Late in 2012/early 2013, when my
struggle to stay OP reached epic proportions, one of the
things that pulled me through, believe it or not, was a simple
organization system for my MF meals. It removed the 'choice' factor from my meals which was
important, because I was questioning everything....far too
often.
The veterans will tell you this is "key". REALLY.
But it's not easy to do if you're like me, because I LOVE TO EAT.
I was getting bored, getting 'tired' of staying OP,
feeling deprived, you name it. Fat Brain was having a field
day with my head!
PLUS it made things so much EASIER. No more guesswork,
no more games, no more decisions. I would get up in the
morning and simply grab that day's 'slot' worth of MF meals
and bring them into the kitchen and set them on the counter
and tell myself "THIS is what I'm going to eat today and ALL
I'm going to eat today (plus my L&G which was pre-planned
as well via my Weekly Menu on my refrigerator)."
And it WORKED. It got me back OP at the time and got me my "mojo" back and I made it to goal.
Well, guess what? I'm going back to that organization system again. Because even though I'm in maintenance, I'm finding that I'm now at the point where I need to tackle my GREATEST challenge. And that is, changing my THINKING....from a 'living to eat' mentality to one where I 'eat to LIVE'. So this organizational system, in addition to helping keep me OP, keeps me focused on what’s important…and that is NOT my MF meals but my LIFE.
And it WORKED. It got me back OP at the time and got me my "mojo" back and I made it to goal.
Well, guess what? I'm going back to that organization system again. Because even though I'm in maintenance, I'm finding that I'm now at the point where I need to tackle my GREATEST challenge. And that is, changing my THINKING....from a 'living to eat' mentality to one where I 'eat to LIVE'. So this organizational system, in addition to helping keep me OP, keeps me focused on what’s important…and that is NOT my MF meals but my LIFE.
The veterans will tell you this is "key". REALLY.
But it's not easy to do if you're like me, because I LOVE TO EAT.
Always have, always will.
There. I said it.
There. I said it.
Those of you who follow my blogs, recipes, etc., KNOW
this about me.
I LOVE food. Period. And that will never change. I refuse to eat anything I don't like; I only buy the MF meals I love, and I continue tell anyone who'll listen that they don't have to SUFFER on this program....because I really sincerely believe that.
BUT....!
By the same token, I'm realizing now...(well DUH...only took me 2-1/2 years)....that maybe, just MAYBE, my focus on food needs to CHANGE.
Not that I'll give up eating my favorites, or stop checking out recipes once in awhile, but....stop planning and dreaming and scheming about 'how' to get my latest craving into my food plan.
I need to focus on LIVING my life and having the food 'fit into' that life, versus living my life AROUND my meals. Which is a sea change for me.
You see, growing up in a household full of kids (there were 5 of us), there was a lot of love, a lot of noise, and a lot of laughter....but there ALSO was a LOT of FOOD. And everything seemed to 'revolve' around food!
You could tell the day of the week by what was for dinner. Wednesdays were always spaghetti day, Fridays we always had fish because we were Catholic and couldn't eat meat on Fridays....Sundays were for 'big' meals like roasts or lasagna, something that took more work to prepare, etc.
And every event, every holiday, had its own foods. Easter was always kielbasi, pierogies and hard-boiled eggs....along with those Easter baskets with tons of chocolate and candy and sugarsugarsugar. Thanksgiving of course meant turkey and about 6 different types of pies. Christmas was ham, plus goodies GALORE....basically from Thanksgiving right through New Year's.
Birthdays HAD to be celebrated with a birthday cake, and we even had our own unique favorites....(for me it was strawberry shortcake).
And I was 'rewarded' for being a 'good girl' because I was a human garbage can that saved Mom from leftovers.
"Just finish this last little bit, Linda, I hate to throw it out".
"Sure, Mom". After all, I was her 'good big girl".
I LOVE food. Period. And that will never change. I refuse to eat anything I don't like; I only buy the MF meals I love, and I continue tell anyone who'll listen that they don't have to SUFFER on this program....because I really sincerely believe that.
BUT....!
By the same token, I'm realizing now...(well DUH...only took me 2-1/2 years)....that maybe, just MAYBE, my focus on food needs to CHANGE.
Not that I'll give up eating my favorites, or stop checking out recipes once in awhile, but....stop planning and dreaming and scheming about 'how' to get my latest craving into my food plan.
I need to focus on LIVING my life and having the food 'fit into' that life, versus living my life AROUND my meals. Which is a sea change for me.
You see, growing up in a household full of kids (there were 5 of us), there was a lot of love, a lot of noise, and a lot of laughter....but there ALSO was a LOT of FOOD. And everything seemed to 'revolve' around food!
You could tell the day of the week by what was for dinner. Wednesdays were always spaghetti day, Fridays we always had fish because we were Catholic and couldn't eat meat on Fridays....Sundays were for 'big' meals like roasts or lasagna, something that took more work to prepare, etc.
