Losing It....Week 10

Results:

-5 lbs.

Okay, let's talk food. I have heard so many people tell me later that exercising is not their problem, but FOOD is. I believe all of us have our "vices" - those evil pleasures that seem so hard to let go. Sometimes those vices even become so addicting that we lose our agency to choose and we become subject to our addictions. Many people choose drugs, alcohol, or tobacco as their vice, but I don't believe that is the case with most of my readers. However, many women, I would guess especially LDS women, choose food as their "vice" or drug of choice. I have been guilty of that. I am a recovering "emotional eater". I have used food as a quick fix to soothe a troubled soul. I am guilty of that, and as a result I am overweight. All things have consequences good or bad. For me the "quick fix" does not equate to a positive consequence but rather adds up to a very negative consequence.

Here are a few things that I have discovered during the past 10 weeks of this weight loss journey.

*Just like any addiction (food is an addiction for many of people) you will go through a withdrawal period. It's like going through detox for an alcoholic.  In order to change a behavior you have to break a habit/pattern. Your body will crave what you take away - for a while. For me I think it was about 2 weeks before I felt like I wasn't constantly fighting cravings or prior habits. For example; Ken and I got in a habit of after putting the little kids to bed we would leave one of the older ones in charge and run to the store for a "junk food run". So when I decided to commit to losing weight I knew that habit would have to change, but for a while when bedtime rolled around I would expect to get in the car and go get our nightly "fix". It took some time of replacing that habit with another, ie; walking or doing homework, before my body no longer triggered a nightly craving. It has been that way for many other things as well. I don't like the taste of dinner in my mouth after dinner is over, so that after taste in my mouth always triggered a sweet tooth after dinner or lunch. Now instead of looking for anything sweet I can find to replace the taste in my mouth, I choose to pop in a couple of tic-tacs after a meal. They are low calorie but they work to relief that urge to eat sweets.

*The temporary emotional release you get from satisfying your taste buds with food can not compare to the permanent feeling of energy, and good health you experience when you DO NOT indulge in over eating or eating junk. The mind and body are inseparably connected. When you hurt one you hurt the other, when you help one you help the other. For me I feel so much better having control over what I put into my body instead of feeling like food controls me. I have mentioned before how food can sometimes control my emotions. That is true when I am fighting a craving or addiction. But when time passes so does the frequency and urgency of cravings. For me it is empowering to turn down a temptation and know that I am in control. Each time becomes a little easier and sometimes it's not hard at all because I don't even want it. It's not worth it to me. Food (junk food) is not as important to me as losing weight and being healthy. Everything gets easier with time.

* With that being said, I have also learned that it's okay to eat all things in moderation. I DO NOT deprive myself of everything. I do indulge in some guilty pleasures every once in a while. Once a week I eat what ever I want. The other days of the week I am more careful to choose better choices. I still do not count calories, don't know that I ever will. But I do watch my calorie intake without being obsessive or making it too difficult. Basically, it's just about choosing smarter options. I NEVER go hungry. You don't have to. Being healthy is NOT about starving yourself. That is dumb! There are so many good choices available, for me, it is just a matter of planning better and having good choices available. Load up on fruits and veggies, and cut back on the main dish and desserts. For example: don't eat 3 or 4 pieces of pizza for dinner and call that good. Instead eat 1 slice of pizza and add a salad and fruit, and skip dessert.

*Portion control is so important. We could all eat a lot less than we do and still survive and thrive just fine. For some reason we think we need to gorge ourselves before we call it quits. No, we don't. I used to always feel full, that was just a normal feeling for me. Now I HATE to feel full. If I eat too much I am so uncomfortable.  I feel so much better eating smaller more frequents meals rather than eating too much less often. And if you want to treat yourself with a goodie or a treat, just think less, you can still be satisfied with one piece rather than one bag. I often tease my husband that he has no "off" switch, he doesn't usually stop eating a treat until there is no treat left. Self-control is an acquired skill I have not mastered yet, but am getting much better at it, and it feels good!

*Have you ever heard the saying "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen" or "If you can't run with the big dogs, don't get off the porch"? Well I believe the same is true with food...If you can't resist temptations, then say away from them. Don't bring junk into the house if you can't NOT eat it. Remove the temptation so that you can be successful. If you were a smoker trying to quite you wouldn't put your cigarettes right in front of your face all day and then try not to smoke them. No way. Don't do the same with food. Get rid of the garbage and replace it with healthy options. If you love to bake then bake, then send it over to the neighbors house. Enjoy a little, then get the rest OUT or you will find yourself enjoying a LOT and regretting it later. IT'S OKAY TO THROW AWAY FOOD! 

*Drink lots of water. Water is a bodies friend. DO NOT drink all of your calories for the day, what a waste.

*If you want to lose weight you must combine eating right WITH exercise. Each are good, but both are better. So many times we try and justify that if we are exercising we can therefore eat whatever we want or vice versa, if we are eating well we don't have to exercise, but if you are doing one without the other, to me, it seems  counter productive. Doing both produce results. It's pretty simple, calories in, calories out that what makes a difference.

*And lastly (for now), it's YOUR CHOICE. You have to want to work hard more than you want to eat garbage. You have to want to be healthy more than you want to use food as a crutch. You have to want to change behavior more than you want to stay comfortably uncomfortable. It really is all about making a choice. Which do you want?