Is It Normal?

I don't know if it's something Oprah actually said because I've never faithfully watched her show, but I recall years ago when she was in a slender phase that she said something along the lines that she'd grown to like the feeling of going to bed hungry and if her stomach was growling that meant she was burning fat.

I don't know if that's scientifically sound, but I have been trying to acclimate to a hungry, or at least a non-full, state at night, a practice that feels really unnatural. Of course I'm eating dinner, I don't skip meals, just not as much as I'd like. Tonight I ate half a cheesesteak which isn't exactly healthy (hey, it was a souvenir from a 24-hour Philly excursion this weekend) but normally I would eat the whole thing.

There's also that dumb, totally not scientific thing, where experts (I'm not even going to look up where this originated) say that if you feel hungry you're probably just thirsty, which is the biggest bunch of bullshit I've ever heard. How do you not know if you're genuinely hungry? Or thirsty, for that matter. I know that when I work from home I get antsy or bored and go cut a slice of cheese or chorizo (yes, there is always a wedge of good cheese and a link of Spanish sausage in the fridge) and that I'm not really hungry and should eat carrots or an apple instead. Duh. But I totally know the difference. And I'm still not convinced fruit is food. I could eat an apple, a grapefruit and a shitload of berries within a short period and still be hungry.

When I eat Greek yogurt for breakfast and a Pret a Manger cobb salad with balsamic vinaigrette (which is foul–I'd much rather eat half the portion of more caloric real vinaigrette) salad for lunch like I did today in the office, I am starving by 4pm, and  a tangerine and almonds do not help. And I know I am not thirsty or bored. It is distracting to be starving while working.  Thankfully the only sweets in the kitchen were mini Peppermint Patties because mint and chocolate is foul also (not mint chocolate ice cream, however).

If there's any time to be hungry it's at night when all I do is watch TV (Doomsday Preppers is fascinating, Mama's Boys not so much. James who is a mama's boy of sorts saved a copy of Metro to show me yesterday, which isn't the kind of thing he typically does, but I appreciated the advice column, "Is It Normal" featuring this question: " Is it normal for my 41-year-old friend to go to his mother's house to take naps with her? He's independent in all other ways: He has a career and takes care of himself. This freaks me out!" Good question! ) and skim the internet, low concentration activities. Still, if I eat dinner between 8pm  and 9pm and go to bed between 1am and 2am like I usually do, that's nearly five hours of idle time, and yes, I end up hungry by the end of the evening. Though, I imagine if you intentionally go to bed hungry for a week or two, you just get used to less and acclimate. I am waiting.

I am still not hungry enough to turn to Fettuccine Hungry Girlfredo, however.