And every event, every holiday, had its own foods. Easter was always kielbasi, pierogies and hard-boiled eggs....along with those Easter baskets with tons of chocolate and candy and sugarsugarsugar. Thanksgiving of course meant turkey and about 6 different types of pies. Christmas was ham, plus goodies GALORE....basically from Thanksgiving right through New Year's.
Birthdays HAD to be celebrated with a birthday cake, and we even had our own unique favorites....(for me it was strawberry shortcake).
And I was 'rewarded' for being a 'good girl' because I was a human garbage can that saved Mom from leftovers.
"Just finish this last little bit, Linda, I hate to throw it out".
"Sure, Mom". After all, I was her 'good big girl".
As a charter member of the clean plate club, somehow
(?!) I really BELIEVED that cleaning my plate was going to
help those starving kids in India. Why?
I have no idea LOL....but my sister had no such illusions. She would do anything to avoid finishing....she found new and fascinating ways to hide her food! At one point she was shoving her peas down the hollow inside of the kitchen table leg, unbeknownst to Mom and Dad...until the kitchen started to SMELL. (I kid you not. LMAO!!!) To this day my sister will STILL go the opposite way I do. Just to differentiate herself.
Ah yes, the memories of my childhood.....all wrapped up in FOOD. I cannot remember my childhood without thinking about food. And obviously it was the genesis of my food addiction.
Because unfortunately, at the same time I was being overfed, I was also developing compulsive overeater's mindset. I was an overachiever and if I failed to meet a goal, I'd get depressed and be soothed with....FOOD. If I met a goal, I'd be rewarded with food. My grandmother (God rest her soul) would do a lot of this....but she did it out of LOVE so I can't look back in anger. It was all she knew how to do! If I had a problem, she'd immediately say 'Let's have a cup of tea', which of course was always accompanied by some sort of goodie. Talking things over with her...or my Mom... always meant some sort of goodie.
So I learned to associate 'feeling better' with goodies/treats/sweets.
I have no idea LOL....but my sister had no such illusions. She would do anything to avoid finishing....she found new and fascinating ways to hide her food! At one point she was shoving her peas down the hollow inside of the kitchen table leg, unbeknownst to Mom and Dad...until the kitchen started to SMELL. (I kid you not. LMAO!!!) To this day my sister will STILL go the opposite way I do. Just to differentiate herself.
Ah yes, the memories of my childhood.....all wrapped up in FOOD. I cannot remember my childhood without thinking about food. And obviously it was the genesis of my food addiction.
Because unfortunately, at the same time I was being overfed, I was also developing compulsive overeater's mindset. I was an overachiever and if I failed to meet a goal, I'd get depressed and be soothed with....FOOD. If I met a goal, I'd be rewarded with food. My grandmother (God rest her soul) would do a lot of this....but she did it out of LOVE so I can't look back in anger. It was all she knew how to do! If I had a problem, she'd immediately say 'Let's have a cup of tea', which of course was always accompanied by some sort of goodie. Talking things over with her...or my Mom... always meant some sort of goodie.
So I learned to associate 'feeling better' with goodies/treats/sweets.
Many of us were brought up that way, right? When you
were sick did Mom give you chicken soup and cups of tea? Or
some other special treat that you 'only' had when you were
sick? (My DH still has to have chicken soup when he's
sick...it's a ritual with him). When I had a sore throat, ICE
CREAM to the rescue! And on it went....
And I never QUITE broke that connection. Not really.
I've come a long way....but it's still there.
Even NOW.....nearly 60 years later...if you walk into my mother's kitchen you'll usually find 'something', some sort of goodie or baked good, out on the counter. It's just the way she lives. She's not a food addict, and "cannot understand" why her "perfect" daughter has this eating problem, but she's also proud of my reaching goal .
But she'll never 'get it' because she isn't a food addict! So I gave up trying to explain, and I just do my own thing.
But I (still!) hear about it....especially now that I'm "skinny". "Linda never EATS anymore" was the refrain at Easter....to which my husband said, "You're right" sarcastically....but unfortunately the only one who caught the sarcasm in his voice was ME! (I told him, in the future, it's OK to stand up for me! LOL).
With all these mixed messages, and all the bombardment, it's not hard to figure out that it's all too EASY for Fat Brain to work on my head....and tell me I "deserve" this or that treat now....and that it won't hurt because look at me, I'm slim now. Right?
Well...DUH....I won't be for long if I continue to listen to fat brain's bull!
And I've found myself drifting into a dangerous territory lately...one of a "feast or famine" mentality...and that's no way to live. PEACE with my food plan has always been my goal....yet how do I reconcile that little girl inside that still wants her GOODIES?
And I never QUITE broke that connection. Not really.
I've come a long way....but it's still there.
