Things I’ve learned after 33 days of eating less and eating
wiser:
- When you feel like
something’s out of whack in your life, it probably is. If you think you’re
eating too much, or thinking about food too much, you probably are.
- I heard recently that a
size 4 woman who is consumed with eating every calorie perfectly and who’s
terribly upset when she misses a workout has her food priorities just as
messed up as the obese person who binges all day long. I couldn’t agree
more.
- Sharing food journals—a
written record of every bite that goes in your mouth in a given day—is
highly motivating and leads to much more intentional eating, but it can
also become an idol as easily as anything else.
- I’m only interested in
sustainable changes. I’m not a person who’s ever going to be into extreme
eating, like banning whole food groups from my diet. Balance,
self-control, and mature eating are what I’m after. If I lose some pounds
in the process, great.
- Amazingly, at the age of
42, I’m realizing it’s time to start eating like a grown up and not a
6-year-old. Salad can be really good. Vegetables grow on you if you eat
enough of them. You really don’t need a cookie every day, even when you’re
good.
- An Andes Mint, when
savored over a 15-minute period, is more fulfilling than a bowl of
mint-chocolate chip ice cream wolfed down in five minutes.
- I am not a trash can. My
kids’ toast crusts go in the trash, not in my mouth. What can be gained by
eating every leftover mound of chicken enchiladas on their plates? Not the
money I spent on the ingredients. Not the time I spent preparing them.
Only unneeded calories. I am not a trash can.
- Superbowls happen.
Valentine’s Days happen. Kids have birthdays with cake. Spontaneous pizza
parties break out. I need to be flexible. Intentional. Self-controlled. Smart.
And what I am or am not eating should not be a buzzkill for everyone else.
- This is such a first-world
problem. I’ve heard that people in third-world countries are astounded by
the fact that Americans pay money, every month, to go into an
air-conditioned building to burn calories. Probably they’d be equally
astounded by writing down every bite of food to avoid overeating. A little
perspective is a good thing.
- No matter what I call it
or how subtle I try to keep it, my kids will still tell everyone and their
dog that their mom is on a diet.
