GEORGIE - The PIG GENE

Anyone who has struggled with their weight or yo-yo’d around from porker to 'happy-with-it' like I have, will know that ‘dieting’ (or starving as I like to call it) does NOT work. Taking on crazy impractical food programs that you’re clearly never going to stick to long term do not work. Changing your eating habits gradually until you are getting your fill of healthy good food and finding a balance really does! It isn’t rocket science but that doesn’t mean it is easy either!

Rosie and Zar and I have all looked at the issue of diet (the ‘what you eat’ not ‘starve yourself’ use of the word diet) repeatedly on Bingham Girls and the discussion will continue from here to infinity - what I wanted to discuss on today’s blog is the issue of how, when and why we eat. There are issues that can be much more key to the calories you put in your body - and I know more about this then most... Mummy Bingham has brought us girls up on the healthiest fodder you could ever imagine, so there was actually NO reason for me to ever struggle with my weight. We have, from the tiniest age been so well stuffed and educated on healthy eating that we KNOW what our bodies need to be fit and healthy (thanks mum) but in my case, it was taking a look at how much, why and how I eat that really made the difference for me and made me understand why I yo-yo.

Some people eat when bored. Some people eat to ease pain or misery. I have what my mum and I have nicknamed ‘The Pig Gene’. Nothing is ever enough. When I have finished breakfast I am already thinking about what I can eat for lunch. When I go to bed I am thinking about what I will eat tomorrow. Gym workouts are driven by thinking about what I’ll eat afterwards. Put a plate of anything in front of me and the self control goes out of the window. Bread basket in restaurant is my mortal enemy as I can’t ignore it. I don’t look at a plate of food and think ‘gosh that’s a big portion, half of that will do’ I eat it all. Hence what will now be known as ‘Superbowl gate’.

The answer? If you have the pig gene, it’s about keeping temptations away. I have finally learnt that NOT giving in to the pig gene is very rewarding. It’s hard work but the principle is simple. Here are a few tips that I hope will help!

- Say no to the restaurant bread basket.
- If you can’t resist a mountain of chips, don’t order them! i.e. Get steak and salad. I also found a good way to get around this was to nick a few chips of my long suffering boyfriends plate . I can have a few but they aren’t mine so I can’t scoff them all. (Yes men, we know you hate it but it's better then us pigging out and porking up.)
- Keep your cupboards bad food free
- Eat slower, chew more.
- Stop eating after 5 minutes and don’t pick up your fork again for 5 minutes and you’ll KNOW when you’re full which helps.
- Identify the time of the day when you are most hungry and try and have a healthy snack an hour before your hunger peak to avoid wolfing down your meal.
- When eating at home, I would help myself to half the portion size of what my partner ate in the case of pasta, rice, bread or heavy carbs. If I was still hungry half an hour later I would have seconds. (I would never need it!)
- Find yourself piggy snack replacements and have them on hand. Healthy options like fruit, seeds, some nuts - I even opt for the individually wrapped Giradelli dark chocolate pouches as I can stop at one with them ( a whole bar is just an invitation to dig in!)
- Just an observation but its really hard to be ridiculously gluttonous with proteins. I simply can’t over do it on steak or chicken or fish. But I can easily overeat bread, pasta and pizza. I avoid these foods in the evening especially when I seem to be most hungry.


The feeling of satisfaction I get from leaving some food on the plate when the portion is too big is a real sense of achievement. I didn’t pig out!! Hoorah!! I am winning!

Occasionally I find myself going through piggy phases. I do have to be careful not to slip back into bad habits. Just like a good change in WHAT you eat has to be for life, a good change in HOW you eat also has to be too. If I find myself having a few piggy days, as opposed to the odd pig out (like Superbowl) then I remind myself that if I go on for a week or two, that will mean a few kilos. And I stop.

In short -
If you eat for a REASON - i.e. food is a crutch,
or
You eat for NO good reason i.e. you are a pig like me

then take steps to combat your particular problem. Hope this helps! We are not alone!!