Why do I do this to myself???

[M's sick of dieting]

So i'm doing it again, diet head got me again. I decided last week that I'm gonna follow a portion control plan where you count everything and measure, measure, measure. I do good with it all week then Friday comes and after a week of obsessing over every bite, I'm starving and I eat what ever Friday and Saturday. I then find myself on Sunday disgusted with myself for my lack of self control and hating my love for food. I start feeling like a failure. I know I need to stop, it's a visious cycle, and it's not healthy.

I hate this "on and off" mentality I get. Your either good and life is great, or your bad and life stinks (which it doesn't, but you know what I mean). I always go back to dieting thinking I'll see results quicker. But the older I get the more I realize I've been dieting and obsessing over food sence I was 10. I just don't think I can do it anymore, nor do I want too. I want to eat "normal" as my husband puts it. I've been dieting so long I havent a clue what that means. I want to have a healthy relationship with food. No more obsessing!

I'm back to No "S" tomorrow, and I need to be ok with the fact the weight is gonna come off slow. But hell, if it's something I can stick to long term it'll be worth it. I feel like I need to get ride of all my diet books so I'm not tempted to go that route again ( I feel like a drug addict).

I do have a few days during the week I'd love some advice on, if anyone has some for me. I'm a full time Hairdresser, we don't eat regular meals when working. We try but most days I'm booked a client every half an hour. I have a day where I work 12-8. How would some of you handle that? A large lunch at 11:30, and a small dinner when I get out? Would love some advice:)

[kccc]

I do have a few days during the week I'd love some advice on, if anyone has some for me. I'm a full time Hairdresser, we don't eat regular meals when working. We try but most days I'm booked a client every half an hour. I have a day where I work 12-8. How would some of you handle that? A large lunch at 11:30, and a small dinner when I get out? Would love some advice:)

What do you do now? Grab food between clients whenever there's time? Snack? Not eat while working?

[M's sick of dieting]

If I have time, inhale a granola bar, or just go hungry. But I suppose if I ate a big lunch it would get me threw. I may try that this week and see how it goes.

[Who Me?]

If you pack (or buy) a "real" lunch, you could nibble on it when you have he chance, and still be aware of eating a reasonable amount.

Are you not given meal breaks? That may not be legal.

[M's sick of dieting]

We prob could take meal breaks but I've been in the industry 15 years and have yet to meet a hairdresser that takes meal breaks. Its only 2 days a week that it is an issue, I may try packing a healthy lunch/dinner so I'm not snacking all day and eating too much. Thanks for the suggestion:)

[Linguisticsgirl]

Presumably if you pack a healthy lunch you could eat it in installments whenever you get the chance for a couple of bites and as long as what you packed was the equivilent of a plate full of food then it really doesn't matter how long it takes you to eat it.

Good luck!

[Strawberry Roan]

Excellent idea. Take what would be a healthy meal and eat it when you can.

[Blithe Morning]

Eat a big meal at 11:30 and then have a protein drink at around 5PM. If you like milk, have that. When I know I will be eating late, I mix protein powder with water, but then I like protein powder.

[Who Me?]

Here's an interesting question: why do traditionally male jobs (like construction) have very strictly observed meal breaks, while female jobs like yours don't? Unions? Men being more pushy, and sticking up for themselves? Women being afraid to make a fuss?

[Foxtrotter]

Here's an interesting question: why do traditionally male jobs (like construction) have very strictly observed meal breaks, while female jobs like yours don't? Unions? Men being more pushy, and sticking up for themselves? Women being afraid to make a fuss?

Women making less, probably, especially if they are paid per client rather than per hour.

[wosnes]

Here's an interesting question: why do traditionally male jobs (like construction) have very strictly observed meal breaks, while female jobs like yours don't? Unions? Men being more pushy, and sticking up for themselves? Women being afraid to make a fuss?

Women making less, probably, especially if they are paid per client rather than per hour.

No, it's the same in higher paid professional jobs as well. I'm going to say unions. And a little bit of the other two as well.

[Joyofsix]

Here's an interesting question: why do traditionally male jobs (like construction) have very strictly observed meal breaks, while female jobs like yours don't? Unions? Men being more pushy, and sticking up for themselves? Women being afraid to make a fuss?

It may be unions but I don't think it's the gender thing. My dh is a pharmacist. Supposedly there is a lunch break but there is no time to take it. That is par for the course in medical fields along with 10-12 hr shifts.

