There are a few lessons that I have learned during my one year journey. They are:
You can eat whatever you want.
You have the right to eat whatever you want. You have to ask yourself if the item that you are about to eat is going to benefit your health or cause health problems. No a person doesn't have to fuel their body all the time but it does have to be 99 percent of the time. So save that small pizza for a once a month treat. Or if you can control yourself then have a slice with salad once a week if you really want it.
A taste only lasts for once mouthful
That "Wow" factor of chocolate cake or any of your favorite foods is gone in the second bite. The first bite is where we get the taste explosion on our tongues. Then after that we are just adding calories to our body. So it's better to purchase the child size ice cream instead of the super size pint.
Food for memories doesn't work
Treating yourself to an ice cream cone because you had a good week doesn't work. We then begin to associate food with events in our life. We begin to associate food in our diet with emotions that we are going through. This is not healthy. Ask yourself, are you eating that slice of apple pie because of time that was spent with grandma? Why not find another way of celebrating a person, event, or emotion in your life.
Food as a celebration doesn't work
Dinner out is a nice thing to do for yourself. Are you going out with friends for the food? Or are you going to to celebrate and spend time with friends? Ask yourself do you need a poor quality meal to do that. My husband and I use to celebrate with food and going out to dinner. He would get extra tips at work and we would celebrate with Chinese food. All that did was make me gain weight a week later.
Now my friends and I either tuck the money into our savings account for a trip or for some charity event that we want to go to. At the time I'm writing this article, I am remodeling a house. So my celebration money is going towards extras like nice plants for the house or artwork for the walls. I want to create a wonderful home where I can have friends over to celebrate days with movie night and game night.
The important thing is to find something that is not food related and celebrate that way. How about a road trip to the lake and enjoying time with your friends. Make sure that you take lots of pictures so that you can look back on those memories. You could even keep a journal like I do to collect all the great celebrations.
Food is an addiction
Many people do not think that food is an addiction. We have to look at the word addiction. An addiction is the act of surrendering to or giving power over to an person or thing. Addictions can also be a coping mechanism. Just as a person who is dealing with stresses of life can be addicted to drugs a person can be addicted to food. Food turns into chemicals in the body just like nicotine, drugs, and sex does. So it is important to find other ways of dealing with the stresses and emotional trauma of life.
These are the things that I have learned on my weight loss journey while losing 100 lbs. I still have to fix my diet because I am not perfect in any way or form. I still have 254 lbs to lose. It is my hope that I'll inspire you through sharing my diet, diabetic struggle, and weight loss journey.
