I had some pumpkin in the fridge that needed to be eaten before it went bad, so last night I added it to overnight oats. For some reason I’m still in my “not feeling oats” phase though. I had been hoping that I’d use the pumpkin in a bowl of pumpkin oatmeal, but it never sounds good to me.
Even these overnight oats were just okay. I kinda am making myself eat it because I don’t want to waste it.
STOP.
After I typed this sentence I realized it was dumb. I was not enjoying my breakfast at all and really didn’t see the point of “making myself eat it”.
So, I threw the rest away (I was about half way done) and made a small cup of cereal with soymilk. But this was not much better as I gave up cereal for Lent and could have picked a piece of toast with PB or fruit or something.
This breakfast was a complete FAIL because first I was making myself eat something I didn’t want, then I ate something I gave up for Lent!
I was talking to my friend yesterday and I told her I couldn’t eat a few things she was mentioning because I gave up sweets for Lent. She said God has bigger things to deal with than if you eat a cookie.
I agree with that on some level– HOWEVER, giving up cereal for the few days that have already passed has made me realize how much I randomly grab handfuls of it, pour small bowls of it throughout the day and go back for seconds when I put it on yogurt. I eat A LOT of cereal!
I think I am going to go back to sticking with my Lenten promise and find some other options for breakfast for now 🙂
I hate wasting food. I think I’d feel more guilty about that than forcing myself to eat something I didn’t like.
Great Harvest bread always makes a good breakfast start! Make an egg sandwich or put almond butter and banana on top. Nice and hearty!
I don’t mean to be mean, but don’t you think you’re using lent as an excuse to diet/forbid yourself from eating certain foods? Shouldn’t it be about the actual religious act?
Lisa, that’s not mean and I see your point.
I did clarify a while back that Lent is not an excuse to diet. I am giving up two of the hardest things as a sacrifice. I did not give up anything last year because I thought I was doing it as a diet – but I am not in that mindset any more. I am just trying to challenge myself – really giving up cereal is a very trivial thing when I remember how bad some people have it in our world.
I just wanted to add a clarification to my post…I’m not saying that we shouldn’t try and make food as satisfying as possible, but if the meal has provided adequate calories, sometimes we need to take a step back and remember that, rather than expecting the meal to “satisfy” us in other ways. If I eat the right number of calories but am not “happy” with it, it just means that I’m giving some emotional significance to the food. Again, from personal experience, I find that it is symptomatic of wanting food to do more than physically nurture, which is where the trouble starts. Not being critical AT ALL! Just a thought!
I really admire the way that you are always striving to improve your habits and understand your thinking about food. I know how hard it is sometimes.
I totally get when you have a meal that just isn’t right for some reason, but on the other hand, I find that those are really good opportunities to make progress. I used to freak out if a meal wasn’t amazing, and let it be a justification for continuing to graze because I was “unsatisfied”. Now, I look at it as an opportunity to remind myself that food is fuel. Not every breakfast is going to be fabulous and delicious – of course it should be, and there’s no reason not to have fun, enjoyable meals – but sometimes you have to sort of live with it. Sometimes food can just be food. I think when we try to make every meal exciting, new, presentable and 100% satisfying, it can take on a life of its own. There’s no reason to force yourself to eat food you don’t like, but just speaking from personal experience, it might be a good idea to use that sort of experience as a “tool” for getting one step closer to “normal” eating (that I also strive for!).
Good for you for stopping eating when you realized that it was silly to force yourself to eat something you weren’t enjoying. Life is too short, so not worth it.
Sorry your breakfast was a disappointing this morning. Life is too short to eat an unsatisfying breakfast, so I don’t blame your for chucking the last half. Hopefully tomorrow you’ll have a tasty, satisfying and non-cereal breakfast.
I’m a recovering cereal addict. I feel your pain!
PS–I made the chickpea casserole recipe you posted a few weeks ago. I loved it. I had dried chick peas on hand and cooked those, plus added some sauteed mushrooms and a little bit of whole grain pasta I had to use up. I can’t wait to make it again.
