Oh, you guys… You’re all sorts of fabulous, you know that?
It’s funny. I was a little hesitant to share my lingering food anxieties with you guys in yesterday’s post, but as always, you continue to remind me of what I love most about the blogging community – support, understanding, and perhaps the best feeling of all, the comfort that comes from knowing that I’m not the only one dealing with those kind of thoughts.
Seriously.
If you ever find yourself feeling anxious because you’re extra hungry but afraid to eat before your prescribed meal time, take a glance through the comments in that post – they may just ease your mind and help you honor your hunger. OR… today’s WIAW might just show you how things have a way of balancing out…
So, unlike the ridiculousness that was Monday’s insatiable appetite, Tuesday’s was basically nonexistent. So nonexistent, in fact, that I didn’t really even end up eating a legitimate lunch. But more on that in a second. First, breakfast…
Plain Greek yogurt, banana, blueberries, Kashi Cinnamon Harvest, Puffins, and almond butter.
To be honest, I wasn’t even really that hungry in the morning. I blame that on the fact that I ate a pretty hefty snack the night before (appetite, remember?), and that I actually managed to get a decent sleep in (yay!!). Nevertheless, there’s no way I’m passing up an opportunity to eat my favorite meal of the day, so I enjoyed that with a side of blog reading before running out the door and heading to the dentist for a check-up/cleaning (no cavities… yay!!).
Does anyone else have a really hard time eating after they’ve had their teeth cleaned? Everything feels so nice and smooth that the idea of getting food stuck in there again feels all wrong. Solution? Drink your morning snack instead…
Cappuccino from Bux.
I realize that coffee is probably a lot worse for my teeth in the long run, but it made perfect sense at the moment (read: it’s what I wanted). What didn’t make sense was the fact that it was around 1 o’clock at that point and my appetite was nowhere to be found. Maybe it was the coffee? Or the nerves? (I’m scared of the dentist) Either way… no grumbling sensations in the stomach region.
That being the case, I decided to hold off on lunch and get some work done instead. Aaaaand this is the part where I admit that I didn’t really eat a lunch. BUT! I did end up snacking the afternoon away…
Spotty banana and an Enjoy Life caramel apple bar.
Kashi Honey Sunshine, Puffins, Enjoy Life trail mix, and milk.
Barefruit Apple Chips and a Gingerade kombucha.
Don’t give me that look – I know you’ve done it too. And yes, I realize there’s nothing that even remotely resembles a vegetable in my eats so far, but I have a perfectly good explanation for that… Okay, no – I really don’t – but who wants to eat veggies when their appetite is lacking? I did manage to squeeze a few in to dinner…
Grilled chicken over mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, and carrots, drizzled with olive oil and ketchup (??).
… buuuuuut that was only while I worked on the real star of the show…
Playing dress up with an Amy’s Margherita pizza by adding some tomatoes, ham, and parmesan cheese.
And even though I was pretty satisfied at that point, I was still craving a little something…
Eyes off my chocolate pudding, Lindsay!
Gotta end the day on a sweet note, am.i.right? So, appetite or no, I guess I still managed to get a pretty decent day of eats in. Back in the day, I used to adore days where I had no appetite because they’d make it that much easier for me to restrict and eat almost next to nothing. These days, I may end up eating a little bit less (and a little more randomly) than I normally do, but I still make sure to eat; and the funny thing is that even when I’m not exactly hungry, hungry, I still enjoy munching on something. I guess I just like food 
Happy Wednesday, friends!
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Do you eat when you’re not hungry? Definitely. Sometimes because I feel like I haven’t eaten enough, and sometimes just because something looks/tastes good.
Snacking the afternoon away: yay or nay?
Do you ever “dress up” ready-made, store bought meals? I do it a lot with soups too.
Afternoon snacks are the best 🙂 🙂
I like dressing up Amy’s lentil-veg soup by adding chicken, cilantro & a dollop of greek yogurt. How are the frozen pizzas? (Good, I’m assuming) Worth the purchase?
They’re definitely my favorite store bought pizza, but still lack in the toppings department. Great for a quick meal though.
I eat when I’m not hungry. I think the biggest reason is that I’m scared I’m going to get OVERLY hungry later on. That’s what I used to do back in the really bad binging days. It works for me to eat when I’m not hungry so I don’t feel bad doing it ever.
I hate reaching the point of being absolutely starving too – that’s just asking for all sorts of trouble. So yeah, I definitely try to avoid it by making sure I eat on a somewhat regular schedule. It’s all about preventative measures 🙂
I love how you dressed up that pizza! And isn’t it funny how our body can balance out our appetite? I really need to learn how to trust mine!
