What kind of eater are you?

This week off from Boot Camp I've discovered some things about myself. And I need to be brutally honest with myself about these discoveries.

1. I am a stress eater. Not in the conventional sense, but because when I'm stressed I work too much and I get too lazy to cook. When I get too lazy to cook, I order out and I almost always over eat and order poor choices. Which leads to being tired all the time, and the cycle repeats. It's ugly, folks. Just plain ugly.

2. I am a PMS eater. I crave bread. So much bread. I could take or leave chocolate, but when that week hits me all I crave is bread. Bread dipped in olive oil, biscuits, rolls... anything I can get my hands on. I can't limit myself. I will gorge on bread and bread products. It is not pretty. (And god help you if you get in front of me trying to get bread. The husband nearly lost a limb once.)

3. I'm a see evil, eat evil eater. Deep down I love good food. I really really do. But when someone around me eats badly, I feel it give me license to do the same. I have a hard time keeping strong when someone orders nachos RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. They smell so good, I can't resist eating a bite. That bite becomes a quarter of the whole plate and then I feel awful. (Physically and emotionally.)

Now, I know completely avoiding these three things is not always possible. I'm pretty sure that second one is gonna happen every damn month. So, there's got to be ways around or to lessen these from happening. Constantly being in Boot Camp is not always a possibility, so I can use that. I can't eliminate stress from my life, or I'd be a hermit shut in. And I'm pretty sure that would stress me out, too. I'm positive that I can't rule what other people are eating around me. I'm just not interested in being that militant, and I'm pretty sure the husband would be more than pissed if I started ordering for him.

So, what's the solution?

I have no idea. But I'm pretty sure that recognizing these three ways of eating is pretty important. Stopping myself and asking if I'm eating because I'm tired/stressed/lazy, PMS-ing or because someone else is eating around me may help identify the situations.

Maybe the key is just paying attention. All too often we spend our time looking after everyone but ourselves. (A big theme in the Biggest Loser show, too.) I guess it's time for me to look after me. I need to make those better choices for me, not just for my family.