Friday, March 04, 2011

I think, therefore I yam?

Quote du jour: Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. - Melody Beattie

Just Do It.

This is a slogan that does not apply when you are faced with a banquet.

Just say No Thank You... I've had enough...


I find that if I don't concentrate on eating right, I gain weight. If I think before I eat, I do much better.

I find that if I concentrate on exercising, I don't exercise. If I don't think before I work out, I do much better.


Does that make any kind of sense to anyone else? I can overthink things, especially exercise. I rarely overthink whether I really need more dinner. If I notice myself indulging in food-in-mouth disorder, it's easy to recognize that I'm just acting out of habit, i.e. without thinking.

In summary: habits are the enemy of thinking. When it comes to exercising, I want to create and encourage the habit. When it comes to overeating, I want to thwart and stomp on the habit.

Hmmn. Not sure if I've got something profound here or if it's just one of those pseudo-insights you get when you're short on sleep.

Exercise du jour: Yes, damn it, I am going to cycle to work. No early meetings, no excuses. It shall be done. I Have Spoken.

p.s. When I write "Yam," I do not mean a vegetable that has been smothered in sugar and marshmallows. I mean something that you slice thin and roast with potatoes and onions and maybe some balsamic vinegar.

Chinese banquet courtesy of Cara Chow.

10 comments:

Judith said...

This makes perfect sense to me.

Anonymous said...

Yep, me too.
Julie

C said...

This is profound, Merry. When I finally get my life back (post-submission), I'm going to have to revisit this concept.

Glaven Q. Heisenberg said...

O, for the lurve of Sweet Baby J! This is the SECOND time today that somebody's blog EATED one of my comments! And it was a long one, too, as it included my insights re: how long the brain takes to tell the belly it's full (which is why thinking about eating and taking your time is a good idea, as you suggest); as well as certain animadversions aimed at Xenia, whom I accused of probably being about to steal your profound ideas to include in her upcoming dissertation on "Class Structure in Ancient Etruscan Society As Revealed Through Toe-Nail Clippings, Skin Flakings, and Other Bodily Excrescences Unearthed At Sundry Digs"; and I also said she'd probably give you nothing more than a credit on her "Acknowledgments" page, while she herself would be making MILLIONS from her dissertation, especially when some big Hollywood studio options it and turns it into a summer blockbuster movie.

I wrote all that ... and then your stupid blog EATED IT!1! Ironically enough, without even THINKING about it.

TYPICAL!1!

Now no one will ever know.

Will it eat this re-post too?

PROBABLY!1!

Glaven Q. Heisenberg said...

Hahaha! It DIDN'T eat it!

I crammed it down your throat, stupid blog!

To quote you, sister:

Sheesh!

The Merry said...

Hmmmmn.... note to self: feed the blog more often. It's clearly hungry.

Further note to self: keep an eye on that Xenia... academics can get pretty shifty when they're under pressure to write stuff...

Dr. J said...

I think once it all became habits it got a lot easier. That said, I like your well thought out theory!

Here's another:

We eat a meal knowing that there will be a next one..Yea!!

We exercise knowing there will be a next one...Boo!!

Fran Hill said...

Love the sound of that yam dish.

JavaChick said...

Yes, that does make complete sense to me. I think I'm the same way.

Gina Fit by 41 Maybe 42 said...

"food-in-mouth disorder" - :)


I can over-think the exercise thing: how much time do I have, will I sweat too much, do I have time for a shower, can I get away with not styling my hair after the shower, where do I have to go today, how much sweating can I get away with before my deodorant wears off IF I don't have time to shower, is this going to aggravate my plantar fasciitis, do my work-out clothes fit, did I wash them, how, what, where, when, and why.

(Excuse the YAMmering.)