I used to eat like my dog

June 13, 2010

Eating is an interesting thing. You have to do it to live, it can be an extremely social activity, and lets face it- good food is FUN to consume. Yummo.

I was eating lunch today, and my dog, as usual, was sitting patiently near my feet just waiting for a crumb to drop.

I was finishing up my grilled pork and avocado when I decided she had been a particularly “good girl” for the day and that a piece of pork that I wasn’t able to finish wouldn’t hurt her. (Typically, I NEVER feed her human food).

I tossed her the piece of pork, and in one carnal motion, she caught it in her mouth and swallowed it.

I said to her (because yes, I talk to my dog when I’m alone):

“Lilly! You have to CHEW! I could have just thrown a piece of poop at you and you would have eaten it! Chew! Chew!”

As she looked at me quizzically, wondering what the hell I was saying and when I would throw her the next piece, I chuckled at myself.

I totally used to eat like that.

When I was climbing the scale, gaining 75+ pounds per year, I would eat like my dog. The only difference is that dogs don’t have the access to the crap that we do.

I would go to Taco Hell, order $12 worth of food (do you KNOW how much shit you can buy for $12 at Taco Hell?) and scarf it down. In my car. And throw the wrappers away before I got home. Beacuse if I did that, it meant it never really happened. I didn’t eat the food.

Now, I’m trying to break out of this “eating like my dog” habit. I try to select fresh, unprocessed foods. I am now cooking the majority of meals for myself, so I know exactly what goes in them. Does that mean I might eat the same kind of shrimp 3 times a week (because I am SO not a cook), yes. And I’m fine with that. I can’t believe, looking back, at how much crap I would mindlessly inhale without thinking. Consume without thought. Disgusting.

Can anyone else identify with this? What do you do to keep yourself on track?

  • http://fattofitdiary.blogspot.com/ Vinny

    I so identify with this! It is a tough habit to break. I need to constantly remind myself to slow down and taste what I am eating. Not to mention remind myself to eat the right things. Great post!!!

  • http://twitter.com/LiveStartled kathleen wright

    I laughed during this post but I was also feeling sick inside. I, too, remember eating way too much at a drive through, scarfing it down in my car and then throwing the wrappers away before I hit the house.
    For the same reason: if it didn't come in the house, the event didn't happen. My lowest point was being on a liquid diet (Cambridge) and sitting in a K-Mart parking lot wolfing down a Big Mac and fries leaning sideways so no one would see me. Thank you, God, for healing and for providing the way out.

  • amber

    Yes!!!!!!

  • Sarah7500

    Agree, agree, agree, although I never thought of it that way. I just made two pizzas for me and my three kids. So that's in actuality one half of a pizza for each of us, or about four slices (in my defense here, they're homemade, and my kids are teenagers, so they eat a lot.) I ate my four…which is probably one piece too many anyway, but was secretly hoping one of my kids didn't want a piece of theirs so I could scarf it down. Even though, now that I've walked away from the table, I'm realizing that I'm actually quite full and kind of wish I had stopped at three. If there was a piece left, I'd eat it. And I know that about myself. And yet I'm still bummed that my boys were actually hungry and ate all their slices. The nerve!

  • Stephanie Osgood

    This is really funny, my boyfriend andI were just talking about this today watching the dogs eat breakfast. We have one dog who when she is full, just walks away, while the other dog even though he has finished his food is waiting for any last scrap to scarf down in seconds flat. Amazing!

  • http://www.twenty-six-to-life.blogspot.com Kate

    I have 3 dogs who also do this and I have never made this connection, but yes, I do this too :( We all need to slow down and enjoy our meals more!

  • debbidoesdinnerhealthy

    I can SOOOOOO identify with this!! I would actually go to a drive through, order a “normal meal”, hide it under a blanket, go to a different fast food restaurant, order another meal and often go to a 3rd drive through and order more crap. Then I would go to another parking lot and inhale it. I would purposely order more than I knew I needed because I would rather throw something away rather than leaving knowing my stomach could hold more. So embarrassing when I think back to it. It really got to be an obsession with me. Once I made the committment to start this ordeal a couple of years ago, I stopped going to fast food restaurants altogether. The few times that we do have to go, I get the grilled chicken (which is expensive) and toss the bun. I have never (and will never) eat a fast food hamburger again. I can't. They hold too many bad memories and I LOVE them too much. Thank you for posting this. I've been trying to be honest in my writings but some of it is just too embarrassing to even write on a blog! You rock!

    http://debbidoesdinnerhealthy.blogspot.com/
    http://debbidoesdieting.blogspot.com/

  • Sarah7500

    That was really brave to post that, Debbi. Bravo.

  • Brittany

    LOL! I have full on conversations with my dogs… did I just admit that?

    What kind of dog do you have? Is it an airedale? I was thinking about getting an airedale, so I'm just curious…

    I can totally identify with that! Sometimes I would scarf my food down so fast, I wouldn't even remember eating the dang thing! I'd just be like, “where did my burrito go?” :D

  • http://www.skinnyemmie.com skinnyemmie

    Yep, she's an airedale. I didn't know they existed till I saw her at the shelter. They're CRAZY at times and definitely high energy!

  • http://www.skinnyemmie.com skinnyemmie

    I agree with Sarah- this is very brave of you to post! I have gone to 2 fast food restaurants back to back before. Or I would go through a drive thru on the way out to a sit down dinner somewhere else. Insanity.

  • http://sammyk-musicalmaniac.blogspot.com Sammy K.

    I just have to say that I totally relate to the “throw the wrappers away and it never happened” ordeal. I do that all the time and am finally getting my head in the mindset that that whole mess just doesn't work. Thanks for helping it to click into place a little bit further. I'll get there eventually. You're an inspiration. =)

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