The Psychology of Satisfaction

I like to eat. Yes, I am overweight. Yes, I am trying to lose weight. Yes, it is a battle. However, in my quest for satisfaction during this process, I have found a way to have my cake and eat it too. I think. Sometimes you hear people say, “you can’t miss me when it comes to sweets.” In other words anything with sugar in it gets their attention. Well, for me you can’t miss me….period. I love food in general; no matter it be sweets, breads, meat, vegetables, carbs, you can’t miss me. So what is the answer. The answer is, self psychological manipulation. That’s right. Break it down.  One definition of psychological is the “Influencing or intended to influence the mind or emotions.” So that’s what I do. I manipulate my satisfaction. And, just how do I do that? I am an emotional eater. I eat when sad, happy, frustrated, stressed, it doesn’t matter. I’ll give you a couple of examples how I manipulate my satisfaction.

One of my favorites…pancakes. I made banana pancakes. Instead of using syrup or DIEt syrup I used whipped cream. Now for those of you who don’t know, syrup has 210 calories per 1/4 cup whereas whipped cream only has 15 calories (10 fat calories) per 2 tbsp. Syrup has 38g/sugar; whipped cream 1g/sugar. You get the point. There are healthier choices available to make eating psychologically satisfying.

Ok, so I had my banana pancakes, two of them, topped with whipped cream, garnished with blueberries and strawberries. Voila! Psychological satisfaction.  I had my pancakes, I had a serving of fruit, I had a serving of dairy. You have to use a real cream product.  Another favorite–ice cream….in particular Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla. Blue Bell has a No Sugar vanilla ice cream. Again, ice cream, sliced bananas, slivered almonds, pineapple, strawberries, top with (you got it) whipped cream and a cherry. Psychological manipulation = psychological satisfaction. Make sure you are using real fruit, not fruit toppings full of sugar.

So I don’t DIEt any more. I eat what I want in moderation. I eat to satisfy my psychological need, and in the process my physical needs are met. I eat large turkey patties for breakfast with egg whites chopped full of vegetables; spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes. I drink sometimes two smoothies a day made with plain yogurt, fruit and honey; and of course whipped cream if I want to feel like I’m having a dessert. I make spaghetti and use turkey Italian sausage. Life if good. As long as psychological manipulation works for me, I will never DIEt again. By the way, I’m feeling better, walking three or four days a week, and I feel stronger everyday. I walk with my ipod jamming on the track. At first a little self conscious because I was mostly dancing rather than walking. Who cares? This is my body, my routine, my life. I’d rather dance than walk through life.

I’ll keep you posted on my progress. I think I’ve got this demon conquered. We’ll see; literally. Try it and let me know how psychological manipulation helps you.