Usually for me days of being hungry all day are followed by days of not being very hungry – just the body balancing itself out! I’m the same way though in that I could never just not eat most of the day even when not hungry…I love food too much and enjoy eating! Love Amy’s pizzas but I have never tried adding my own toppings to it – great idea love!
I usually eat when I am bored. I gravitate towards the kitchen for some reason!
That pudding! Oh my goodness. I never get tired of your posts.
Snacking the afternoon away is my daily chore. Seriously I get so snacky right before dinner and I don’t know why! Well, its probably because I work out around 1, so in the afternoon my metabolism is all cray cray. Owell.
And I looooove dressing up store bought stuff!! I do it with pizza too, as well as soups. In fact I have some chicken tortilla that I plan on adding brown rice to tonight as well as some black beans to beef it up more 🙂
Where do you fond the apple chips? They sound great but I can’t find them when I go shopping. 🙂
I’m not sure where you’re writing from, but here in Edmonton I get them at Save on Foods. They’re in little baskets in the produce section.
I try not to eat when I’m not hungry, because it usually means I’m grabbing junk food or just eating whatever crap is in front of me instead of real food. Hello, Swedish Fish.
I’ll dress up store-bought food if I’m feeling fancy. But usually at that point it’s GET IN MAH BELLY!
I feel like there is a lot I have wanted to comment about but emailing you is way more fun, just know I think you help a lot of people with your approach to life and eating and that is inspiring. Even to this girl over here. Meaning i want to hang with you in person. did I tell you that is on my 2013 bucket list? it really is
Do you think it’ll help if I put it on my 2013 bucket list (that doesn’t really exist) too? Needs to happen. If I read about one more blogger who gets to meet you when I don’t, I may just… well… get a little sadder.
Definitely hate eating right after the dentist, or when I brush my teeth! I try to eat light when I’m not hungry – I’m a big believer in frequent small meals. Frozen pizzas are so much better when you add to them – there’s never enough cheese to begin with.
Finally! Someone who agrees with me about the meager cheesiness n frozen pizzas. And girl, I will NOT touch food after I brush my teeth – not even because it feels wrong, but because it tastes all sorts of nasty. I like my food without a side of toothpaste, thank you.
Hahaha your placement of your sweet treat next to Lindsay’s creeping eyes had me dying. I love when our bodies naturally balance us out. Especially if the activity levels aren’t crazy high there is no need to shovel tons of food day after day! I do sometimes eat when I am not hungry but I try to keep those foods healthy. Fruits and veggies are always an ok go to when I am not hungry!
Sometimes snacky days are the best kind. I tend to aim to just eat as I normally would on the days I’m not super hungry but I do typically end up snacking a lot more than eating regular meals when I’m not super hungry.
I try really hard not to eat when I’m not hungry…but last night I had a giant dessert when I wasn’t hungry. I should have only eaten half.. it wasn’t worth the feeling I had when I was finished! I snack away the afternoon every day… no shame in that! I dress up soups..but for some reason have never thought about doing that to frozen pizzas? I don’t usually buy frozen pizzas because they don’t have my vegetarian choices… but duh, I can dress it up to my liking!
My eats have been boring this week because I was gone last weekend and will be gone this weekend..so I’m living off very little GOOD food here… and have no fresh veggies, which as a vegetarian, poses an issue.
Such a solid example of how it all really does balance out! I am on the opposite today in that I had some upsets yesterday that made my appetite non-existent, I ate anyway but not near the amount I should’ve…so today I’m ravenous! And YES, snacking all the way, all the time 🙂
Haha Lindsey is definitely eying up your chocolate pudding…good job she cant jump out of the cover and steal some lol!
I definitely eat when Im not hungry sometimes; sometimes food just needs to be enjoyed for pure taste and flavour rather than just because im starving and need something to satisfy that pain in my stomach ahah.
I’ve never thought of jazzing up store meals before – really good idea! yum!
YES! I kind of hate how eating for simple enjoyment seems to be such a taboo. I mean, obviously you can’t go overboard with it, but there’s nothing wrong with grabbing something just because it looks good, even if you’re not necessarily starving.
I’ve never thought to add things to already made meals but it looks like a great idea! I love that the blogging community is so supportive too. It feels great to know so many people go through the same feelings and it is your honest and vulberable posts that help to bring it out, so good job!
Dentists … the horror. In fact, my mum keeps bugging me to schedule another appointment as I’d postpone it forever on my own. I’m glad you got away unharmed :).
