There are a lot of ways I consume calories without actually eating (or so I’d like to believe). One of them is “even-ing” out the edges of a cake. If there is a cake, loaf of bread or pan of brownies on a counter I will cut off a piece every time I pass by. This leads to hundreds (sometimes thousands) of calories that I’m not accounting for. This is the reason it seems like I should be losing weight, but I’m not.
Full disclosure: I finished off this whole piece of cake edge by edge over the course of the day.
Well, today I made a list of ways I am eating without counting it as eating. I am committing to stopping all these habits right now!
Ways I eat and not count it:
– When I cut an edge of cake/bread/other sweet that’s on the counter
– Eating a piece of cookie instead of grabbing a whole one
– Eating food Ben (or Matt) left
– Samples
– Drinking Juice out of the container (I only live with Ben and we already suck face all the time, so I don’t find this gross)
– Eating while preparing a meal
Wow! That is more than I even realized!! No wonder I haven’t been losing – I’m eating all the damn time!
I am announcing this list on the blog so I stay accountable. Little changes at a time, like eliminating this bad habit, result in lasting weight loss 🙂
In other news – I got a bunch of fitness loot from Marshall’s yesterday. Marshall’s is another store that I should be a spokeswoman for (after Costco). I was on the hunt for a medicine ball (to do Bobbi’s ab workout) and ended up with a travel yoga mat and a stability ball! I totally scored.
This “travel” yoga mat can also be used at a yoga towel for on top of my mat. I’m excited to give it a test run. It feels like a thin, non-slip towel. But I’ll let you know my full review once I use it.
I had a stability ball in California, but it didn’t make the cut of stuff to move across the country 🙁 Truthfully, the only thing I really use these for is sitting on as a desk chair.
Dinner was Chipotle! I love when Ben makes a dinner suggestion I actually want. We shared an order of chips…
and I got the vegetarian salad bowl with tons and tons of guac. Even though it was a lot of guac I know it’s against my Mexican heritage to let any go to waste, so I ate it all.
Question: Do I look like someone who plays with knives?
Because I am. And I totally cut my hand today 🙁 Lesson learned. The hard way. Ouch!
I’m off to tend to my wounds and watch movies with Ben. See you in the morning!
Glenn Jones says
THIS is exactly how I get in trouble! Eating when I don’t really cont it as eating. The small snack here, the pice of candy there. I know your pain!
All Women Stalker says
“I only live with Ben and we already suck face all the time, so I don’t find this gross.” –> Hahaha! Nice one.
I try to be aware of the little things I do that are not good eating habits.
Jessica @ The Process of Healing says
I do the same thing. Being aware of those little “bites” is so so so important!
Deva (Voracious Vorilee) says
I do the bits and nibbles too, and recently have been making a very conscious effort to stop. I am trying this month to do my best with eating cleaner foods and less junk, and decided that if i was going to eat it, it had to be on a plate (or sheet of foil, as is done at one of my favorite hamburger places), so that I could see how much I was eating. 🙂
Courtney says
Ouch! I’m sorry you got cut!! And I’m totally an “even-outer” too. It helps to pre-cut breads and brownies right after you cook them, so you won’t be as tempted to grab huge slices. =)
<333 cor
Karyn says
ouch to getting cut! i was cutting an orange the other day and cut my hand so the acid made the cut a billion times worse.
Lauren @ Eater not a runner says
I am definitely guilty of “even-ing” out anything that is left on the counter.
That pic is making me want guac!
katherine says
So impressed that you posted that list. I do the same thing – especially when it comes to the few bites here and there I have while cooking, or after dinner while cleaning dishes, or while collecting my food for the next day. It really does add up!
Shannon says
Oh yes…I am famous for evening out loaves of bread or eating the broken cookies. I just made some blueberry cake and some pumpkin bread, but made them both in the form of muffins, simply for portion control. With a muffins its much harder to find an end that needs evening!
Chanelle says
Oh my gosh… thank you for addressing this issue and being BRAVE enough to say something about it on your blog. I am sometimes in major denial about the little excess calories I take in and I also swig juice from the jug here and there. All NOT things that I am proud of but it’s inspiring to see a fit and beautiful woman like you also working to eat more intuitively and being HONEST with herself and the blog world about what’s going on.
you
re amazing and good luck with I.E.
~Chanelle
xoxo
Karla says
I definitely do most of the things mentioned. I’m going to make a conscious effort to avoid doing them as well.
michelle says
I have a *thing* about making sure things are even too… I think I’ve eaten a whole cake that way! 🙂
Freya @ foodfitnessandfreya.wordpress.com says
Ouch for your hand 🙁 that sucks!
I do that constantly nibbling thing too..mainly with raisins and blobs of almond butter 😛 but meh, it makes life more fun lol! Have a great day 🙂
Whole Body Love says
I have to cover my baked goods because I have a habit of “evening out” the edge.
heather says
I feel you on the making the edges of cakes and goodies even. I am notorious for that in my family. I will also purposefully leave the edges raggedy so that I have to go back even them up.
Erin (Travel, Eat, Repeat) says
Chipotle has such good guac — I always get a big scoop of it on my veggie burrito bol. 🙂
Caroline says
I decided to write down everything I put in my mouth for the past week or so and even though I’m not going to do this forever, it REALLY opened my eyes to times when I just “taste” things .. all day long!
Andddd since I’m veg and I noticed pinto beans in your chipotle I just wanted to let you know they use pork when making the beans. I know you have been doing meatless Mondays and whatnot, so I was just sayin in case you didn’t know
runeatrepeat says
Damn it! I knew they tasted “meaty” to me! Thanks for telling me.
caronae says
I cut my hand TWICE today, cooking two separate meals (although one was totally not my fault, because a plate fell out of a cupboard and onto the knife on the counter, which then flew into my hand).
runeatrepeat says
Boo to getting cut twice today 🙁 Hope you’re okay.
caronae says
They’re little cuts 🙂
Hangry Pants says
Ways I eat and not count it – I am so right there! I was doing something today (okay eating pieces of cookies in copious amounts) and finally I realized – ugh Heather, it’s really no wonder you gained weight and can’t fit in your jeans. 🙁 I’ll tell ya – taking pics. this week really helped, but I abandoned it on the weekend. Tssk tssk. The cookie thing was kinda like a “Duh” moment. 🙂 and 🙁 all at once I guess.