Remember back in the day when I was having trouble getting myself to eat? With this most recent round of getting sick, once again I just don’t want to do so. I think it’s been at least three days since I had dinner that didn’t consist of a pseudoephedrine, loratadine, guaifenesin, and Vitamin C cocktail, followed by an Afrin chaser.

BTW, I’m pretty sure after three days of using Afrin you wouldn’t be able to tell my nostrils from Lindsay Lohan’s.

Despite my lack of dinners, I wake up in the morning and still don’t want to eat. I have to coax myself into eating a banana so that I can take my medicines without my stomach feeling like it’s being attacked by wet gremlins. What is it with me and gremlins anyway? Never mind.

In order to prevent another full scale “I don’t want to eat and can’t get myself to until I’ve collapsed in three unique locations,” I’m reimplementing the rules and adding a few more.

1. I may not shower or drive anywhere until I’ve eaten something. I also shouldn’t drive anywhere until I’ve showered but that’s for other obvious reasons. I break this one every week day because I don’t usually eat breakfast until I get to work. Tonight I’m going to go make a set of egg cups so that I can pop one of those bad boys before I shower in the morning.

2. Dinner is not optional. Dinner is usually the first meal to be abandoned by me because it’s the one I plan for the least. Dinner is now mandatory.

3. If I skip a meal, I tell someone. Totally incentive to not skip a meal.

4. If I really don’t feel like I can eat, have a smoothie. Ultimately, this was how I got myself back on track last time.

5. Write down everything you eat, at least temporarily.

While there’s every possibility that my appetite will return to normal when the yuck in my head subsides, I don’t want to repeat old destructive patterns.

How do you hold yourself accountable for eating when you don’t want to?