As I’m afraid of overcompensating the next day(s) I always eat no matter whether I’m hungry or not. The thought of eating all (the calories) I haven’t on one of those – admittedly very rare – non-appetite days the next one scares me. Balancing out is definitely what happens but I’d mind it if was too much.
Snacking all afternoon is a daily occurence for me. Maybe not as much when on the go but at home: all the way.
Though I hardly get store-bought meals – mainly due to the lack of vegan/vegetarian choices not because I’d deem them unhealthy – when I do dressing up always happens. Even if it’s just adding some fresh herbs, vegetables or a handful of chickpeas. Semi-homemade meals, right ;)?!
Glad you were able to get more sleep! Sorry you had to go to the dentist! I have horrible fear/anxiety with dentist appointments. I almost always have an appetite unless i am not feeling well and in that case I stick to snack type foods that are easy on your stomach like rice, toast and peanut butter. Your salad ingredients were sounding great until ketchup, I hate ketchup. My brother eats ketchup on everything, I will have to ask if he would actually eat a salad if we put some ketchup on it for him.
😯 Hate… ketchup??… 😯 I think you might officially be the first person I’ve ever come across to say that. At least tell me you like salsa?
Oh I love salsa 🙂
That chocolate pudding looks so good, even Lindsay is eye it! hehe
A definite ‘yay’ to snacking the afternoon away! Sometimes I just enjoy a variety of small snacks instead of one large meal. Lets me hit all the cravings at once 🙂
And I too love to dress up store bought things. Makes a meal come together so much quicker. And instantly tastier!
I always eat when I’m not hungry! I’ve been better about afternoon snacking lately, but it has just turned into evening snacking. I ALWAYS dress up store bought foods. They’re never exactly what I want, and god forbid I eat something that isn’t exactly what I want to eat.
you crack me up! Also, I will eat if Im not hungry, especially at work if I know I wont be eating for hours and hours! Sometimes I work at 7 and dont get lunch until 2 or 3, that makes for a long long day! And ketchup to salad, im intrigued! I love ketchup, but never thought about using it this way
I’ll seriously add ketchup to almost anything savoury, and it tastes amaaaazing in salads with chicken. So does salsa… 😀
Ive had salsa— makes sense 🙂
I have such a hard time eating in the like four hours following a dentist appointment. Your teeth are all clean and shiny and smooth and it’s so sad ruining that! 😛
I try not to eat when I’m not hungry, because I know that most of the time, if I want to eat and I’m not hungry, it’s just boredom or emotions talking. If I haven’t eaten in a good while though and I’m still not hungry, I’ll pop in a small meal.
Haha I’m glad I’m not the only eater, hungry or not…I think Freud would refer to it as “oral fixation”. I’ll just say it’s a result of me really liking to eat ;)! However the kinds of foods I eat on non-hungry days definitely differ- I usually go for breakfasty foods like yogurt bowls (any excuse) or oatmeal…vegetables are a no-no! Genius idea to doctor up store-bought pizzas especially as companies tend to skimp on toppings ;)! Also thanks for pointing out about your hungry days being a result of poor sleep! Yesterday and today have been way more hungrier than normal and it didn’t even cross my mind that it could be due to the fact I’ve barely slept in the past 2 nights.
Haha I love the Freud reference!
That spotty banana looks SO perfect!! I love it :). And that pizza? Holy yum!!
I am definitely a huge snacker (mid-morning, afternoon, and at night!) and I definitely eat when I am not hungry. I easily persuade myself to eat simply because something looks/sounds good.
I will fully admit that as someone who runs 70+ miles consistently there is not a time I really consider myself not hungry. I could honestly eat every hour if I needed to (and I just ate candy, then could easily gain weight that way…would I get the energy yes but would I be able to run as much as I do and feel good? no…probably not).
That being said, sometimes I feel a bit outcasted at work because I don’t eat at normal times (with eating 2 lunches…now and again at 1)but in the long run I have to do what is best for me. So to answer your question, I don’t have a lot of periods where I’m not hungry…or not eating…
Same here..I often wonder when people tell me that they ‘forget to eat’. I mean, what??? Seriously???
Music to my ears <3 It freaks me out when people clock in crazy mileage every week and seem to barely eat more than I do...
Yes I often eat when I’m not hungry and I’m
Trying to work out if its boredom or whether my body just isn’t satisfied. It’s definitely something that I am working on. Love your eats!!
It’s definitely a process! I’ve honestly found my snacking to always be the result of hunger. When I can’t stop thinking about food despite trying to get other things done, then I know I need to eat something. Especially because the feeling usually disappears as soon as I do and I’m able to move on to do other things.
I want that pizza!!!!!!
