5 hours...6 hours...7 hours passed without having a legitimate meal.
By the time I was in my the car about to head back home across state from a benefit event I was performing in, a panicked, ravenous energy was already clawing in my belly.
Pre-frontal cortex shut down. Must eat.
I reached to my back seat and pulled a grocery bag up to my passengers seat with some food I'd bought for my travels in search of something to satisfy me.
Giant honey-crisp apple, almond butter...yum...still hungry...
Plant protein bar...ok, but still hungry...
Leftover chicken salad wrap...
A bit of leftover dark chocolate...
...and there it was.
It finally registered.
The sweet sensation of relief from eating after having waited too long (especially for this "hangry" type).
But the volume was just too much in one sitting. After a while, I could feel I was overly full and not comfortable.
And...
It happens, my friends! Everyone overeats here and there. Even the pros overeat.
Many people are waiting to arrive to the promised land of nutrition, where overeating suddenly vanishes for good and eating is perfect. Aiming for perfection as the goal often sends the most well-intentioned people into unwanted places with their eating, often making things worse.
Mythologist and teacher, Michael Meade, has written, "...those who become wise know that perfection is a kind of death and that our imperfections actually keep us alive...better to have a little crack."
So a better overeating barometer: It happens less. You understand how to set up your eating/lifestyle to reduce overeating. And there's less judgment and more understanding when it happens!
I find the truly wise work toward personal goals and accept the human sides of life along the way...
Laura