[planner lady]

My son works at a job where he's not allowed a meal break or any other breaks. I did some research thinking it was illegal and found out it wasn't. His employer is not obligated to give him any breaks. I couldn't quite believe it. The rules vary state to state.

As far as the meal problem, I'd agree with the idea of having a protein shake or milk and then eating when you get home. But if that doesn't work, then the idea of taking a "plate-sized meal" and eating when you can. You want to be as strict as you can but sometimes real life gets in the way.

Good luck figuring out what works for you.

[Who Me?]

I think the issue is probably American. In much of Europe, lunch is sacred. They think we're barbarians for gobbling down lunch in our cubicles. And they're probably right.

Also:

http://employeeissues.com/breaks_meals.htm

[lavie]

I have the same sort of issue. I'm a waitress, and usually go about seven hours without a break. I drink lots of milk, coffee, and juice with seltzer. Tomato juice is also good. That works well for me, usually. And I try to get plenty of protein and fat in my meals. It's rough . . . I know. But I've gotten pretty used to it. My co-workers tend to snack and eat soup, but I much prefer waiting until I can sit down and relax a bit to eat.

[Graham]

I'm shocked to hear so many have no right to a meal break. It sounds so Dickensian - and unproductively mean. Breaks can refresh people, improving their work performance enough to compensate for some of the time lost - but just out of humanity and decent treatment of the less powerful, why not dare a little kindness?

How can people eat and exercise properly without the time for it? Without his lunch breaks, how could Reinhard have applied No S and Urban Ranger so effectively? Strained people tend to be more overweight, and hungry people denied meal breaks resort to snacking and candy. That eventually turns up as costly public health issues like diabetes and heart disease, so there is no ultimate profit in it - not just nasty but stupid to treat people so badly.

Is this progress? Prosperity? A Puritanical hatred of the desire for leisure, or pleasure? Or is it fear? Will any hint of laziness be punished by a wrathful God? I noted a recent report that shows we here in the UK have longer lifespans than you in the USA. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-14070090 Maybe the "no breaks" culture is part of the reason why?

[Linguisticsgirl]

I have worked in the hospitality industry in the UK and Ireland for many years. In catering here you only ever get a 30 minute break, however that break is sacred! I find it shocking that people could be expected to work long shifts on their feet without a chance to stop for food. As a someone who has been a manager for much of their catering career I can also attest to the fact that staff work better when they get one (more important than the food sometimes is the 'headspace')and that it is a powerful motivational tool. It seems truly counterproductive not to have one, what are these employers thinking!?!

This kind of thing makes me very cross

[M's sick of dieting]

For me it's all about money. When you work a strictly commission job, you loose money eating lunch. It's also about my clients, it's hard to turn them down when they'd like an appointment with you.
All the Hairdressers I know are like that. Years ago I worked with a man that had type 1 diabetes, he had to eat every 2 hours and take insulin even he didn't like taking meal and snack breaks. He actually went into shock in the backroom one day and we had to call 911. There's an old saying that "Hairdressers are used to cold food" cause if you order lunch/dinner your not gonna have time to eat it.

[M's sick of dieting]

Thanks everyone for all your advice, gonna defiantly try the milk or protein shake idea. That's the thing, although it's not fun to go all day with no food, I kinda don't like eating at work cause it's so crazy there, I'd almost rather tough it out and come home and relax and actually taste my food instead of inhaling it:) that's what it did last night, and let me tell you when your that hungry it was the best BBQ chicken, corn on the cob, and roasted potatos I've ever had:)

[Graham]

For me it's all about money.

This raises a very interesting question: if it is all about the money, might we benefit from applying a No S/Everyday Systems approach to that too? What would being moderate about the getting and spending of money do for us? Moderation in all things - sanity, work/life balance, less stress, better eating habits?

[Linguisticsgirl]

When you work a strictly commission job, you loose money eating lunch. It's also about my clients, it's hard to turn them down when they'd like an appointment with you.

I can understand that, and I think that if it is your own choice then it is a little different, but I have to say I'm still gobsmacked that there are people who are not allowed to have a break at all!

[M's sick of dieting]

Oh it is absolutely my choice to do that, no body is telling me I can't take break, but if I did (and I have, in the past when I was pregnant for my sons) I'd be the only one.

[Linguisticsgirl]

if I did (and I have, in the past when I was pregnant for my sons) I'd be the only one.

