I sure love cookies

I was thinking yesterday about binge eating - not a huge surprise since that's the topic of the first part of my book project - and the fact that binge eating is more difficult now that I have multiple food allergies. Perhaps for that I should be thankful....yeah, right.

Yesterday I was pretty good - I only ate six cookies. (Of the KinniToo Vanilla Sandwich, gluten-free, wheat-free, egg-free, dairy-free variety.) They're rather addictive and good. (Don't go with the chocolate ones - they try to be Oreos and FAIL. I was having a day of cleaning and organizing. That part wasn't so bad, but the moment I turned my attention to getting copies of my book query letter and book proposal printed out and ready to mail, I suddenly had an overwhelming urge to eat cookies. So I did, and promptly felt kind of bad about it. How is one supposed to lose the weight that stupid medication put on me if one can't stop eating cookies? Ah, what a conundrum!

Well, as usual, I chose to focus on one part of the equation "calories in vs. calories out" and went running at 11 pm. Even at 11 pm, it's muggy and hot in central Texas, but at least I burned off some of those extra calories I munched during the day. And running does make one feel good - well, except for that whole sweating thing, which is really no fun. Come to think of it, I don't really like the whole "I can't breath" thing either. But the adrenaline rush is worth it all.

Now, I only had the energy to go running that late because I actually ate a very healthful dinner. Stirfry - many veggies and chicken - is yummy and so good for the body. Now I ask, why can't I remember that eating well gives energy and makes me feel good later, not just now? Unlike eating the cookies, which tasted delightful and fixed my urge to binge, eating a healthy meal that took almost no time to prepare left me with energy to spare and made me want to do more to help myself. What a concept!

A concept I struggle to remember. A concept that is so important for us all to hold on to. A concept contradicted by all the food industries commercials and PR. But a concept that is true and worth thinking about. In my book, I plan on having a worksheet to help those with binge eating tendencies or obesity problems to note how a food feels now AND then.