like a rock star...or Jabba the Hutt.  

    I think it's clear which way I'm leaning at this point. 

    Must do better.

    Anne Lamott said it brilliantly in her fabulous and funny Ted Talk where she outlines '12 Things She Knows For Sure'. On Number 9 she says:

     "Speaking of food:  try to do a little better.  I think you know what I mean."

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     While writing this post I remembered there are still leftover mashed potatoes in the fridge!

     So I had some.  Just to give me strength for writing, of course. 

     But I did warm them in the microwave this time. 

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"Don't dig your grave with your knife and fork."

-Old English Proverb

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