Whoa
I love to feed people.
I love to cook.
I love to see people eat what I have cooked.
I love to throw dinner parties where people eat what I have cooked.
However, I have just come to a startling and potentially revolutionary realization. Although I love having people over to the house to feed them.... I don't actually like to talk to them while they are here.
Yes, I know that sounds horrible. Very 'Martha' of me (and not Martha Stewart! Martha, of Martha and Mary...) I am glad that my husband has the wonderful amiable gift of talking to people. He loves to tell stories and jokes and play videos and get in to big discussions. I, however, am content to stand in the doorway of the kitchen and watch it all happen from a distance.
Because of this difficulty for me to talk to others and make good conversation, I have realized that I become an obsessively compulsive overeater when I throw dinner parties! I thought that it was simply because the food I serve is just so darn tasty (ha ha ha) that I cannot resist. Well, I do bring out 'the good stuff' when others come over, but surely, I thought, I must have some sort of will power. No, though. I consistently find myself in the kitchen snacking away on absolutely everything in sight wondering to myself what the heck is happening.
I have come to realize that I think the stress of talking to others drives me to eat! Comforting myself with food. Whoa!!! I never realized this before. This is utterly astounding to me. Disgustingly embarrassing I think, but a very much needed personal realization.
I am definitely not going to stop having dinner parties. I am definitely not going to stop cooking -- both of those activities bring me too much joy. However! I now have a bit of a larger emotional defense arsenal against this post-party overeating disorder. Now that I know it is an emotional thing, I can battle against it and ask myself all the required questions... "Why am I eating this?" Hopefully the answer, "To comfort myself" will stop me dead in my tracks and I will put down that fork full of lasagne... I will put down that spoonful of vanilla ice cream... I will take my hand out of the bag of M&Ms. Let's hope I can do this.
Let's also hope I can work on my conversational skills. Let's hope I can improve my personal ability to talk to others without increasing my stress level. Let's hope I can simply sit in a chair, have a pleasant chat, laugh at a few jokes... without feeling the urge (or at least being able to resist the urge) to run to the fridge or the cupboard or the pan of brownies to stuff my face full of calories that will make me feel guilty later.
Wow am I ever thankful I've had this revelation about my eating habits. Here's to a new start, and a new week of healthy eating and a healthy attitude toward food.
~lk
I love to cook.
I love to see people eat what I have cooked.
I love to throw dinner parties where people eat what I have cooked.
However, I have just come to a startling and potentially revolutionary realization. Although I love having people over to the house to feed them.... I don't actually like to talk to them while they are here.
Yes, I know that sounds horrible. Very 'Martha' of me (and not Martha Stewart! Martha, of Martha and Mary...) I am glad that my husband has the wonderful amiable gift of talking to people. He loves to tell stories and jokes and play videos and get in to big discussions. I, however, am content to stand in the doorway of the kitchen and watch it all happen from a distance.
Because of this difficulty for me to talk to others and make good conversation, I have realized that I become an obsessively compulsive overeater when I throw dinner parties! I thought that it was simply because the food I serve is just so darn tasty (ha ha ha) that I cannot resist. Well, I do bring out 'the good stuff' when others come over, but surely, I thought, I must have some sort of will power. No, though. I consistently find myself in the kitchen snacking away on absolutely everything in sight wondering to myself what the heck is happening.
I have come to realize that I think the stress of talking to others drives me to eat! Comforting myself with food. Whoa!!! I never realized this before. This is utterly astounding to me. Disgustingly embarrassing I think, but a very much needed personal realization.
I am definitely not going to stop having dinner parties. I am definitely not going to stop cooking -- both of those activities bring me too much joy. However! I now have a bit of a larger emotional defense arsenal against this post-party overeating disorder. Now that I know it is an emotional thing, I can battle against it and ask myself all the required questions... "Why am I eating this?" Hopefully the answer, "To comfort myself" will stop me dead in my tracks and I will put down that fork full of lasagne... I will put down that spoonful of vanilla ice cream... I will take my hand out of the bag of M&Ms. Let's hope I can do this.
Let's also hope I can work on my conversational skills. Let's hope I can improve my personal ability to talk to others without increasing my stress level. Let's hope I can simply sit in a chair, have a pleasant chat, laugh at a few jokes... without feeling the urge (or at least being able to resist the urge) to run to the fridge or the cupboard or the pan of brownies to stuff my face full of calories that will make me feel guilty later.
Wow am I ever thankful I've had this revelation about my eating habits. Here's to a new start, and a new week of healthy eating and a healthy attitude toward food.
~lk
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~lisa