Today I woke, for the first time in awhile, feeling hungry. What a wonderful sensation that was! It was so nice to feel empty and excited to eat a healthy meal. In times of stress, as I get into a binge pattern, I generally wake with a food hangover and a feeling of dread. And it can be HOURS before I'm actually hungry.

Which do I prefer? Gorging until I feel completely sick, having trouble sleeping, and waking to feelings of guilt, shame, discomfort and disgust? Or eating a delicious, healthy dinner, sleeping well, and waking feeling energized and light?

Obvious answer right? Clearly self care is the more pleasurable path. It's easier to take care of myself. There is no guilt, shame or disgust. There is no discomfort. There is no remorse. There is energy, pride, lightness, and satisfaction.

The trick is to remember how I will feel in the morning, at night when the urge to binge comes on strong. The trick is to take my mind one or two steps past the initial decision to put extra food in my mouth, to the feelings that come soon after.

A long time ago I figured out that the guilt and low energy I felt on days I didn't exercise was enough of a disincentive to exercise daily. When I feel the urge to skip a workout (which is rarely if ever), I remind myself that if I do, I won't enjoy my life as much. I'll spend the day upset, stressed, and I'll wake the next day feeling worse.

This is the kind of thinking I am hoping to apply to eating just the right amount and not binging. If I can remember, in that moment, that overeating ALWAYS leads to pain and guilt and bad feelings, and that if I can hold off on making that choice I'll feel so much better later, what a way to ensure a more pleasurable existence.