Table for one.....

Long before I started this 'diet' (i really don't think of it as a diet).  I realized some of my behaviors had to change.  The big one was eating in front of the tv.  Like Pavlov's dogs I had been so programed that tv meant food that as soon as I sat down I got hungry.  But I live alone and really have no one in my life and sitting at the table by myself day after day makes me feel....well like crap and even more lonely then I actually am.......Which doesn't help either since I am a emotional eater.

Thanks for listening.  I just had to put it out there.

I understand - that's a lot like how I felt in college.  Do you have friends you might invite over every once in a while?  Neighbors?  Programs like Meals on Wheels also take volunteers to bring the food to people and sit with them while they eat - those people would love to have someone to eat with as well!

Try to change the eating in front of the TV habit.  Get up and exercise during commercials.  Find a hobby like knitting that will keep your hands busy while you watch.  And then, there is always the advice of - don't watch so much tv - I know that may be too much...I don't really watch TV, but I'm addicted to the computer!

I did the same thing.

Anytime iw atch tv i had to have somthing.

basicly am by my self with my dog 95% of the time so i know what you mean by felling alone.

I understand. I eat on the couch, or more frequently - standing in the kitchen.

For couch eating: I serve myself very small portions. As in 1/4 of what I actually intend on eating, on a saucer. I try to really think about whether or not I want more before I go get more. I also eat lots of sliced cucumber while I watch tv. Its cold, crunchy, I salt it a little, and I find it perfect for mindless eating.

i had trained myself in the exact same way when i was living alone. i was lonely, and would eat ever meal in front of the t.v., and like you had myself trained that "t.v. on = food in mouth".  i'm not living alone anymore, thank goodness, so it's definitely helping me. but even now, if i'm left alone for long-ish periods of time, if i turn on the t.v. i will completely binge out and mindlessly eat.  sometimes i really hate t.v... :/

good luck pamm! and puh8suwrux offerred some great advice re: meals on wheels and such.

I know this is going to sound weird, but maybe you could give it a try. I frequently eat my meals by myself and I find that it is often a little odd to sit down alone at an empty table. So what I do now is eat by the window - either standing, with the plate in my hand, or if it is uncomfortable to hold, such as a bowl of hot soup, I set it down on the window pane and get a chair for myself. Eating on the balcony or porch should also be nice, if you have one. It would feel almost like a picnic then. :)

I think it would be a nice change from watching TV to watching the world. The fresh air is a nice bonus, especially if you have been cooking and the kitchen is hot. And with the distractions outside you could find yourself eating slower, which is a good thing.

Same here Pamm.  I've compromised by eating at the table but sometimes reading as I eat.  I set the table with a nice placemat and cloth napkin, just for me.  I do measure my portions and fix my plate in the kitchen, so there is no temptation to go back for more - I just eat what's on my plate or in my bowl. 

Thanks for a great topic!

Original Post by puh8suwrux:

 Programs like Meals on Wheels also take volunteers to bring the food to people and sit with them while they eat - those people would love to have someone to eat with as well!

 I love your suggestions but need to clear up this one thing.  I live in a senior citizen apartment building and many tennants have Meals on Wheels delivered.  They deliver a week's worth of two meals a day for $35, a really good price.  The volunteers do not have time to sit with anyone because they'd never get all the meals delivered, and they are not there every day.  They send a team of 2 to deliver to about a dozen of our 130+ apartments. 

I've gotten together with a couple of friends and we do invite each other over for a meal now and then, but so many of us are on special, restricted diets that it gets hard to do.  For instance, I am on a medically supervised low sodium diet and don't dare eat too much salt.  So what do I do when a neighbor invites me in for tuna noodle casserole, made with canned cream soup that contains my entire allowance of sodium in one serving?  Can't be done! 

I mostly have people come to me and bring something.  We also do an informal, impromtu, brown bag lunch in our meeting room once in a while.  Anything to get us out of our apartments!

I tried eating at the table with the TV off but it doesn't work for me. I am alone and very content that way and had to adjust my lifestyle.  So I have made peace with eating in front of the TV.  Now I prepare a nice healthy meal to fit my new lifestyle and put it in pretty china with the appropriate drink and silverware and sit and enjoy a movie or whatever. 

