not quite like riding a bike

Posted: July 22, 2010 at 6:10 pm

You know the familiar saying that once you learn to ride a bike, you never forget how and it is always easy. Well, some things I thought would be like that…aren’t. This morning for breakfast I was craving a bowl of oats. It has been at least two months since that last happened because cold breakfasts of whole wheat bagels + fruit served me as my go-to meal. I went for what my body asked for and prepared some oats. Errr, tried to. I totally screwed up the first bowl and had to start from scratch. Who forgets how to make oats for goodness sake? I do, apparently. Success finally came in the form of oats + cinnamon + honey pb + banana + coconut.

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I’m glad my body went for the oats breakfast. It helped tide me over until lunch, which I needed. In between breakfast and lunch I was out and about nabbing bargains for new toys and fall/winter clothes for Makenzie. I scored 7 shirts, 7 pants, 2 pajamas, 1 Christmas dress, 1 pair of shoes, 11 books, an Elmo guitar, and a puzzle for $60. Now if only shopping like that could happen for me. Just switch out the Elmo guitar and puzzle for a Tofu Xpress and Vitamix.

Even though the oats lasted well, I was a starving Marvin by lunch. Breakfast continued to call my name. Along with tomato. Mmm, tomato. Fresh from my sis-in-law’s garden.

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Lunch consisted of a monster breakfast sandwich. A whole wheat sandwich thin topped with laughing cow, 1 egg + 1 egg white scrambled, tomato slice, and crumbled Morningstar Farms sausage. Grapes and baby carrots for the accoutrement.

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My stomach began singing “Oh, Happy Day” on the spot. I still managed to remember that just because something tastes amazing doesn’t mean you HAVE to eat it all though. I devoured most of it, but was amply satisfied by this point.

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Intuitive eating never gets old. Which brings me to my next intuitive eating discussion. It has been a long time coming, I know. And I think we all know intuitive eating is NOT like riding a bike. We were able to do it growing up, but someone it became difficult and before we knew it we weren’t able to cruise easily through eating and food relationships. A lot of those changes may have something to do with our use of food to cope with emotions.

Many of us have been there. Having some ice cream thanks to the sadness heartbreak brought us. Diving into chocolate after an unbearably stressful day. Gorging on pizza at a party with friends. Celebrating a new job with a huge dinner out on the town. That is not to say any of these things are bad. It is not to say that you can’t do these things if you eat intuitively and have a healthy relationship with food. The difference comes in the control of the situation. 

Can you pause and ask yourself some vital questions before diving in? Can you determine if you are truly hungry and could you choose something to eat more beneficial to your body? Can you recognize you are enjoying food for a celebration, out of boredom, or from anger? It is always best to try to manage emotions in an alternative way, but the truth is we will still turn to food at times and that is okay if we understand the cause and aren’t always turning to food. Be sure to remember that if you do reach for the cookie jar in a time of emotional need, don’t punish yourself. That will only cause a never ending cycle of emotion surrounded by wrappers of Twix, KitKat, and Butterfinger.

  • What is your favorite “breakfast for lunch (or dinner)” creation?
  • What emotions cause you to reach for food? Boredom, excitement, soothing, frustration, stress, friendship?
  • How do you try to cope with emotions instead of food? I love reading a book, getting online to chat with my favorite blog friends, get in a workout, talk to Peter or a friend, and play with Makenzie. Or cry. Because big girls DO cry.

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38 Comments to “not quite like riding a bike”
  1. Lately I have been loving eggs for all meals with the runny yolks…something I hated before.

    Wow nice job getting all those deals! I LOVE bargain shopping!

    • Tina says:

      Me too!! Another strange thing pregnancy has done for me. Over medium eggs are so good to me right now.

  2. I love breakfast for dinner! These days I usually top something savory with an egg. It is so delicious!

  3. i’m such a fan of smoothies, it’s not even funny! i love them 🙂 i usually eat when i’m angry…i don’t know why! but since i started recognizing the pattern it has really helped me figure out the ‘why’ behind my eating habits 🙂

  4. LOL – sometimes I start to make oatmeal and I just stand there and stare at the container totally forgetting measurements. Nuts b/c I make it ALL the time. Can you say brain fart 😉

    I’m not a big breakfast foods person so it’s really rare for me to have breakfast foods for lunch or dinner. The closest thing would be having frittata for brunch (which usually is a late lunch LOL). Thankfully, food is not my go-to “thing” when I am upset, depressed, etc. I never get down and think about eating more or even eating less. I just either want to hole up or I get into a frenzy of projects.

