Well, whatever I'm doing (I guess that would eating less and exercising, ha ha) seems to be working, sort of. I'm not going to win any speed contests for weight loss. I guess I should focus more on the fact that I've lost five pounds and not quite as much on the fact that I've lost five pounds IN THREE MONTHS. I'm such a slug. But hey--I've been to the gym two mornings in a row, which tops the number of times I've been since...well, I don't think I'd been to the gym since Spring Break started, so that's not bad.
Anyway, got to thinking about food cravings, since I already have them and I'm not even pregnant. What causes cravings? Why do people crave certain things, especially things they would never normally touch?
Certain cravings make sense. I myself crave bologna when my electrolytes get off-balance--it must be the salt, because it sure as heck isn't the flavor. I have not eaten bologna for enjoyment purposes since I was a kid and it was on my sandwich every day. Warm bologna, no. I also find myself craving steak upon occasion (well, a lot of occasions). I suspect one of two things: either a need for protein to repair muscle, or a low iron count in my blood (or the instincts of a raging carnivore--no vegetarian I). And it is true that around my TOTM I crave chocolate in greater levels than normal.
But why do women crave such silly, cliched things as pickles and ice cream? The ice cream I can handle, but pickles? Eww. I pick them off my hamburger. Why would I suddenly crave them if I don't like them? And why do some women crave outrageous things like dirt or paint chips? I'm really curious about the whole dirt thing, because I ate dirt as a child. Just sat down beside the driveway and crunched away. My mom got worried and took me to the doctor to have a bunch of blood tests, because she was just certain I had some terrible deficiency that was manifesting itself by making me crave dirt. The doctor ran all his tests and came back to my mother: "We've determined why your daughter eats dirt." My mother: "Why?" The doctor: "She likes it." I am not making this up. But I am wondering, could there have been SOMETHING missing from my diet to make dirt seem appealing?
A coworker of mine revealed to us all last week that she is pregnant, about 12 weeks along or so. I will be very curious to ask her if she has any cravings as she progresses. And perhaps someday I'll test myself to see what weirdness I might want. I like weird stuff anyway--Velveeta cheese with peanut butter on it was a childhood favorite.
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