Food For Thought

In all of the success stories I've read about or seen on TV, I seem to hear variations of the same things said a lot. The central idea that I've heard numerous times is this: "I completely changed the way I thought about food." This never really clicked with me, and I sort of dismissed it without much consideration, thinking "well, obviously." But recently I've been spending a lot of time contemplating what this really means.  In the past, eating provided many things for me, when it really shouldn't have been used for anything other than giving me a healthy body and mind. 

I started to think about the different reasons I ate, and what drove me to eat unhealthy things.  The first reason I know everyone can relate to...Eating because we are simply bored.  Instead of eating just because, I now try to think of something productive to do.  Maybe instead of eating, go for a walk. Or a bike ride. Or read, study, play an instrument, go hang out with friends.  There's always something better to do. 

Secondly, I really notice now that I ate horribly whenever I was feeling stressed out or sad.  In reality though, eating a burger and ice cream is going to make you feel worse in the long-run.  I know this is only day 3, but I feel better than I've felt in a long time.  If you want to feel happier, poisoning your body isn't going to help you accomplish this, only hinder it. Another thing I've realized is the more you eat unhealthy foods, the more unappealing healthy ones become.  Food really is like a drug, and you do crave it like crazy until you can make that adjustment.  I'm getting there, but I know I'll still have cravings for another week or so at least. 

Lastly, my friends eat a lot of fast food. Especially during the summer, when your never home and having fun, and on the go...It's a lot easier to just eat what everyone else is eating.  For some people, too, I know that their families keep a lot of junk food in the house and that makes eating right a lot harder. It's really a matter of planning ahead, and finding alternatives. For me, bringing food with me or making sure I eat before I go out helps a lot, as does thinking about what I will eat the following day at night.

A few days ago, a very strong message came from all this reflection: Every time I want to eat something that is bad for me, all I need to do is stop and think about how what I’m about to eat will affect me. What is going to help my body, or make it stronger? What is going to hurt me, or make me feel sluggish, tired, bloated, and uncomfortable? Is this a food that is going to nourish me or harm me? Am I going to feel good about this later or feel guilty, regretful, and weak for giving in? I try to think about how good it will feel to be at a healthy weight, and how proud of myself I will feel when I’m finally there. Most importantly I ask myself, ‘is it really worth it to endure all of this only to have a few moments of pleasure?’ Probably not. ;)