I totally agree that you should have thrown away your pumpkin oats if you weren’t liking them. I once tried a breakfast recipe that had quinoa and some other grain, mixed with pumpkin and raisins and I choked the whole thing down. I looked at the other 3 containers I had made up in the fridge for the next few days and realized how silly it was to do that. If I don’t like it, throw it away! I was very happy when I made breakfast the next day and it was something I actually liked.
Now, your cereal dilemma … I decided for Lent I was going to only snack up to 100-150 calories after dinner, if I’m hungry. I’ve already blown this the other day because I was starving for some reason. You have to listen to your body. You had a little bowl of cereal for breakfast and didn’t go back for another handful or another bowl. I would say that was a success.
Don’t be so hard on yourself – I agree with your friend that God has other things to worry about. It’s kind of like when you say you’re going to work out every evening – if you miss an evening, don’t beat yourself up over it, but instead resume the practice the next evening. Try not to let it go for too long.
K
I’m just impressed that you stopped yourself from finishing a breakfast you weren’t enjoying. Savor the little victories! 🙂
I feel your pain, I had a dinner fail last night. BUT there’s so many meals in a lifetime I just ate it and figured one sour grape doesn’t spoil the bunch
Cereal is so yummy!! Whenever I have a breakfast fail, I feel the same way you do. I don’t want to throw it out, but I don’t want to eat it either. So I usually ask if someone else wants it first and then throw it out if there aren’t any takers!
I don’t think the first part was a total fail. Yes, you were making yourself eat something you didn’t like, but then you STOPPED! You didn’t end up eating the whole bowl, so I think that’s a victory in itself! Sometimes you gotta take those small successes 🙂
I’m really glad that you listened to your mind when you started eating something that you weren’t enjoying. So many people eat just because its there in front of them, not taking into account if they really want it or am enjoying it.
Sorry about the Lent fail though! But your friends right! 🙂
Well that’s just depressing and not a good way to start the day.
Was it the consistency, taste or just feeling meh about it that was a let down? I haven’t ventured into the overnight oats realm yet and am kinda hesitant to. What about a breakfast sandwich, wrap, greek yogurt and granola? Luckily, I am not a cereal person so I don’t have to go through the cereal withdrawls or addiction 🙂
I have some similar issues with random handfulls of things. Cereal and crackers are both weaknesses for me, because they’re so easy to grab and eat.
Gah, I force myself to eat stuff when I don’t love it too. I’m trying to get over that but it’s hard when I’ve done it all my life.
Sorry about the breakfast fail, at least you’ll know for next time!
I agree with Melissa and I can totally relate because I am ADDICTED to cereals! I wish I could also just get it out of my casa but my homedwellers love it too much
Instead of giving up cereal, another idea would be not to buy it anymore and eat it when you go out for breakfast or brunch. Or if you do buy it, break it up into smaller portion controlled bags so you are tempted to stick your hand in the box all the time.
Good luck, I know how tough it is to break these kinds of habits. My weakness is cheese. I can’t buy it anymore or else I’ll keep cutting pieces off and end up eating an entire brick of cheese before the day’s over!
Hey Monica!
I always go through phases where I just don’t feel like eating something which I normally enjoy (that always happens when I had too much of something over a long period of time). Right now, I’m off grapes.
Anyway, breakfast should be AWESOME! I LOVE breakfast, probably my fave food of the day, so instead of making yourself eat something you don’t enjoy think of something which you REALLY want (i.e. WW pancakes, WW english muffins, breakfast cookies etc.) even if they take a little more prep and time in the morning, at least you will not have a breakfast fail again. 😀
xxx
Sorry to hear about your breakfast mishap, but it’s not a big deal.
I’m a cereal addict. I stopped buying it. I know that’s a little harsh but until I can control myself, I can’t have it around.
Good luck with your new breakfast options!