I Like to Move It, Move It!

I've started participating in races... I might be crazy, but here's the story.

November 14, 2010 I participated in my first ever 5K.  It was a benefit for a family friend who was diagnosed with Stage IV Melenoma (today, after many chemo treatments, he is in remission!).  Since it was November, and quite cold out, I mostly speed walked.  I ran for the first minute, then had to walk the rest while pushing Naomi in the stroller.  There were a couple times when I wasn't sure I could make it; it was very hard to breath.  But when I saw Brother Teemant running, I knew that I could do it, if I would slow down, use my inhaler, and let my pride and embarrassment over needing to use my inhaler go.  I finished with a time of 59:29.

This past weekend, I participated in my first ever BYU Splash and Dash.  I was in the Beginner's heat, so I did a 1/4 mile swim and 3K.  I'd also lost over 17 lbs. between these races.  The swim was first; I shared my lane with a woman who has competed in this event the last 3 or 4 years.  She beat me soundly in the swim, finishing her 8.5 laps before I had reached 5 laps.  I was the last one out of the pool with a swim time of 12:58.  It was a running clock, so it kept running while I was changing from my swim suit into my running clothes.  My stuff was in the locker room; but apparently most people just put on a pair of shorts and t-shirt over their swim suit by the door where they ran out of the pool area and started the race.  Oops.  I changed as fast as I could, and met Brad by the start of the 3K and we stared out.  About 2-3 minutes later, I told Brad I couldn't keep going or I was going to wet myself-- who knew swimming could make you have to pee so bad?-- and in my haste to start the 3K, I didn't use the bathroom.  So we turned around, I used the bathroom, and we started the 3K section over again.

My action plan was to listen to my body, and most importantly, my lungs.  I took my inhaler right after getting out of the pool before changing and starting the race.  I started the race at a light jog, setting distance goals for myself along the way.  Brad was at my side to coach and push Naomi in the stroller.  I would look ahead and tell Brad my goal, "I'm going to jog from this turn to the next crosswalk," and such.  If I couldn't breath, I allowed myself to stop and use my inhaler, no matter who could see me.  Breathing was more important than being embarrassed that I couldn't run without stopping.  According to Brad's time which he started when I started the 3K the second time, I finished it in roughly 28-29-ish minutes.  The official time on record is 45:57.  My total official time was 58:53 for the whole thing. I had the second to last place time for swimming (3rd to last if you count the person who did the swim, but didn't finish the whole race), and I was dead last for the whole thing.

But...
I FINISHED!!!  I never thought I would compete in something like this.  It was so much fun!  So what if I was dead last?  I had a great time; I accomplished something that even only 3 months ago, I NEVER thought I could do in my life.  It feels so good.  I feel strong.  I am so grateful to my Father in Heaven who has heard my pleas for help to become healthier.   I know my prayers are heard and answered.  And I'm looking forward to improving upon my times in future events when financial circumstances allow.  And this is me after the race, about 17 lbs lighter than my 5K in November.

I've got a long way to go, but I know I can do it.  With prayer and a loving Father in Heaven, and a wonderfully supportive husband-- I can do anything.  (And no, the 17 lbs lost wasn't because I chopped off part of my leg... I guess the angle is just weird...oh well!)

Getting Domestic

A good friend is helping teach me to sew and make really awesome stuff.  So far, I've had two projects-- making the munchkin a pair of pants and making munchkin a peas in a pod toy.  I finished her pants yesterday, and I think they look fabulous.

I think it's like a flannel fabric in dark blue, with yellow ribbon with flowers on it around the cuffs of the pants and the waist band.  The onesie was a gift from Brad's Aunt June when Naomi was a newborn.  (it's a size 3-6 months, and she's 11 months old in this picture).

For my second project I've been working on the peas in a pod.  The peas are done, but the pod is about to go in for attempt #3-- I've made it too small twice!  But here's a picture of two of the peas (one has gone missing already) and the too small pod...

and a non-sewing project... I'm decorated some letters to put in naomi's room that spell her name.  Found some white ones at hobby lobby on a 50% off sale,  so I painted them all pretty like, and hung them in her room.

I'm quite pleased with my projects lately. 

Beautiful Munchkin!

I LOVE this picture!  Munchkin looks so much like her daddy in this picture, too!

She just threw her toy out of the crib.

A Little Bit of Bragging

I want to take a moment to revel in a little bit of success.  I'm going to brag for a bit.  Two months ago, I looked like this...

and today, after losing 17.3 lbs in the last 9 weeks, as well as 5 inches around my waist and 3 inches around my hips, I look like this...