You have made me remember a time when I was a supervisor and then assistant manager in a pub/restaurant in Edinburgh. I worked my way up from staff member (all of whom had a 30 min break per shift), but as soon as I got promoted I stopped taking breaks, cos none of the other managers did. I still wasn't paid for the time when I should have been on a break and I ate on the hop. A lot of the time it wasn't even busy enough to justify my not taking a break, it just wasn't the done thing and so I didn't take breaks. It's amazing the power of peer pressure, even when it's not explicit.

I should think if you are also working on a comission basis then there is even more incentive not to take one. Having said that, there is nothing wrong with being a trailblazer!

[Nicest of the Damned]

For me it's all about money.

This raises a very interesting question: if it is all about the money, might we benefit from applying a No S/Everyday Systems approach to that too? What would being moderate about the getting and spending of money do for us? Moderation in all things - sanity, work/life balance, less stress, better eating habits?

I've been trying to think of ways to do just this. I have the same problem with sticking to a budget that I do with most diets- I hate, hate, hate * 6.02 * 10^23 writing down everything I spend money on, or eat. If I try to do it, I end up sticking to it for a few days at best. Then I think up excuses not to do it right away, and pretty soon I'm trying to reconstruct my journal for the past couple weeks. I love No S because there's no food journaling required, so I don't have to try to do something that is difficult and distasteful to me and, when you think about it, peripheral to the actual goal.

The goal is to eat less, not to write down what you do eat. If you write down everything you eat but still eat too much, you will still be overweight. Keeping a food journal might be helpful for some people in meeting the goal of eating less, but it's a stumbling block for some others (like me).

[Joyofsix]

I am moderate in my spending. I tend to be pretty moderate in most things. I'm not sure how I lost that in my eating. Just a little bit around the edges I guess.

[keriamon]

Unless the salon forces you to take a certain number of clients or work very strict hours, I would tell the person who does the scheduling, "Do not book anyone between 12:30 and 1:00 for me." Then keep that appointment with yourself! If you're sweating about losing a paying job for those thirty minutes, then come in or stay later by 30 minutes.

If you don't make time for yourself and your health, no one will. Think of a set lunch time everyday as giving you the strength to carry on with your job. Not to mention if you eat junk whenever and get heavy, there will come a point when you will not be able to work standing up all day. And then you'll have no job at all. You wouldn't drive your car without oil; don't drive yourself without decent food.

I eat lunch between noon and 1 PM, but I don't get supper until about 6:30--which is a long time to go without food when you're up and active (I stand all day too). So, at least for now, I have an "afternoon tea," which is not uncommon at all in many countries, including France. It's just a small, single-serving something that I eat at 3 PM (notice the set time; this makes it planned, like a meal, not a random snack). This past week, it's been a container of yogurt.

If you need an afternoon tea because your lunch is early or your supper late, or you work a job where you are burning a lot of calories, make sure it has protein in it. Granola bars and similar are heavy on sugar and carbs, which give you a quick boost of energy, but then bottom out your blood sugar, leaving you tired and even hungrier. Something containing dairy, nuts and/or meat doesn't do that. And remember, it's not supposed to fill you up; it's just to take the edge off. So make it a small something like a container of yogurt or string cheese or a slice of bread with peanut butter or an apple with almond butter, etc. A package of nuts is okay, but don't trust yourself to just get a handful out of a large bag. If you must, bag up servings at home and only bring one with you to eat. That way you can't nosh on it constantly.

And treat afternoon tea like a meal; set a time and sit down to eat it. You may have to adjust your schedule to give yourself 15 minutes to have it.

[oolala53]

You've had a lot of input but I wanted to say I understand your predicament because I did massage in a beauty salon for 10 years. I had a lot of respect for those hairdressers. They worked like fiends, most of them, when they could get the business. (and there's no such thing as a paid vacation. The first time I came back from vacation at a teaching job after I got my credential at age 40, I almost cried when there was a paycheck waiting for me.) People don't understand that especially when you're building, you can't dictate when people are available for your service. But if you've been at it for several years and have a solid clientele, I would recommend experimenting with a blocked out time. One of our hairdressers was very methodical; she booked her clients for their next service right when she finished the hairdo; she booked some lunch time for herself most days. She made the most money of anyone there.

Than again, people can get used to lots of different ways of eating. However, I believe that No S changes your appetite more when you can have longer gaps between eating events, so I don't know about picking at a meal all afternoon. Try to keep your meals discrete if you can.