I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence
And so the days float through my eyes
But still the days seem the same
And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware of what they're goin' through

Thursday, May 17, 2007

I'm a junk food junkie

Well, not so much anymore, but how come when the walls are closing in and there's general heinousness in the air, junk food seems so appealing to one's soul? I know that the opposite can be true, there are places I can go that are usually natural calmers. The junk food's appeal just seems stronger in times of stress and adversity.

4 comments:

Camille Alexa said...

Uhmmm...all things in moderation?

Steve Buchheit said...

It's those snack cravings and, wait a sec, this was Thursday. We have donuts on Thursday (from a supplier)! And I didn't get any! Someone is going to have to explain this tomorrow morning.
:)

ThatGreenyFlower said...

I'm a bit late commenting on this, but Better Half and I have the same problem. My theory is that simple carbs (which is what most junk food consists of) raise the serotonin level in the brain, temporarily relieving some of those stressful feelings. It's only when you try to get up and find that your ass is wedged so tightly into the chair that you CAN'T that the real stress kicks in!

Exercise is supposed to replenish stress-relieving hormones and other positivity chemicals, too, but it's so much more difficult than just reaching for a bag of chips or whatever your particular stress food happens to be.

Last week I was trying to wrap up a bunch of work before going on vacation. We've been trying to have less crap in the house for high-stress times like that, and I found myself eating a handful of marshmallows. That was so weird that I was able to stop and tell myself that marshmallows will not fix my problem. It was hard, though.

Steve Buchheit said...

ThatGreenyFlower, yeah, I've read that someplace (the serotonin levels). Now that I'm watching what I put in my body (not that I have to, but because I really want to, heck, just try and find a bottled tea product that doesn't have some nastiness, including artificial sweetners, which my body can't handle).

My doctor also says I need to exercise more. I just looked at him and said "when they make more hours per day I can fit that in." It's just really hard to go to the gym during the work day (I get no breaks). And there's not a gym within a 25 minute drive of my home. I do a lot, though. I walk about 6-10 miles for my job, everyday (before it broke I wore a pedometer). That includes walking up and down three stories (the elevator is not rated for humans) four or five times a day. At home, for yard work, I toss 30lb logs around. So I do a lot. He bvelieves this insulin resistance is blocking the weight loss. So we're on glucosamine. I do notice an energy difference, and I'm not up to the full dosage yet.