I also competed in BYU's annual Splash and Dash. This is right after I got home after the race. I did the Beginner's biathlon, which is a 1/4 mile swim and a 3K (Standard would have been 1/2 mile swim and 5K, and the Elite would have been a 1 mile swim and 10 K). More to come in a later bragging post that details the race.

I will give a lot of credit to an online program called MyFitnessPal.  It's like a guided nutrition plan that I make.  I can input my weight, goal weight, lifestyle, and body measurements.  Then it helps me figure out how many calories I need each day.  Each day, I log the food that I eat so I know how many calories I'm getting and from what macronutrients (carbs, fat, protein).  I can also choose to watch certain nutrients like fiber, sodium, cholesterol, iron, etc.  I can also enter what exercise I get each day to track my calorie burn. I even got a heart rate monitor!  I've stared Zumba, and for the first time ever-- I'm enjoying exercise.  I look forward to it; it's not just a chore.  I feel healthier; I feel happier. I'm losing 1-2 lbs per week, but it's staying off and I haven't gotten discouraged or hit a plateau.  And since I'm happier with me, I'm a better wife and mom for my family.

I'm worth feeling strong and beautiful.  I'm worth the effort to lose my excess weight, even at a slow pace.  Even better, I'm worth it even when others discourage me.  This is the healthiest approach I've ever had to weight loss.  I've always been afraid to count calories and weigh myself, but not anymore.  I'm not obsessive; ok, maybe I am, but in a healthy way, right?  My weight on the scale can't tell me my worth.  I know I am a daughter of a loving Father in Heaven.  I know my body is sacred, a "temple" for my spirit.  I know that as I strive to be healthy and take care of my body, the Lord will continue to bless me in my efforts to be healthier.  I've never prayed for weight loss and health like I have the past 2 and a half months.  It is a great source of strength to me.  I know that with help from Christ and from the tools I have been shown that I can eventually make it to a healthy weight.  I look forward to that day, but I'm smiling NOW.  I'm not waiting to be happy until I am at my goal weight range-- I'm going to be happy all the way there.

I love this quote:
"love yourself no matter what you weigh.  If somebody comes up to you and tells you you’re fat or if somebody comes up to you and tells you your beautiful — that has absolutely nothing to do with who you are and everything to do with who they are.  And remember that.” -Kai Hibbard (Biggest Loser Runner-up, Season 3)

Biggest Loser Challenge Reflection

I'm so nervous about posting this... but here it goes.

My in-law family did a Biggest Loser Challenge.  Some good came out of it, though I'm pretty sure I'll never do it again. It's just not healthy for me.  I have too many issues with my body image and self-confidence.

I do really well when I have a personal challenge to overcome, and the only person I'm trying to "beat" is myself.  Like the 24 Hour Challenge to work out 24 hours in the month of February. I made it with 25:05 hours of exercise in February.  There was no extrinsic motivation involved-- it was just me wanting to be a better me.  I felt good about it; and I won.

When I made my "contract" with my husband, it was only about me eating better and exercising for myself.  We decided to put a money reward system in place so I wouldn't be tempted to judge my success by the scale sicnce that has led to unhealthy behaviors in the past.  If I met all the goals in my contract that week, I'd get $5, if I messed up once I got $0, and if I messed up more than once I had to pay back $5.  I never weighed myself, and I didn't have a problem with that.  For the first time, I really learned to ignore the scale and start looking at me in a new way.  A way that allowed me to really look in the mirror and feel like I was worth something.  That I could feel beautiful now, even if I'm not at my goal weight; even though I don't even know what my weight is.

When the holidays came, I broke down and ended up owing Brad something like $20 and to punish myself even more, I weighed myself and had gained 8 lbs over the holidays.  But when the new year came, and we were back home, and school started, I bought a fitness band from BYU so I could attend the aerobics classes.  I bought one with a friend and we motivated each other to go.  I started loving exercise for the first time.  It was a really good motivator. As I'm becoming healthier, or as my circumstances change, the "contract" is open for amendment or alteration if there is a good reason for it and it will help me moved towards being healthier. (And can i just say that Zumba is one of the greatest things ever developed?  Because that has been the number one exercise that has helped me learn to enjoy "feeling the burn" and feeling like i can accomplish something.)

