Yesterday on the drive home from San Diego I read Valerie Waters’ book and contemplated her advice. 
During my consultation she told me I probably had no idea what/how much I’m eating. I dismissed this in my head because ‘hello, I’m a FOOD BLOGGER’. I take pictures of my food – how do I not know what I’m eating?!
Yeah, she is right. I actually don’t know, because so much of it misses the blog as “bites or tastes”. Yesterday I had a few handfuls of chips, several bites of Ben’s pizza at Costco and a taste of his polish sausage 
(TWSS!). Ha.
The evidence.
And dinner was my fave peanut sauce salad.This never misses RER because I love it so much.
This morning I was happy that my training plan only called for 4 miles. Done and done.
Running tip: If you have a tendency to clench your fists really hard during a run…
Try to make the “okay” sign with your hands instead. 
Or just leave space for your hand to breathe.
And here’s “Exhibit B” of food I eat that normally misses RER – finishing off the sunflower seed butter while cooking breakfast. I’m not saying this is super bad since there wasn’t that much in the jar and my breakfast is fairly low in calories today. The point is I’m not accounting for it so I think I’m eating less than I actually am. Then, I make up for it at night because I feel like I deserve it. Make sense?
Breakfast was eggs scrambled up with salsa and toast. One piece had PB&J the other was butta and stevia/cinnamon.
Mmmmm. Eggs and ketchup 
I had the most awesome weekend at Blogher 2011!! In case you missed it…
Met Bob Harper and Valerie Waters Saturday
Had dinner with Manisha Thakor
Question: Have you ever met a celebrity? Who?? Who would you want to meet???
I have SUCH a problem with “taste testing” I tend to eat good meals and then snack to to much, especially at night!
I totally do butter, stevia and cinnamon on English muffin/sandwich thin… Tough I use Truvia. Close enough and so darn delicious!
Great tip Regarding fist clenching. I hold hands fairly loose and have a tendency to run with a ‘thumbs up’ thing going on. It’s weird but it feels super comfortable.
I am in the same boat with my eating! I am also trying to get rid of “the last 10” and even though I track everything with Spark People, I always forget that spoonful of PB or the handful of chips. Sigh.
Nothing more tasty than the end of a nut butter jar! How can anyone resisit when there is only a smidge left.
I used to have a big snacking problem. And so much of it always misses the blog. My only saving grace has been graduating from school and getting busy in the mornings/afternoons. I don’t have time to lazy snack.
We’re in the same boat right now… I’m sick of marathon training, dreading long runs, and eating more than I think I am. I think it’s natural to get stuck in ruts, and planning on getting my mojo back soon. You will too. Marathon training is hard… and maybe even more so the second time around!
Advice a picked up during my weight watchers days that I stick to when I want to lose a couple of pounds: “If you bite it, write it!” Those bite calories add up surprisingly quick.
I often overeat in the evenings when I feel like I’ve “deserved it” by being good during the day. As you said, in reality I’ve been taking little nibbles of stuff throughout the day … dried fruit somehow makes it into my mouth without be realising!
I totally so that when I am running with my fist. I know I do it too and constantly shake my hands out.. I will try the okay sign today! Thanks!
Hey im a lurker here and I think you are really hilarious and a great writer so I say this with kindness….you are clearly in denial (at least to some extent) about the amount of food you eat. You need to put yourself in “jail” for a bit, measure and weigh everything you eat to get an idea of what 1600, 1800 or whatever your goal calories looks like. Allow nothing in your mouth that isnt written down. I dont know about this intuitive eating you keep referencing, I know that – I – will overeat without some firm guidelines and unless I am reading your blog wrong it hasn’t worked at all as far as your weight loss goals. So come to terms with the fact that IF (big IF) you are actually serious about weight loss (which I am not sure you are), you cant eat and snack whatever you feel like whenever you feel like. Most goals don’t work that way – weight loss would be the foremost among them. My advice is either get serious about it or accept that it prob. wont happen. This is harsh but (in my experience, as I have struggled with weight loss and gain and tried many things too) very true!
Hi Alisa,
Thanks for chiming in 🙂
I don’t think I’m in denial because I realize my Bodybugg says I burn close to 3,000 calories a day and I’m not losing weight. 2nd grade math tells me I must be eating 3k calories a day to maintain! So I am aware.
But, I am denial about how much of that 3k is snacking and unaccounted for in snacking and random bites.
Yes and a simple step on the scale will tell you that no matter what the “body bugg” says, if you are eating 3000 calories / day and gaining or maintaining at ~155 lbs then 3000 calories / day is too much. Go with common sense and step OUT of the denial. You eat too much. You need to eat less (again, only if you are truly serious about your weight loss – you may decide you are happy at 155 and don’t want to make the sacrifice, and that’s cool of course). Free yourself of the gimmicks, tricks, wishes, and magical thinking and accept this basic fact.
Again, I definitely am not in denial, but I am very undisciplined with keeping my eating in line. I maintain at 3000 calories a day (which is pretty cool!) and realize I need to bring it down to lose weight. I am just starting to come to terms with staying more accountable and hope to keep track and plan a bit better for results.
Thanks for the input! I think the wake-up call I got from Waters this weekend was just what I needed too!
I creeped Jimmy Fallon out once does that count?
I tend to be a limp wrist runner.
I downloaded an app to my phone to count my calories becasue I am trying to be more aware and accountable! It’s amazing how many calories I consume! NO wonder I am “soft”! 😉
How did you creep out Jimmy Fallon???
