I really missed you, Bells. The food around here sucks when you’re gone. Charlie Swan, Eclipse, Chapter 3, p.70

One thing I've noticed is that when I am alone, I eat horribly.  I hate cooking for just myself, so on the few days each year that my daughter isn't with me, I tend to go out for dinner (or order in) rather than cooking for myself.  Which is often not the best idea in the world.

Take last night.

After bringing my daughter to resident camp, I came home famished.  Hmm -- perfect opportunity to try that new mexican place that opened in town.  Since daughter doesn't like mexican, it's great timing!  So I go in & order some chicken fajitas, and an order of chips & salsa.  Yeah, I know, chips are so not good when you're trying to watch what you eat, but they just go together so well.  I also wonder sometimes if it's a texture thing.  Sometimes I just really want something with some crunch.

Anyway, the meal also comes with beans & rice.  I don't like black beans, so I opt for the refried.  I know, black is so much healthier, but I just can't seem to enjoy the taste of them.

I get home, and by this time, it's been about 6 hours since I had lunch, and even then I only ate about half, so I'm ready to dig in.  And, as I'm sure you can surmise, I overate.  Four fajitas, all with lettuce, pico de gallo & cheese, a bit of salsa, chicken, peppers & onions.  Plus some chips & salsa.  Plus about half the refried beans.  (I ate about two spoonfuls of rice before opting out of that -- the rice wasn't cooked all the way & it just didn't taste right.)

So I'm sitting down watching a movie & my stomach is so bloated.  Why do I do this to myself?  And what's worse is that I wasn't done for the night.  When I had been out earlier, I had picked up some candy to send to my daughter at camp, and picked up some Mike & Ike Lemonade candies for myself.  I ate two packages over the course of a few hours.  THEN i thought to look at the nutritional information. YIKES -- just as I suspected.  One package is equal to 3 servings (give or take).  So I ended up eating about 800 calories just on Mike & Ike's.

Yeah - I think I have decided that I need to do a few things here ....

ONE -- no more eating out when I'm alone.  I eat more than I should (filling the emotional void, perhaps??)
TWO -- make a list of trigger foods & avoid them.
THREE -- IF I do order take out or eat out, portion out what I am going to eat & box up the rest IMMEDIATELY.  NO more letting it sit in front of me as a tease.