About the same time, the Neeley Biggest Loser Challenge (NBLC) came up.  I'd heard about them in the past, and one was held over the holidays that I wished I had known about because I would have loved to do it (a Triathalon over a month thing or something like that). After the first week of the NBLC, I had gained 1/2 lb when everyone else in the challenge had seemed to drop 5 lbs.  And here is my first trip-- I started letting myself go back to that scale to judge my success.  I never should have done that!  I knew that I have issues with the scale, and bad history.  But I did it anyway because I thought it would be fun to do with family. And I thought I had conquered the scale's power over me. Well, I was going to be wrong.  I was tempted ot make a "fitness goal" instead because that was allowed, but since I had no idea where I was and had just started exercising again, I had no idea what kind of goal would be challenging but still possible with in 6 weeks.  So I made a weight loss goal.

I can be so stupid sometimes.

I sent out a "cry for help" if you will on a previous blog post.  A friend recommended I use www.myfitnesspal.com (MFP). It's a calorie counting website.  At first, I was really skeptical. I'd tried counting calories before and keeping a food diary.  And it led me down a dangerous path of disordered thinking about food and disordered eating habits.  Never a full-blown, I need therapy, kind of eating disorder.  But I'll admit that there was a time in high school when I would go for days and only eat lettuce or celery and work out for 2 hours a day after school until the school gym closed.  And then i'd go on binges eating anything and everything I wanted.  I would try to make myself throw up, but never could.  I'd think about using laxatives, but never had my own money to buy something like that without people finding out.  I never got dangerously thin.  In fact, even at my lowest weight ever, I was still considered "obese" by those charts that doctors use.

Well, I decided that I would give MFP a shot since it was recommended by a friend who was studying to be a dietitian and she used it.  It does have a food diary and it counts calories, but the genius that designed it set it up in such a way that the site can recommend to you how many calories to eat based on your weight, height, body composition, and lifestyle.  If you're under your calories too much, it gives you a warning that you are doing something unhealthy.  It makes recommendations of where calories should come from (carbs, fat, protein), vitamins and minerals I should pay attention to, and accounts for calories burned during exercise. It's wonderful.

On top of that, MFP has a built in support system.  Everyone else on the site can leave messages of support, encouragement, and advice.  It's propelled me to research health and fitness, to understand my body better, and to stay motivated when my results show in places other than the scale.  And I can be reminded of the "healthy way" to do things, so I don't go and do something stupid like I did in high school.

But back to my point.  I don't think I have a healthy enough sense of self-confidence and competitive resilience to deal with things like NBLC.  Because it's not just me that I'm trying to conquer.  It's also a competitive family vying for an extrinsic monetary reward. I've enjoyed getting to know some of, in fact, most of, my in-law family better.  My workout buddy in the challenge was always super supportive and encouraging!  (Thanks, Aunt Linda.  You're amazing! And Alison, it was such a pleasant surprise to find you on MFP also.  Thanks so much for your kind words of encouragement! and I can never thank my wonderful husband enough-- for listening to me cry and rant and rave when I felt cut down.)  But in the end, there are some instances when I felt that competition won out over encouragement to be a better and healthier person.  I felt like small successes and learning experiences were devalued.  And I know that none of it was intended to be hurtful. But I felt hurt-- and that's all me. And I guess I'm just not capable of not taking something like that personally, and I've found myself in situations cryingafter reading what was said.  So, I guess it's for the best, both for my personal health and the health of family relationships if I never do something like this again.  My journey to better health and weight loss is mine alone, and I'm going to keep it that way from now on.  Not because the competition itself was bad; it might have been a very good experience for other family involved, but it was a bad competition for me. I allowed myself to get caught in the numbers game.  I never win in a numbers game, because I have a terrible tendency of looking at the numbers instead of what the numbers mean.

And I'm just recording this so that in the future, I can remember what I'm thinking now so i don't make the same mistake again.  I have a long way to go in regards to my body image and self-confidence.  I read a quote today that I also think should be shared, but mostly remembered by myself:
"love yourself no matter what you weigh.  If somebody comes up to you and tells you you’re fat or if somebody comes up to you and tells you your beautiful — that has absolutely nothing to do with who you are and everything to do with who they are.  And remember that.”
It was from a podcast interview with Kai Ribband, a finalist contestant on Biggest Loser, Season 3.  You can find her whole interview at http://www.bodylovewellness.com/2010/06/09/kai-hibbard-biggest-loser-finalist-part-1-of-3/. She talks about her experience on Biggest Loser and about how the reality isn't what you see on the "reality show." Very thought provoking. Since reading that, I have gone back and watched a season of Biggest Loser.  It seems like it can be a very powerful motivator for some.  And just like the contestants on that show, sometimes it was a better choice for them to pursue their journey to better health not in the BL competition.  I think I'd be one of those people, who can do better pursuing my own better health not in a competition against others, and only against myself.