My daughter and I were in NY for a dance trip and her and I were walking around. We walked in front of the studio where his show is (I can’t freaking think of the name grr!) and this black car with black windows pulled up and he got out. Well instead of doing what any normal person would do, I started slapping my daughters arm and said in what I thought was a whisper but apparently was more of yell, “It’s Jimmy Fallon! It’s Jimmy Fallon!” repeatedly! He glanced our way and then sped up to get inside. My daughter loves telling people I creeped him out! 🙂
I totally find myself randomly munching too. So cool that you got to meet her!
I catch myself doing the hand clenching thing all the time while running. Once I notice it, I always try to keep them open. It’s such a weird tendency isn’t it?
Okay, now I am a little confused. You said that you met Tracy Anderson and when I saw the picture in a previous post, which was admittedly quite dark, I though “Boy, she looks like Valerie Waters.” The, in the photo below where you say (in this post) you read “I read Tracy Anderson’s book and contemplated her advice”, it is a picture of Valerie Waters’ program “Red Carpet Ready”. So did you meat Valerie Waters or Tracy Anderson?
I made a mistake on the post and met Valerie Waters 🙁 One of my best friends worked with Tracy Anderson recently (and was in her infomercial!) and we talk about her a lot – so Anderson’s name was on my tongue, but it should have been Waters. I apologize for the mistake and have already updated it this morning.
I too, like Lindsay@CookVeganLover, read in Runners World a couple years back to pretend like you have butterflies in your hands – it works!
Sounds like you had a good time at BlogHer and that restaurant salad looked delicious!
I have never met anyone famous, or even seen one in person from afar.
I have been keeping track of my food on SparkPeople for over four years now, so I actually have a very good idea of what I eat on a day-to-day basis. And I found that I can’t have little bites here and there. Because otherwise my stomach gets upset. Almost irritated like “this is NOT a meal time, why am I receiving food?”
did Tracy have any different advice for you when you told her you were a marathon runner? I know a lot of her thing is to eat way less and cut carbs which seems a little off for a distance runner.
Yeah, I told her I was training for a marathon right now at the beginning of the consult. I think maybe she forgot when she told me to cut out the carbs? Because it’s not really realistic. She did say marathon training is NOT for weight loss. And that it’s easier to lose when you’re done training – which I totally agree with.
so maybe running three marathons, with the last one 2 weeks before my wedding may not have been the way to be my thinnest at the wedding 😉
When I run, I always seem to point my thumbs up. Circulation thing maybe?
I’ve met quite a few celebrities through my job. A few of my favorites: Kevin Spacey, Stephen Colbert, John Lithgow, Goran Visjnic, Annette Bening.
I love Colbert! Very cool.
I haven’t really met any celebrities except for the gal who plays the mom on E.T. and on Kujo…I was working at Wet Seal back in the day and recognized her…she was all stoked that I knew who she was, and gave me her autograph while her daughter rolled her eyes…it was awesome! lol
I have seen from a distance here in Santa Barbara Britney Spears, Seth Green, Michael Jackson (RIP), Missy Elliot, that kid from Malcolm in the Middle (what’s his name??) but those don’t really count, I just saw them… Oh! I met Kenny Loggins too…haha!
About the snacking…I sooooooo sympathize with you! I actually had no idea how much my snacking in between meals was adding up until I got invisalign about a month ago…you can’t eat with the aligners in, and you have to brush your teeth before you put them back in after you eat, which pretty much means snacking is off limits (=TORTURE for me!!). I didn’t think I was going to be able to make it the first week or so, and I was eating like, 700 calorie meals, but now 4 weeks in my body has adjusted, I don’t snack, and though I don’t own a scale on purpose, my jeans are already fitting me looser…whoo hoo!
I’m super impressed you saw MJ!!! RIP 🙁
Yeah I just wish I got to see him in concert 🙁
I think that’s what I’m most guilty of, Eating while I’m cooking or taking a couple bites here and a couple bites there. Habits like that are hard to break. Try chewing gum while you’re cooking. it helps with the oh, I need to taste this tendency
I do this all the time– think I eat less than I do, then allow myself to make up for it at night. It’s all getting written down in a food journal from now on!
I just started measuring my food again because I was getting a little heavy-handed with the nut butter consumption. I think a few licks is fine (hehe) but I was eating like, four servings just by cleaning my food processor when I made peanut butter!
Wait – I thought the tastes straight from the blender or processor don’t count. Is that not true?
Snacking in the evening or at night is totally my problem too. Sometimes I’m not even hungry and do it, but I’m aware of it, so trying to break the habit is the hard part. I always think “I don’t need those chocolate chips, but I did run 6 miles today.” Bad food angel!
I’ve met Duff Goldman before! I thought I was going to be really nervous to talk to him but it was pretty chill. 🙂
I can’t remember where I came across it but I read something that said that when your run keep your hands “like you are holding butterflies”
Whenever I write down in a food journal everything I eat, I am always really surprised – those little nibbles here and there really do add up!
I’m an actor in NYC so even though I’M not famous, I’ve met a lot. I’ve never met Steve Martin, and he’s my idols, so I’d love to meet him.
Also, I am a total fist clencher! I have to consciously tell myself, “open your darn hands, Cat.”
I catch myself clenching my fists all the time – I’ll have to remember the OK option!
And I totally reward my healthy eating with extra calories at night because I deserve it – amazing how I can trick myself like that!