0ne-n|ght stand with oreos

I ate Oreo cookies excessively last night.  I have problems eating at night, in general.  I'm trying to wean myself of this habit.  I've read there are several reasons why people eat excessively at night, and I can think of two that apply to me.  

The first reason is that I haven't eaten enough throughout the day; therefore, I truly am hungry at night.  In the afternoon/early evening, I go a long period without eating.  I am helping my girls' with their homework, getting them ready for school the next day, getting dinner ready, etc.  It is hectic, and I forget to eat.  I think that's why I overeat at dinner and binge eat the rest of the evening.  I don't always do that, but sometimes I do.  I am trying to teach myself to schedule my meals to eat every 3 hours or so to feel satisfied throughout the day, and allow my stomach to rest at night.  I believe it is an organ that needs rest.  

The second reason is that I am bored.  I am running around most of the day, and at night, I sit down, watch TV, wander aimlessly, or engage in purposeless activity.  The point it that it is not structured time.  Does that make sense?  I have a tendency to mindlessly eat.  The truth is that I don't like vegging in front of the TV.  It feels useless to me, and I think I eat to feel productive/useful.  It's silly, I know, but I think I do it to occupy my time, and feel as though I am doing something.  

Another point is that I can't make food an outlet for de-stressing (is that a word?).  I think we all need indulgences in our lives to counteract some normal, everyday stress.  It can't always be food.  I think an occasional treat is harmless, but a regular night of overeating is obviously not good.  I need to get creative and indulge in other ways like reading, crafting, a walk around Target, etc.  It takes so much discipline to acknowledge in the heat of the moment that I am using food as an outlet and that I need to be more creative and expend useful energy some other way.  

I'm trying not to feel too bad about the Oreo cookies...  I am trying to learn from my mistakes.  

***In other news, I am joining Becky's project at Farmgirl Paints: Operation Zip Those Pants.  Whenever I post something on instagram (jessicarrodarte) related to my weight loss journey, I will add the #operationzipthosepants hashtag.  Maybe you'll play along, too?***

(Want to know more about My Weight Loss Toolbox?  Start here, and continue here).