I think the best thing that has come of of doing the NBLC was prompting me to join MFP.  I've made lifestyle changes.  I'm not going to gain back the weight I've lost during the challenge.  I'm going to keep being healthy.  I'm finally going to reach my weight and fitness goals, even if it takes a long time.

Everyone Loves Chocolate

Including our munchkin.

Brad surprised me with a package of Dove's  Chocolate with Caramel today for Valentine's Day.  I found it in the car with some twizzlers and a love note on my way to work.  I put them in my purse for later since I had to work and was going to Zumba right after.  When I got home, I'd forgotten they were still in my purse and let Naomi play in the living room while Brad and I cleaned up our Valentine's Day dinner-- yum, steak!  It was quiet in the living room.

Too quiet.

Brad goes  to see what's going on, and finds this cheesy grin...

The Munchkin had found my chocolate, opened the bag, and ate 3 chocolates by the time we found her.  She even took the foil off!  of at least three of them...

Am I a terrible mom, or what?!

Mindful Eating Day 5

Goal: Nurture your needs without using food.

Journal: What emotions trigger you to eat for reasons other than physical hunger? When you eat mindlessly, what are you really hungry for? What activities can you do that will nurture your needs without overeating?

Now, I've been thinking about this one a lot, lately.  And I've kinda decided that I'm more of an "emotional not-eater" than an emotional eater.  Any time I feel upset, sad, angry, frustrated, depressed, hurt, or any other negative feeling-- I also have an urge to stop eating, or *gasp* throw up if I've already eaten.  (I've never actually intentionally purged.  Way to go, me!)  My stomach just wants to be empty when I feel those feelings.  It's in knots and nothing can make it feel better until those feelings go away.  About the only thing I can stomach is water or plain lettuce to nibble on.

What am I really hungry for in those moments?  I don't know.  Maybe just peace?  Comfort? Validation?  Maybe I just feel my emotions in my stomach and if they are negative, then I want them out.  I want them to go away.  Similar to wanting it out of my stomach?  I've turned lately to exercise to help me not feel those negative feelings anymore.

When I overeat-- I think it's mostly out of boredom.  Exercise can help fill that void, too.  it can give me what I'm really "hungry' for-- something interesting to do.  And it can give me a boost of endorphins, too, and make me feel happier!

Mindful Eating Day 4

Goal: Eat three real meals today.

Journal: Compare the differences between merely eating food and eating a real meal. How does the eating experience contribute to feelings of satisfaction?

Wow. This was kinda tough.  I didn't realize how routine and thoughtless me meals were.  I usually wake up, feed Naomi and play with her to keep he happy and entertained.  By the time it's 11am or 12noon, I realize that I'm hungry and haven't eaten anything all day.  So I go for something quick and easy-- cereal.  A mix of Special K Chocolaty Delight and Special K Fruit and Yogurt cereal with some 1% milk.  But Since I was more hungry and trying to think about what I really wanted that "morning" i decided I wanted some extra fruit and yogurt; so I made a smoothie, too.  What a difference making that smoothie did for my breakfast.  It was delicious!  I felt pumped enough to try doing some old workout DVDs that I hadn't used since before I got pregnant.  It felt so good!

After my workout, it was a little after 2pm.  I was supposed to be at work at 3pm.  But I needed to wake up Naomi from her nap, feed her, take a shower after working out, and eat a lunch before work.  Luckily, Brad came home right then, so he made me lunch.  I asked him to make me a tuna sandwich-- lots of protein after a good workout. I did need to eat it while driving to work... but I did put thought into what i wanted and why... does that count?  Sometimes it is just tough to eat a sit down meal! 

When I got home, it was time to start prepping dinner before I run off to my workout class at BYU.  Feed Naomi.  Go workout. Come home, and finish dinner.  Since Brad is studying like mad for a test, and Naomi is seriously craving attention since I've been gone for most of the last 4 hours, I eat in the living room while trying to entertain Naomi, and Brad's trying to study.