I no longer feel it is necessary to eat every time I sit to watch TV. I have a few rules I abide by:  Only eat at meal times and that is 9:00 am, 1:00 pm, 6:00 pm.  I don't snack after dinner unless my calorie allotment allows it.  I never eat standing up.  And the most important never eat more than my calorie allotment. 

I believe we have to adjust our particular lifestyle to fit the new way of eating in a way in which we are comfortable and content. Bless you all and keep trying we can do this together.

Original Post by clairelaine:

I do measure my portions and fix my plate in the kitchen, so there is no temptation to go back for more - I just eat what's on my plate or in my bowl. 

me too. i dont even have a kitchen table since i downsized to a nest for one. i sit on the floor in front of my tv with my computer. (i bought a new futon when i moved and got a real nice cover for it so i dont want to sit on it to eat).

i dont associate tv with food (good thing!) but since i started CC i always have this little voice in my head telling me that my meals should average no more than 500-600 calories. that seems to work for me. my inner disciplinarian nag.

Thanks For the support everyone and the suggestions.  I will have to give most of them a try!

I'm in the same boat as you.  I live alone, and I eat most of my meals at home by myself.  And honestly, I eat  most of my meals sitting on the couch in front of the TV or the computer or reading.  But I log every calorie and I don't feel like I need to be eating just because I'm watching TV.  The biggest rule I've implemented is no eating out of the package.  If I don't intend to eat it, then I won't have it sitting in front of me.  I excercise in front of the tv too, so I figure it all evens out.

Original Post by clairelaine:

Original Post by puh8suwrux:

 Programs like Meals on Wheels also take volunteers to bring the food to people and sit with them while they eat - those people would love to have someone to eat with as well!

 I love your suggestions but need to clear up this one thing.  I live in a senior citizen apartment building and many tennants have Meals on Wheels delivered.  They deliver a week's worth of two meals a day for $35, a really good price.  The volunteers do not have time to sit with anyone because they'd never get all the meals delivered, and they are not there every day.  They send a team of 2 to deliver to about a dozen of our 130+ apartments. 

I've gotten together with a couple of friends and we do invite each other over for a meal now and then, but so many of us are on special, restricted diets that it gets hard to do.  For instance, I am on a medically supervised low sodium diet and don't dare eat too much salt.  So what do I do when a neighbor invites me in for tuna noodle casserole, made with canned cream soup that contains my entire allowance of sodium in one serving?  Can't be done! 

I mostly have people come to me and bring something.  We also do an informal, impromtu, brown bag lunch in our meeting room once in a while.  Anything to get us out of our apartments!

 Ahh - I'd never actually looked into the program - maybe I had it confused with another one.  (Or I could have just fantasized it - that happens sometimes)

A brown bag get together sounds really fun, though!

I'm sorry that TV signals the need to eat for you.  It never did that for me.  I advise having baby carrots or something equally fibrous and low cal on hand to snack on if you're plopped in front of the boob-tube.  I'm thinking something like that would start to fill you up before you ate too much.

The being alone doesn't bother me that much.  I spent the 2007-2008 school year at home alone most week days (on medical leave), made and ate all my meals by myself.  This past school year at college most of my meals were my myself too.  I had a roommate but our schedules and tastes were quite different.  Sometimes we'd eat around the same time, but most nights I ate alone.  The way our apt was set up, the "kitchen table" was across the room from the TV...so I'd make my meal, walk over to the TV, get the remote, walk back to the table, then turn on Cash Cab.  I ate while watching Cash Cab because I love to shout answers out, which helps slow down the eating process, and it gives the illusion of having company.  I don't know...my personality loves the thrill of trivia...actually exercising my brain makes me feel happier than exercising my body lol.

I thank God that I do not own or watch TV.  This makes me even more appreciative.  When I am trying to diet if I see tv on at work or anywhere, I instantly break, what's with that.

Good luck with all your goals, I like to set the table nicely for 1 with a pretty water goblet & it feels very proper & lovely, a window does enhance this if your are not mid-city.

Tjlo