Ask yourself, “Really?”

You’ll need to sit down and take some time to read this one! Sorry it’s so long.

One time, a few years ago, I got to a point in my life that food was just a fuel. It wasn’t a comfort and I didn’t need to go there to sooth my emotions or boredom. It was after Gabe was born, and probably after I was done nursing too. I remember talking to Andrea about it and just getting it, but knowing it didn’t make sense to anyone else. I also remember thinking, I’m not going to have this “ability” all the time, so I wrote about it in my journal so that I might be better able to remember and understand again.

Right now I’m at the point where I’m trying to get back to that attitude – food & emotions don’t rule me. During my marathon training, I got into a habit of eating WHATEVER THE HECK I WANTED, WHENEVER I WANTED, AND HOWEVER MUCH I WANTED, and it really didn’t matter. I ran it all off, so who cared.

Now that I haven’t been running that ridiculous amount of mileage, I obviously know it’s just not a good habit to have and I need to break it. And here is how I’m starting, with one simple little thing:

When I pick up junk food (aka anything that doesn’t fit on the food pyramid, or plate, or whatever it is these days) I have to take half a second to say to myself – Really?

At that moment the choice is mine, and I always know it is. I easily can say – “Freak yeah, give it to me NOW”. Or I can say – “UGH. No, not really, dang it!” Because in all honesty, it’s pretty much always the second answer! (and we all know it!)

Either answer, I let myself take at least a bite (at least at this point in the habit breaking system) and then I get my crap together and put it back in the drawer/cupboard/closet/whatever. And to deal with my emotional state, I get a glass of water or piece of gum and leave the kitchen! Sometimes, even the house!

Emotions are what’s getting all of us with our weight and health. You get stressed or cranky or depressed or bored or etc. and you turn for comfort, which tends to be food…junk food or not good for you plain bagels and flour tortilla shells ().

But in the simplest of terms, all you need to do is comfort your emotions and boredom with a different method/strategy…which hopefully you’ll figure out a few good ones soon. Like I said, mine is a glass of water, piece of gum and leaving the kitchen. Sometimes I have to go for a run, or a drive, or watch tv, or plan volleyball practice or preschool. Something that you like doing that will give you mind and brain some time to get over the “craving” of being comforted by food.

Our bodies are machines. You’ve heard it before. All it really needs is the calories to get it through the day. Some days you get to eat more because you burn more. Other days you need to eat less because you are laying on the couch all day.

If you want to lose weight, it is all about the numbers. Your cells don’t care about how much you want to lose weight or your goals. They only care about how much oxygen they get, and how many glucose molecules they can break down to create and use ATP. If they get extra, it is stored. It doesn’t just POOF away.

BLAH BLAH BLAH…I feel like I’m just rambling now. So that’s that.

I challenge you to try my first step – ask yourself “REALLY?” and really think about it.