Yikes!  And this describes most days.  I don't think I really enjoyed my meals.  Breakfast was great, but I should have eaten it sooner.  I should have eaten lunch in less of a hurry, and at home instead of in the car on the way to work. And dinner would have felt better if it was on a table with the whole family there instead of spread across the house trying to get everything done.  While my stomach got full from my meals, I wasn't fully satisfied except after breakfast.  By the time 10pm rolled around, I was feeling hungry again, but didn't eat because of our running family biggest loser challenge.  I was cranky and tired.  I think if i can plan meals ahead better, the whole family could enjoy happier, more satisfying meals together.  I'm going to try and be better at this.

Mindful Eating Day 3

Goal: Eat your favorite foods and get rid of restriction.

Journal: Which foods do you periodically overeat because you have subconsciously restricted them in your mind? How would allowing yourself to eat these foods in moderation allow you to truly enjoy your food?

Hrmmm, that's an interesting question.  I think I've come a long way in this in the past few months even.  Chocolate is probably the one the one that I overdo the most for this reason.  Ice cream. Oreos.

Back in August 2010, I made a "contract" with my husband to motivate me to be healthier.  One of the stipulations was that I get to have 3 desserts/sweets per week.  It's really been about the perfect moderation.  It's enough that I watch what i eat, but at the same time, I don't feel super restricted and crave those things all the time.  if I want one, I just have to think-- do I want to use one of my dessert allowances for the week on this, or would I rather wait a day or two, or until next week?  It's never a matter of "I can't have that," but rather, "do i want this now?  or later?" Today I had my first dessert or the week-- chocolate covered pomegranates.  I LOVE those!

It was really hard the first month or so.  But now, I'm really comfortable with where I am.  Allowing myself to enjoy these sweet desserts occasionally has helped me to enjoy them MORE and be healthier.  It's great!  When I eat formerly "restricted" foods in moderation, I can enjoy it more precisely because it isn't over-indulgence, and it doesn't leave me craving it all the time.

I've also learned to enjoy more variety in my food.  I've learned that vegetables really do taste good. I like them.  And fruits, too.  I've tried new recipes.  And some of those foods I was eating all the time, when i've gotten a craving for them and decided to eat it-- I realize that it really didn't taste as good as I remembered.  Then I'm never bothered with craving it again.  It's very freeing to live and eat with out total restriction, but with goals and moderation.

Mindful Eating Day 2

Goal: Study the Lord’s Law of Health in Doctrine and Covenents 89

Journal: How does good health affect your ability to house the Holy Ghost? How does being filled with the Holy Ghost beautify you?

I think good health affects all other aspects of your life, especially your mental and emotional health.  I sometimes, okay, maybe often times, have trouble feeling good about myself because I am not considered "healthy and fit."  By all measures, I am considered obese despite all efforts to be healthy through exercise and healthy eating.  Since I'm not physically healthy, I spend a lot of energy thinking about how to be healthier, instead of listening to promptings of the Holy Ghost.  There are things I cannot physically do because I'm not healthy which I'm sure block me from being used by the Lord to help others and receive promptings from the Holy Ghost to do so.  Having a healthy body helps you to be healthy emotionally and spiritually.  If we are not following the lord's commandments to have good health, then we miss out on opportunities to have the Holy Ghost with us and give us "great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures."

I want to be better following the counsel of the Word of Wisdom so that I can receive the promise that I "shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint."  that promise means a lot to me as a person with asthma.  I have never been able to run even a half mile without needing my rescue inhaler.  I hate running because of it. I had to use it today at my HIIT class after an intense cardio segment.  I wish I could get rid of it, and not need it anymore.  I want to have better cardiovascular health so that asthma will have less of an effect on me and not stop me from exercises. But I'm not even sure if it works that way.

When I think of the Word of Wisdom, I always remember the "No strong or hot drinks, and No tobacco" commandments.  Bu there are others that I sometimes forget, like eating fruits and vegetables that are in season, and eat meat sparingly and "only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine."  That would take a lot of will power and time to change.  I'm working on eating fruits and vegetables in season.  Being a vegetarian during summer will be much more challenging, though I have noticed in past summers that I don't really feel like eating meat when it's hot unless it's fish or chicken or turkey.

This is a quote from the WSR page from someone's journal about this same challenge and I really liked it. 
Parley P. Pratt:

“[The Holy Ghost] quickens all the intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands and purifies all the natural passions and affections; and adapts them, by the gift of wisdom, to their lawful use. It inspires, develops, cultivates and matures all the fine-toned sympathies, joys, tastes, kindred feelings and affections of our nature. It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness and charity. It develops beauty of person, form and features. It tends to health, vigor, animation and social feeling. It invigorates all the faculties of the physical and intellectual man. It strengthens, and gives tone to the nerves. In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to the heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole being” (Key to the Science of Theology, 9th ed. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1965], p. 101).

