Ah, binge foods. You know what I'm talking about: the stuff you intend "just take a bite or two" of but wind up eating the entire container. But slowly. Because calories don’t count as much if you eat them slowly, or when no one is around to notice. Right?
When you see binge foods displayed in a deli case, you decide to buy just a little bit. But you wind up eating three scoops instead of one. But you still count it as one because you went back three times for a single scoop. Buying one scoop at a time also protects you from skinny people staring and from smart-ass comments from any friends who happen to pass by.
Binge food is the stuff that makes you feel a little better when you’re sad, tired, lonely or glad. And, hey, it really works ... for a while.
There’s also a stash of it somewhere in the cupboard or frig back home. It’s actually in the veggie bin under the lettuce, or on the top shelf behind the half-gallon milk carton. If you are really in the covert stage of binging, it may be in the garage, or under the bed, or stuffed in a boot in the closet. Binging has its own particular genius.
These behaviors are easy to rationalize. After all, you don’t eat the whole jar. Its contents just slowly disappear over a few hours, one scoop at a time. That makes it legit. Besides, it could spoil if it's not consumed in reasonable time (like now).
Here are some more rationalizations you may recognize:
- I’m so pooped. I deserve a “pick me up.” Besides I had a salad for lunch. I deserve a little treat. I’ve fallen off too many diets because I am so hard on myself. Besides, the talk show doc says the key to weight loss (i.e., fat loss) is moderation. Don’t tell me this one scoop of the good stuff is binging!
- I know I am overweight (i.e., fat). This stuff is probably not good for my “diet” (i.e., pseudo-diet). So, guess I will have to add this to my exercise commitment and work it off … tomorrow, after my doctor's visit.
- Besides, I am going on a new diet that I saw on TV. I just love “Dr. X.” She makes dieting so easy to follow. It’s unbelievable how much weight (i.e., fat) those contestants on her weight loss (i.e., fat loss) show have dropped. Wish I could be a contestant. I just love watching those contestants work out!
- And my doctor says the exercise program I’m on is right on target. I wish I were really doing what I told her. But if I did, I would get another of her lectures I heard so often I can repeat now myself. Besides, she’s no Barbie Doll either.
It's all head talk that puts fat on your body; the first step to disregarding it is recognizing it for what it is.
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"Peanut Butter," The Binges, acrylic on canvas by Maria Raquel Cochez, via Wikimedia Commons.