Thursday, October 8, 2009

I Know I Can! I Know I Can!

Well, the Cardinals blew it late in the game today and so did the Mizzou Tigers. I always have high hopes that they'll pull it together and win the next time. I should take this as a lesson when I've had a bad food day.

If you've ever dieted (which I'm trying to avoid – trying to make a lifestyle change, here), you've probably had a day, or maybe many days, when you went "off" your diet and, all of a sudden, it was imperative that you eat all the forbidden foods you'd been craving before the clock strikes midnight and you turn back into a deprived, guilt-ridden dieter. So how does that brownie you ate compare to a full day of gluttony? Which action do you think is the lesser evil?

It's very hard for me to just have one something, because I'm compulsive about eating and I feel deprived most of the time I'm not engaged in the act of eating. For me, eating the trigger food (which is really most foods, when you add starchy foods to fatty and sugary foods, as well as counting service size as a food category of its own) is a lot like I imagine taking that first toot of cocaine or eating just one Lays potato chip. I just can't do it.

Most of the time, I feel powerless over food and I find myself engaging in negative self-talk about food. You know, like "Exercise, eat healthy, die anyway" or "What's the point of trying to eat healthy food? I'll just blow it in a few days anyway." So what if I do? The next day or meal or snack is another chance to make a good food choice. I need to believe that and to start affirming my ability to make a good choice now and the next time.

I am making good choices as I type this blog. And the Cardinals will beat the Dodgers on Saturday.

 

4 comments:

  1. I am catching glimpses of the Cardinals great season on my local bakery TV -- the crowd here doesn't seem to be watching and they don't know my secret -- I want the Cardinals to win. Can't say I'm a true fan since I don't follow the whole season anymore, well I take that back, I am a forever fan in my heart. I'm with you on that.
    Trying to relate to the eating thing -- well my focus is clutter and exercise. I keep the clutter at bay daily and besides that I want to get to the gym 2x a week. What I like about my trainer is that she is always positive about going FORWARD! So, you were away for one month in Europe -- you weren't doing nothing! So, after that month you fell in the street, hit your nose and ended up at the chiropracter: Well let's get STARTED today. Don't look at the past, take that step TODAY. How's that? I love her.

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  2. I think you can work on one thing at a time - quality or quantity. Quality is best, so decide you aren't going to eat anything unhealthy - no fried foods, foods with a lot of fat, foods with a lot of chemicals (like CHEESE FOOD), or any foods with mysterious combinations. Don't worry about the quantity until you have this under control - one thing at a time. I am struggling with my love of food, but I try to remember how great I felt when I was eating good food and working out - I felt powerful, like I would never grow old. A leader at Weight Watchers once said "nothing tastes as good as being thin" to which my brother replied "nothing tastes as good as being fit"....So, it is more about how we feel than how we look, and how much easier it will be for us to walk and make that flight of stairs.

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  3. Thanks for your comments. I like author Michael Pollan's rules for eating food: 1) if it can't rot, don't eat it, 2) if it has more than 5 ingredients listed on the label, don't eat it (some exceptions to this one, but a good rule of thumb, nonetheless) and 3) if you can't pronounce the ingredients on the label, don't eat it. Remember, too, about a third of processed foods have commercial corn in them (Xantham gum is corn!!!) and that's not a good thing! Whole and fresh is best.

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  4. Sunday morning. Oh why?
    So sad
    Cardinals

    Nikole

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