 I think that when the Holy Ghost dwells in us, it can make us appear more beautiful because having the spirit is a beautiful thing.  It fills you with light and happiness.  I have been praying a lot lately that I will be blessed for my efforts to work out and develop healthier eating habits.  I haven't really seen much improvement. at least by the number on my scale.  But perhaps I should instead be praying for the Holy Ghost to guide me in making healthier choices and to just be able to feel the Holy Ghost in me and have thanksgiving in all things that I eat. 


Actually, I think that's my new goal-- to eat with thanksgiving. Every time.

Mindful Eating Day 1

Goal: Take the eating attitudes quiz and look over “What Kind of Eater Are You?”.

Journal: What strengths did you discover in your eating attitudes? What specific habits do you have that you want to continue? What habits do you have that you would like to change throughout A Week of Mindful Eating?

Eating Attitudes Score: 24
*A TOTAL SCORE ABOVE 20 POINTS INDICATES HEALTHY EATING ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS.
*A TOTAL SCORE UNDER 20 POINTS MAY INDICATE UNHEALTHY ATTITUDES AND EXTREME EATING BEHAVIORS.

My Strengths
I can stop eating when I'm full.
I have never thrown up after eating (I may have thought about it, and attempted it, but never have).
I'm definitely not "too thin."
I don't buy into fad diets.
I have lots of self-control around food.  I can force myself to eat when I know I should but don't want to, and I can say no to foods I know are not good for me.

I want to continue to be able to listen to hunger cues to guide my eating.  I want to continue eating 3 healthy meals each day.  Skipping meals will not help me be healthier in the long-run; I want to always be able to remember that.  I want to continue following the healthy habits I'm beginning to learn about and truly develop them into habits-- like drinking lots of water, eating fresh fruits and veggies everyday, and eating treats in moderation.  I want to continue to be able to stop disordered eating thoughts before they lead to actions.

Where I Would Like To Improve
I would like to become less emotionally expressive in my diet.  When I am upset, I tend to hate food and want to not eat or work out a ton to burn off all calories I have eaten.  I want to stop being obsessed with food.  I want to be able to express my unhappy feelings without wanting to throw up and think about never eating again.  And I want to be happy with myself, how I look, and what I eat. Most of all, I want to be a healthy example for my daughter.

What Kind of Eater am I?
I think I'm a mix of many of these; lately I think I really resemble the "Careful Eater."  Would it make sense to be an "Emotional Not-Eater"?  Below are the descriptions as taken from the WSR Calendar for the Week of Mindful Eating Challenge.

Careful Eater: Appears to be the perfect eater, yet anguishes over each food morsel and its effect on the body. On the surface, this person seems health and fitness oriented, because he/she is vigilant about what is put into the body and is highly conscious of nutrition.
Unconscious Eater: This person is often unaware that she/he is eating, or how much is being eaten. To sit down and simply eat is viewed as a waste of time; eating is usually paired with another activity to be productive.
Chaotic Unconscious Eater: This person often lives an over-scheduled life--too busy, too many things to do. The chaotic eating style is haphazard--gulp ‘n go when the food is available. Chaotic eaters are often so busy putting out fires that they have difficulty identifying biological hunger until it’s fiercely ravenous.
Waste-Not Unconscious Eater:This person values the food dollar and his/her eating drive is often influenced by getting as much as you can for the money. This eater is inclined to clean the plate and is especially susceptible to all-you-can-eat buffets and free food.
Refuse-Not Unconscious Eater: This person is vulnerable to the mere presence of food regardless of whether she is hungry or full. Candy jars, food at meetings, and food on the kitchen counter will usually not be passed up by this individual.
Emotional Unconscious Eater: This person uses food to cope with emotions, especially uncomfortable emotions such as stress, anger, and loneliness. While emotional eaters view their eating as the problem, it’s often a symptom of a deeper issue. Emotional eaters can range from grabbing a candy bar in stressful times to chronic compulsive binges of vast quantities of food.
Professional Dieter: This person is perpetually dieting, often trying the latest commercial diet or diet book. Professional dieters know a lot about proportions of foods, calories, and “dieting tricks”, yet they are always
on another diet because the original never worked.
Intuitive/Mindful Eater: Intuitive eaters march to their inner hunger signals and eat whatever they choose without experiencing guilt. They honor hunger, respect fullness, and enjoy the pleasure of eating.