Things I'm doing to try to get healthier, that sound stupid but seem to be working

[xiphias]

One of the things which is NOT helping my health is my awful eating habits. I have a tendency to eat compulsively, so I eat a lot of stuff that's not good for me.

So, Lis and I had been talking about this, and we came to the conclusion that I need to be doing something else to displace eating. Lis suggested chewing gum, so we tried that, but it wasn't working.

So I got a pipe.

I don't SMOKE it. I just have it in my mouth as an alternative to eating. Because it's marginally more dignified than my first idea, which was a teething ring. The other thing, though, is that I CAN, occasionally, burn things in it to give it a flavor. I've been working on a mixture of sage and cloves, which I'll "smoke" in it maybe once a week, which gives a flavor and smell to it. So I've got a smell, flavor, and mouthfeel, and I've mostly stopped compulsively eating.

The only problem so far is that I DO bite on things, so I've already bitten through the pipe stem. I'm going to have to buy a bunch of replacements -- I suspect I'll go through a pipe stem every two weeks or so. But since it's the bowl of the pipe that holds the sage/clove smell and flavor, the pipe stem is replaceable, so that should be okay.

Comments

[gingicat]

*blinks, eeps*

*wanders off repeating, "His kink is okay, it's just not my kink" over and over*

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

Remember -- I'm NOT smoking.

[gingicat]

I know. That's why it's a YKIOK thing rather than an AAAAAAAAHHHHH! thing.

[dianavilliers.livejournal.com]

Mmmm. I took up needlework for the same purpose. Stops me putting food in my mouth just because I'm bored. It worked.

[bimmer1200.livejournal.com]

Changing diet/eating habits is not easy. I commend you for taking steps to improve it, and want to wish you well. Fortunately it sounds like you found something that will be effective for you. Good luck.

[asciikitty.livejournal.com]

that makes so much sense to me. I might be weird, but.

Gum doesn't solve the problem in quite the same way. Kid I knew in high school used to chew licorice root, which probably does a lot of the same things as a pipe. Dunno if that's a flavor you like, but it's a possibility.

Well, you probably look very classy

[dakiwiboid.livejournal.com]

How about a tweed blazer with elbow patches to go with it?

It can be a very sexy look on a certain kind of guy! ;)

Re: Well, you probably look very classy

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

*laugh* That is precisely what I was thinking...

[oneironaut.livejournal.com]

Very clever. I achieve a similar effect (though I do it less to stop myself from eating than to keep from chewing destructively on myself) by keeping a couple of pieces of silverware on my desk at all times; the shape of a spoon is interesting enough to keep me occupied. But spoons don't taste of anything but spoon. I may try a pipe.

Having been using one for a while, are you feeling an urge to buy wooden ducks and sit in front of a fire with your hound at your feet?

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

Naw. Just to sit in front of a fire with a glass of Scotch or port.

But then, I had that urge BEFORE I got the pipe, too.

[pekmez.livejournal.com]

eeee eeeee eee metal spoon eee. (no, it looks like that one would not work for me, though it jumped right out at me at "keep from chewing destructively on myself." hello, other person with my bad habits.) I wonder how a plastic spoon would work for me.

I don't think a pipe would work for me. Plus, there is this question of what kind of bad example I want to set in front of a 2 year old. Not that my pinky finger is such a good example either.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

In out costume box when I was three and four was a pipe that Mom had smoked before she'd become pregnant with me.

I have to admit, I loved the way that pipe smelled and tasted, which is one of the reasons I'm going with the pipe thing now.

As you HAVE a small child, you may be able to get away with a teething ring . . .

about that pipe...

[(Anonymous)]

That pipe was actually a left over from my time in the orient, before your mom picked it up. And about the smell, well that may be a bit problematic to duplicate...
Duzzy

[oneironaut.livejournal.com]

If I were using plastic silverware I would want a plastic fork rather than a plastic spoon, but that's down to irrational personal preference; I couldn't even tell you why. You could also try chopsticks. I have been known to eye up dog toys, myself (having a dog who likes to chew, and therefore keeping a few backups around at all times), but I've never actually gone there.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Pipes are sexy, IMO.

