Weight loss wasn’t included in my New Year’s post, I couldn’t put that on my list again this year. I feel it is time to progress, step forward and focus on different things in 2019.
It is still lurking in the back of my mind though, and I thought it was possibly on your mind also. I want to share my thoughts on this issue before I move on.
Over the years, I have tried many diets and spent my fair share on products with all sorts of fabulous sounding claims. Even now, I still get carried away and buy something that I think will be the next quick fix.
I have good intentions, I really do, but when I see apples, I picture apple pie; bananas as muffins with chocolate chips; cucumbers slathered in a rich creamy dressing; potatoes with gravy or cauliflower dripping with cheese sauce. Carrots turn into a cake with luxurious cream cheese frosting and zucchini into chocolate brownies. Tomatoes and peppers are nestled under a thick layer of cheese and pepperoni on a pizza. When I look at healthy foods in their original state I don’t say “oh goodie I want to eat that”.
Should I be faulted for being a culinarian? That is how my mind works. I feel guilty throwing food away. I try to give it a second life. I ate a bunch of vegetables the other day and then I had a tummy ache and I lamented “my body was not made to eat this healthy stuff”. I don't know if I will ever love plain fruits and veggies, but I keep trying.
It is all very confusing to me. There is gluten free, sugar free, high fat, low fat, high protein and diet plans where you only eat a certain food. So called experts suggest you should cleanse this or that. They advise taking a mile-long list of supplements.
Then there is the whole carb issue, oh the carbs. I was raised eating fresh bread, buns, pie, cereal and potatoes. I honestly don’t think I can give them up completely, but I am trying to eat carbs in moderation. Some days I am successfully and other days not so much. At the end of each day I remind myself that tomorrow is another day with new strength and new thoughts.
Some days I feel like my head will blow off if I see another diet option, but the next day dawns and there I am reading up on a new plan. When I think about all the time I have spent reading about and stressing over this it makes me feel a little sad that is what I spent those moments. All the diet information we are bombarded with can drag on our lives and make us feel negative towards ourselves.
I applaud those individuals who stuck to their healthy food and exercise plan over the holidays and didn’t eat themselves into an almond bark coma. In truth, I dislike you just a little bit for that, but I will recover nicely from that jealous, self-loathing lapse in character.
I know I feel better, in so many ways, when I watch what I consume, eat smaller portions and am more physically active. I need to continue to tell myself that I am worth the effort.
How do you motivate yourself to keep fighting this exhausting battle year in year out?
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Listen to my New Year’s Episode -“Sage Souls - What I am Learning on my Journey” @ Podcast Link
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