Ashley asks: How do I control myself when I’m home at night and I’m really hungry?
Hi Ashley –
This is a really big question. And I have to admit, much as I dislike it, I’m lucky in this regard. You see, I can’t get into the refrigerator. I can’t get into cupboards, I can’t even get into the container that holds my dogfood. And because Handsome makes sure to regulate all that, I’ve never had an eating problem. He makes sure I get all the really healthy dogfood I want at dinnertime, and I often leave it out so I can nibble on it during the day too. But I can’t get pizza and cookies and treats and all whenever I want, only when he lets me have some.
Lots of people have trouble controlling their appetites. And I certainly relate – I’d have trouble too, if I had the power you humans do. So what you need to do is to be your own Handsome! You have to be the one who says what and when you can eat. And that’s very hard work.
I really have two answers to your question, then. The first is to make sure that all the food you have at home is healthy. If you’re really hungry and eat a bag of carrots, you might turn a little orange, but otherwise you’re going to be okay. If you steam up a big bowl of broccoli, so be it. But either of those is way better than eating a bag of cookies.
Second, it’s amazing how well Water works! See, the feeling we call Hunger is actually a burning pain in the walls of the stomach, saying they need something to calm that pain. Food dilutes it, but so will a great big drink of water. When you’re feeling that hungry, try drinking a few glasses of fresh water, and see what happens. Most likely, it’ll ease your hunger pangs for a while. And of course, drinking more water is almost always a healthy thing to do. It’ll improve your energy, your skin, and yes, keep your appetite down.
But of course, if these don’t work, there are lots of other solutions out there. If you really just need help keeping your eating down, there are organizations that can help with that (I don’t know where you’re writing from, but here there are big companies like Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers that have great reputations, as well as individual diet consultants). And if your problem is too much for that, I strongly recommend finding a therapist who specializes in eating disorders, as these problems can get really huge and serious.
But in the short term, try out a fridge full of veggies and a belly full of water, and most likely that’ll help keep you healthy and under control.
Meanwhile, I gotta go. I just heard Handsome open the icebox door and I want to be right there in case something falls out on the floor!
Good Luck!
Shirelle