I love “dressing up” store-bought foods. I do it often with soups or other pre-packaged things from Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods.
And I’d totally rather snack than eat a full lunch. Snacks are the best!
I’m a big snack person especially in the afternoon. I can never make it from 12-6 without some food in between those meals. When I’m not that hungry, I try to make sure I have a little something because I’ll end up starving in an hour.
Oh yes…even when I’m not particularly hungry, I try to eat pretty regularly, especially on days where I’ve had a long run, and I have no shame in admitting I’ll have a little bit of something that looks good/I’m in the mood for, even if I’m not really hungry. Snacking the afternoon away is a big yay (or at least 2 snacks between lunch and dinner), and I love dressing up store bought stuff, especially pizza 🙂 Always add extra cheese and tomato sauce haha
your breakfasts always look so amazing! I have to remember to make them sometime 🙂
I’m learning this more and more every day. Most of the time I am at the same level of hunger but because my appetite has been all over the place lately, so yesterday I was on the hunger train and thought nothing of grabbing a handful of m&ms to calm that insatiable beast in front of me. There’s nothing wrong with being starving one day, because chances are the next day it will go back to normal. The more I force things and try to follow a cookie cutter plan, the more problems I face with food and the thoughts surrounding it.
I’ve definitely found the same to be true! When I go with the flow and stop stressing about following a plan to a T, I end up looking and feeling my best. I think the added stress we put on ourselves when we try to follow a plan perfectly is what causes us trouble in the long run.
Absolutely nothing wrong with snacking-through-the-afternoon sort of days. They actually happen to me on weekends quite a bit. More fun that way, sometimes!
And I’ll eat when i’m not hungry if the situation calls for it. Like if I know i’m not going to have the chance to eat for another three hours but I’m not quite hungry yet, I’ll still eat. I’d rather eat when I’m not hungry now than be starving in an hour! Plus there’s the inevitable “I’m full but I still want dessert” feeling. I’ll eat then, just because dessert is fabulous and necessary 😉
I love to ‘dress up’ store bought soups. I’ll buy a plain tomato or squash soup, than go nuts adding stuff. More veggies, beans, chicken, Greek yogurt or sour cream…Kinda think I need to buy soup this weekend now…
Yup I eat too when I’m not hungry. 🙂 My husband and I love to snack, in front of the TV with a glass of wine. I know, not right, we try to limit those times now. 🙂
Your breakfast always looks so good! Oh yes, I do eat when I’m not hungry because I feel like I should, and I get worried that if I don’t, I’ll have the scary hunger later on. And i JUST got back from the dentist and I too came back with a starbucks- i had your exact same reasoning! even though its probably worse in the long run, food just feels wrong with such a clean mouth.
Great minds think alike 😀 What did you end up getting from Bux? <-- coffee addict over here...
Grande nonfat blonde misto. It’s my usual and I can’t go a day without it, the guys behind the counter see me and just put it in before I even say anything but “good morning” 🙂
Love it! And it’s pretty much the same for me… They see me and they start making my cappuccino – feels like coming home 😀
Bahaha, love the pudding pic. That pizza looks great. Of course, I almost always think pizza looks fantastic.
yay on more sleep!! I’ve been sleeping more too and can’t complain about that fact.
I was the queen of eating with no hunger, especially after recovering from all that digestive distress and overexercise and sleepless night. I just wasn’t hungry ever.
And then, I usually just made myself eat otherwise I wouldn’t and um that’s no good;)
I sometimes snack the afternoon away and I like them better than regular meals most times. Oops.
Have a great Wednesday my love!
Although I don’t prefer eating the afternoon away, I have definitely done it in the past…it happens. I LOVE the fact that you actually admitted it and posted about it though – a lot of people would have tried to hide it under the rug for fear of being judged.
That pizza looks marvelous!
P.S – I totally meant to comment on the ketchup thing: I’ve added ketchup to a salad before too. It was good! I am glad too know there is someone else who has done it too! 🙂 🙂
😆 What can I say? I was totally craving some ketchup. Have you tried putting salsa in a salad? Gah! So good.
I think your day looks delicious in terms of food 🙂 I can relate on the dentist thing, I love to do it during the morning so I have at least 2 hours more the nice and clean feeling!
I realized, that lately I am not as starving in the morning as I used to be, which confuses me. I still eat breakfast, because I know my mornings are long and I won’t get a chance to eat breakfast later. Still, eating with hunger is so much more fun!
It definitely can be, but I’ve also found that eating when I’m not really hungry makes me think a whole lot less about food, and it’s nice to focus on other things with meals just being an afterthought.