  5. Kailey says:

    I had your same experience! After a week of being away, I tried to make a green monster smoothie and failed miserably. I was so confused haha. But I love oatmeal. Just simple oatmeal with bananas and a little bit of cinnamon. That seems to be my go to meal. Other days I will have a green monster.

    I reach for food out of anger and boredom. Lately I have been asking myself “Are you really hungry Kailey?” but before I would just shovel things in my mouth with no self control. It was horrible! I usually cope with my emotions by crying (I do my fair share of that!) or reading blogs (and I read yours a lot! Love it!!).

    • Tina says:

      Crying always makes things feel better. And LOL on the Green Monsters. I have a feeling those will be something I screw up when they sound appealing to me again too.

  6. tina this is a great post! first off i love your lunch. lately i have been eating a very similiar sandwich and it is so satisfying. i remember when i learned my mom had cancer i went straight out to the store and bought tons of garbage to eat. i totally know i eat for stress but now i recognize it and make a decision. thanks for this!

  7. tanyasdaily says:

    I eat the same breakfast ….as I like it too much
    great post !.

  8. I have been on an egg kick lately! i made the best sweet egg creation! its 4 egghites, 1 whole egg flipped like an omelet sprinkled with cinnamon and sweet potato in the middle! MMMM DELISH!

    • Tina says:

      I saw that creation. Normally I would be all over it but the savory eggs are what my preggo tummy wants now. It’s so amazing how normally I am all about the sweets, but now I just want the savory.

  9. Shannon says:

    I love making omelets. They are frequently on my dinner menu 🙂

    I would say that boredom and stress are the major factors that cause me to eat emotionally. And then there are just those times when something looks too good to pass up 🙂

  10. homecookedem says:

    I could eat oatmeal for any meal of the day… even dessert! Love it, but like you, could NOT eat it my first trimester… too funny!

    Boredom, excitement, soothing, frustration, stress, friendship are ALL emotions that send me to eat! I can only think of a few situations that I did NOT look to food… those were times when I was very worried about some pretty serious things in my life.

    I workout, blog, call friends, read books, go shopping to avoid food when I’m emotional.

    See you tomorrow night!! 🙂

  11. Mandy says:

    Love breakfast all day:) I Ty to keep busy when I feel like emotional eating…. Talking to a friend and getting out of the house helps me the most!

  12. Shoot, I don’t even think riding a bike is like riding a bike anymore. I am horrible at it now and used to live on it as a kid! Great score for the little one. I am with you on the Vita Mix! I want one so badly, but just can’t stomach the money. My husband and I were just talking about intuitive eating yesterday. I am so much better at it now. I am the opposite with coping with stress. I don’t get hungry when I am stressed out.

  13. Ameena says:

    That is a ton of clothes/stuff for $60! I am impressed.

    I am much better at intuitive eating than I used to be. Why? Because I stopped listening to what everyone else told me I should or shouldn’t eat and I started listening to what I wanted to eat.

    • Tina says:

      Gotta love consignment sales! These weren’t bought at stores, but still all look new and great condition. They really need more of these for adults.

  14. Breakfast wraps for dinner! My fav!

    And my issue comes at work when I’m bored. I like to participate in mindless eating. Sometimes when I feel that coming on, I can at least get up and walk around for a bit instead…

  15. I love eggs and hashbrowns for dinner.

  16. Lee says:

    I definitely struggle with boredom eating. For me, it helps not to have snacky foods in the house. It makes me evaluate whether or not I am hungry enough to make a meal. There’s that saying that if you’re hungry, you should ask yourself if you want an apple. If the apple sounds good, you’re hungry. If you want something else (chips, granola bar, etc) you’re probably just wanting food.

    My husband, on the other hand, definitely uses food to celebrate. I’m not sure how to correct that one.

