Children, fascinating. I had free access to bread when I was younger, my mum brought fresh bread home every few days, and even then she said I loved it and would always want more (I didn't and don't really like butter). I was given chocolate and sweets as a reward i.e., for being well behaved, for taking my medicine or eating my greens, however these aren't foods I binge on.
I am an overeater/binger and the foods I choose are bread, white, granary and cake/muffins/porridge (!),/any cereals. I hate sweets and we always have them in the house because my husband likes them but I never touch them and my LO doesn't like them (I was slightly horrified to see my OH feeding him one, but my LO pulled a face and spat it out). I do eat dark chocolate thought, and I eat wuite a lot of it- too much, however, it's not one of my absolute binge foods that I eat mindlessly (unless I am eating it with a frothy milky drink watching tv the I can go into a mindless zone and look down and wonder who ate the rest of the bar).
I obviously am not great with my relationship with food, but my son mainly has vegetables, meat, bread, cheese, he doesn't like fruit for some reason but will drink smoothies so I stick with that. I don't ban cakes, I try and choose healthier versions ie carrot cake, but I'm afraid cake is something I don't have a stop button with, so I probably am quite selfish and make sure we only go out to eat this i.e., an afternoon coffee and a little slice of cake at a cafe somewhere.
I have noticed my son,if he has sweeter stuff, he s less likely to eat his meals i.e.. fishfingers, broccoli and sweet potato for example, he would much rather have cake or a load of yogurts instead, so I give him a main meal and a small sweet dessert, but I have to be careful, if he has too much sweet stuff, I notice he definitely goes off the more savoury foods. My son is like my OH though, my OH gets full up quickly, and my son if my son drinks a drink at meal times he can't eat any more food yet I notice his little cousin, had her drink, ate all her food, then wanted my son't too- she probably needed the nutrients but my sister in law had said the doctor's were concerned that her daughter is overweight, she seems to have a much larger appetite. I know a GP friend of mine sees children in an obesity clinic, and she says lots of these children have free access to crisps and cake and their parents are upset that their children don't eat vegetables or main meals. So I think there is a balance, and each child is different. I think luckily, my son isn't like me, we went to playgroup and they handed out chocolate biscuits, some of the kids were going crazy wanting more, yet my son had half of one, then told me he was full up. Yet some of the little girls (coincidentally) went for more. They could have just been very hungry of course. At the same time, she told me she sees a child in a child protection case who was failing to thrive and the parent's had ensured this child didn't have any chocolate etc (the mother was anorexic, it was complicated apparently) but the child wasn't allowed any cakes, chocolate and for this child, who didn't have a large appetite anyway, a chocolate milkshake may have been helpful!
I know this will cause rows, and is controversial, but SLEEP has helped me to reflect on things. I have friends who can't have just one drink. I have always been too full after two glasses of wine. Of course, I have got tipsy in the past, but it's just not my thing, does that make sense. However, I wonder if there is a part of me, that when very stressed or upset, wouldn't turn to drink of course, because I know my nature is to self medicate. My point however, is, that some people turn to alcohol and I don't think I have that alcohol gene...if that makes sense. My LO isn't like me, he has never been that fussed by food, any food really, my cousin was the same, really tall and skinny and my aunt used to worry for him as he would forget to eat as he was always busy doing things and he found eating a chore. My siblings, brought up in the same environment as me love food too, however, they will feel they really fancy a piece of cake etc and have once slice at say 11 am and they feel satisfied. Whereas I can be with them not even thinking about having cake, have some and then just think well now "I'm thinking about cake and I have just had some" I wasn't banning it. Of course, there could be a deep psychological feeling that I have banned it in my mind that I am not aware of.
My LO loved breast feeding and he has been quite fussy, but the way I have dealt with him is to eat with him and offer him foods from all the food groups, and to be honest he probably doesn't have as much fat as he could have, but I try and not give lots of sweet or salty stuff, just because he doesn't seem to miss it (I do give some, but once when I brought a pack of jaffa cakes, I kept them in a cupboard which he could reach - we have always had the odd jaffa cake so they haven't been a banned food and I hate them so he hasn't seen me overeat on them, but he was a nightmare, he kept helping himself, having huge tantrums, throwing his dinner on the floor shouting "jaffa cake" both out lives were much easier when he didn't know they were there!).
Sleep I love your posts you are so thoughtful and sometimes I feel like you know me. My mum has just brought me a subscription of Zest!
I think the two nights a week, pasta or pizza is a good idea, having it with my OH. I don't really binge on pasta, but I suppose it's not a food just there... you have to cook it and prepare it. Yesterday I had made myself salmon in the slow cooker with tomatoes, and I put a full fat olive pesto sauce on top and it kept me going until the evening. I have to be honest with myself, part of me is so stubborn and spoilt, I will think this will make me feel worse later, yet I can often do it anyway... so i am a complete fool! I am in no doubt about that.Sleep I think I actually don't often feel true hunger, yet you are right, I think that some of my cravings can be in response can be to low blood sugar, as certainly I thought about raiding the bread (I had left from the weekend) and I thought I would have my lovely salmon supper first, I think knowing it was smothered in pesto helped me to look forward to it.
I'm working on the breakfast! I had a soya cappuccino but still having a few squares of dark chic first thing. I might look into raw chocolate or try having just one square, I think I'm complicated, with somethings I would rather have a no go approach ie, just don't have any, it's easier to give it up... mornings I'm battling with, I think if I got straight up and out that may help too.
My skin is dry, but interestingly since I have been having more full fat things (slight problem is I haven't cut down on thee carbs too much yet!!! ) a few people have commented on my skin! I think I have a psychological battle with adding fat to food, but I did notice yesterday my salmon satisfied me, yet half of me was craving the bread, but after eating the meal I didn't want it.
I have to recognise emotional triggers too, this morning I woke feeling sad, yet I dropped my little one off at nursery (a free morning) and it's sunny, yet I felt really hypersensitive (a small unrelated matter, that really isn't an issue) and I noticed I started craving a coffee and chocolate/food. I had to literally talk to myself and say is this because of me being hypersensitive/emotional about something else. I deal with emotional issues with food, like you say SLEEP it's become self medication. I often think I could smoke right now when something happens, I don't and have never smoked, because I think I could turn to that too in times of crisis!
I think I have an underlying self loathing, and actually I don't help myself, I often hide from things and make matters much worse.
Today I have another piece of salmon and more pesto (OH is away for the week) any ideas what I could have with it sleep? I fancy something yum but nutritious... :-)
You must tell me when you have qualified!
x