[ceo]

How about a pacifier?

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

Far too soft. It has no . . . toothiness. Given that the problem with gum is the lack of toothiness, and pacifiers are even softer, it wouldn't work.

[trinker.livejournal.com]

Please be careful with smoking cloves -

I realize that I'm probably being alarmist, but the fact that you're planning on making a regular habit of this has me looking for potential long-term effects.




Eugenol
Naturally occurring in cloves, eugenol is a mild antiseptic and anesthetic. It is sometimes added to traditional cigarettes and is also used in dental products. It is thought that the numbing feature of cloves allows the kretek smoker to inhale longer and more deeply.

In large doses, cloves or clove oil can cause a variety of potentially dangerous problems:

* nausea / vomiting
* abdominal pain
* diarrhea
* seizures
* accelerated breathing and heartbeat
* sleepiness
* burns in the mouth or throat
* intestinal bleeding
* liver or kidney failure.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

Not planning on smoking it -- just burning it in the pipe occasionally in order to give the pipe itself a clove scent.

[trinker.livejournal.com]

Ahh. Thank you for the expansion.

One of my friends, on the off-the-cuff advice of my mother, took to chewing on cinnamon sticks (bark) while trying to quit smoking.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

I was considering seeing if cinnamon burns in pipes, too . . . haven't tried it yet.

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

I used cinnamon sticks for this purpose for about a year, including getting some of my friends in on it. It does end up flaking and whatnot, so, maybe not the best bet, but no one mistook me for smoking once they were at close range. My mom used to suck on cloves directly, too, though that can be a bit strong.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

Chewing on them, burning them, or putting them in a pipe?

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

Sorry. Chewing on them. Also useful as a straw if you're feeling silly. ;)

Before that, it was licorice root, but that's not straw-like.

[oneironaut.livejournal.com]

Chewing on them.

This is also brilliant for certain kinds of mouth pain, because of the anaesthetic properties of clove oil.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

In fact, temporary dental fillings often contain clove oil for just that purpose.

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

Some pipes are good for blowing bubbles. Do you have one of those? I gave my uncle one, with the bubble-blowing solution...I thought it would be a cool variation on the tweed-jacket-with-elbow-patches look. (Or the old-fashioned-suit-with-deerstalker-cap look.)

[fitfool.livejournal.com]

Too bad gum doesn't work. What about traditional healthy snacks that you're usually allowed to eat as much as you want of? (like carrot sticks and celery sticks)(Plain! not dipped into dressings and peanut butter). Or plain popcorn? That's low in calories and high in fiber so maybe it would stave off hunger pangs. Sucking on ice cubes?

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

You have to understand: we aren't talking about hunger here -- it's compulsive eating. I will eat beyond the point where my stomach is in pain.

[fitfool.livejournal.com]

ah ok...I was just trying to think of things that you could eat compulsively without running into too much trouble.

[practicallyfame.livejournal.com]

I'm a compulsive eater - the way I get away with it is that I don't eat any actual meals. I wake up, start with a banana, then I brush my teeth, start munching toast, then move onto popcorn, then mints, then gum, then candy, then nibble through lunch for hours, then gum, etc... I've found by picking my meals apart and eating them throughout the day I satisfy my eating desire without filling myself.

Not a system I recommend. Just saying that's what I do.

Aside from low-calorie alternatives, the pipe sounds good. I like to chew on tough things, like licorice root or hard candy. At work I keep a package of stale Twizzlers around for that specific purpose. When I'm working and can't be actively eating, I keep the stale Twizzlers in my pocket, it takes me about 20 minutes to chew through one.

I also talk a lot when I'm not eating. My boyfriend has learned that the single best way to shut me up is to put food in front of me. Because I'll pick it apart and eat it for HOURS.

I'm really weird.

Good luck.