  17. Nichole says:

    Intuitive eating takes practice for some. For me, sometimes it’s hard when I am at my desk all day. I’ve gotten better about walking around and talking to others and getting some fresh air, changing my environment.

    Your oats turned out just fine!

  18. I love savory breakfasts so it works perfect for lunch/dinner. Omelets, egg scrambles, pancakes! Oh…I have a serious craving for pancakes. 🙂

  19. Anytime I go a while without making something (even oats) i need to look up the recipe/directions and of course later think…DUUUUH! lol

  20. Maura says:

    First of, I want to say that I really love this post! I think we could all use a reminder every now and again (at least I do!) about intuitive eating! My fav bfast for lunch creation is a simple veggie&egg scramble with hot sauce (yum!). Boredom is definitely something that triggers mindless eating for me. I try to keep it on track by having some water instead, going to the gym or calling a friend to catch up 🙂

    • Tina says:

      Ya know? I still haven’t tried hot sauce with eggs. I know I would love it so I don’t know why I keep forgetting.

  21. Nicole, RD says:

    You are an intuitive eating master! I think I eat too darn fast most of the time and that’s my problem! I just had a “fried” egg with Laughing Cow on an Arnold Thin! 🙂

  22. Holly says:

    I LOVE the addition of the coconut to your oats- definitely doing that next time I make oatmeal.

    Sometimes I do reach for food when I’m hungry, but not often..I’m pretty good about knowing when I’m actually hungry & acting on that rather than just eating for fun or out of boredom.

  23. Clairity says:

    I eat pretty often because I’m hungry pretty often.

  24. Sarah says:

    I will eat eggs for any meal of the day.
    As far as straying from intuitive eating…I tend to do it most when I am feeling low about myself :(.

    • Tina says:

      And that is when you have to think of all God thinks of you! 🙂 You are beautiful and wonderful. You inspire me. I hope you know that.

  25. Meg says:

    My current favorite breakfast has turned me into a 90 year old British woman. I’ve been having tea and scones!

    I definitely eat when I’m bored or when I’m sad. I try to do something to keep my hands busy such as reading, or playing with my dog. 🙂

    • Tina says:

      I spit out my water at that comment. 80 year old woman! Bahaha. If it makes you feel better, I’m an 80 year old woman with my bedtime sometimes.

  26. Rachel says:

    I am absolutely an emotional eater. I RARELY eat out of pure hunger, which is sad. I eat when its “meal time” when I am bored, happy, sad, excited, etc.

    I eventually need to tackle this and deal with it. But it is how I’ve eaten for the last 23 years, and I’m not even sure where to begin.

  27. I’ve just recently starting paying attention to what my intuition is telling me regarding food. I’ve realized that I have the desire to eat junk food when I’m lonely, or feeling like something is missing. Since I’ve realized it, I’ve become much better at recognizing the feeling and dealing with THAT, rather then eating food I don’t need.

  28. Hi, Tina! Thanks for stopping by my blog. I love your pictures! That oatmeal creation looks so delish–coconut AND PB?!?! Dreamy!

    In times of extreme emotion (boredom, depression, anxiety, etc.), I’ve found it helpful to channel that feeling into some kind of movement. I go for a walk, take out my frustrations in my workout at the gym (kickboxing!), or pop some yoga poses (and BREATHE!).

    I’m a big crier too 🙂 Sometimes all ya need is a good cathartic cry and you’re good to go. Fantastic post and advice!

  29. Hayley says:

    Sorry I’ve been such a bad commenter lately! I’ve been keeping up with your posts but I haven’t always been posting. I always enjoy reading your blog though, and today’s post was no exception. I definitely find it most difficult not choosing to eat when I’m tired, bored and lonely. For the past few days I’ve forced myself to go to bed when I’ve gotten tired and I’m always glad I make that decision because THAT is what my body has truly needed – not food. On the other hand, there are times when I feel physically tired rather than sleepy tired and I plop down on the couch, turn on the TV and immediately start craving something to munch on. Sometimes I’ll just grab an apple and then brush my teeth…or have some tea – occasionally that’ll do the trick. Other times I have to really figure out what’s going on because if I’m not hungry then what I don’t need is food!

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