Even NOW.....nearly 60 years later...if you walk into my mother's kitchen you'll usually find 'something', some sort of goodie or baked good, out on the counter. It's just the way she lives. She's not a food addict, and "cannot understand" why her "perfect" daughter has this eating problem, but she's also proud of my reaching goal .
But she'll never 'get it' because she isn't a food addict! So I gave up trying to explain, and I just do my own thing.
But I (still!) hear about it....especially now that I'm "skinny". "Linda never EATS anymore" was the refrain at Easter....to which my husband said, "You're right" sarcastically....but unfortunately the only one who caught the sarcasm in his voice was ME! (I told him, in the future, it's OK to stand up for me! LOL).
With all these mixed messages, and all the bombardment, it's not hard to figure out that it's all too EASY for Fat Brain to work on my head....and tell me I "deserve" this or that treat now....and that it won't hurt because look at me, I'm slim now. Right?
Well...DUH....I won't be for long if I continue to listen to fat brain's bull!
And I've found myself drifting into a dangerous territory lately...one of a "feast or famine" mentality...and that's no way to live. PEACE with my food plan has always been my goal....yet how do I reconcile that little girl inside that still wants her GOODIES?
In some cases it's easy. My tastes have changed, so
things like fast food burgers no longer have an appeal for me.
But other foods...aren't so easy.
And I find myself continually hearing Fat Brain saying,
"But it's OK now!"
Well, it's NOT OK now. I've seen, over and over again, how one little 'goodie' can lead to a day's worth of binge-eating. It sets off the carb/sugar monster and I'm out of control. And I HATE that! I hate the whole thing. My blog entitled "Anatomy of a Binge" was a method for me to REMIND MYSELF that bingeing is NOT fun. Not at ALL.
Yet we're SURROUNDED by food cues. And even when we limit our choices in our own homes, we are bombarded by our food-centric society. Everywhere you look there are food cues and food messages. The big food companies come out with new processed foods all the time...foods specifically ENGINEERED to become addictive based on certain specific combinations of sweet plus salty or sweet plus creamy or sour plus crunchy....there are combinations they've researched and studied, and when they hit on something that's addictive it SELLS...which means more profit.
Don't believe me? Pick up a copy of this book (and there are others like it): Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us" by Michael Moss.
It
exposes the food industry for what they are. The big food
companies may scream on their labels that their products are
'healthy', but in actuality they have one purpose and one
purpose only....and that is to MAKE MONEY by getting you
ADDICTED to their products.Well, it's NOT OK now. I've seen, over and over again, how one little 'goodie' can lead to a day's worth of binge-eating. It sets off the carb/sugar monster and I'm out of control. And I HATE that! I hate the whole thing. My blog entitled "Anatomy of a Binge" was a method for me to REMIND MYSELF that bingeing is NOT fun. Not at ALL.
Yet we're SURROUNDED by food cues. And even when we limit our choices in our own homes, we are bombarded by our food-centric society. Everywhere you look there are food cues and food messages. The big food companies come out with new processed foods all the time...foods specifically ENGINEERED to become addictive based on certain specific combinations of sweet plus salty or sweet plus creamy or sour plus crunchy....there are combinations they've researched and studied, and when they hit on something that's addictive it SELLS...which means more profit.
Don't believe me? Pick up a copy of this book (and there are others like it): Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us" by Michael Moss.
And if you are a food addict and/or compulsive
overeater, you are more susceptible than the normal person is
to these games, because it doesn't take much for us....a bit
more sugar in our systems, maybe the right combination of
salty+crunchy....and guess what? We're suddenly CRAVING the
food...fighting urges...and having a tough time of it.
Medifast meals are the CURE for these types of cravings. PERIOD. Whenever I feel myself slipping, I remember that eating those 5 MF meals plus my L&G, RELIGIOUSLY, helps squelch the hunger and get me back on track. I've seen it work over and over again!
The perfect of nutrients (and the protein is especially important) DOES it for me...it satisfies me nutritionally and STOPS the hunger-monster in its tracks.
Together with drinking my water? It's an unbeatable combination. It leads to more energy, weight loss or maintenance, and a feeling like I'm NOT battling cravings anymore.
But I also have to be careful NOT to FIXATE on food too much. To LIVE MY LIFE and "use" food as FUEL rather than lurch from meal to meal with the space in between simply becoming a 'waiting to eat' period.
Are you like that? Think about it.
HOW IMPORTANT is food to you? On a scale of 1 to 10.
Medifast meals are the CURE for these types of cravings. PERIOD. Whenever I feel myself slipping, I remember that eating those 5 MF meals plus my L&G, RELIGIOUSLY, helps squelch the hunger and get me back on track. I've seen it work over and over again!
The perfect of nutrients (and the protein is especially important) DOES it for me...it satisfies me nutritionally and STOPS the hunger-monster in its tracks.
Together with drinking my water? It's an unbeatable combination. It leads to more energy, weight loss or maintenance, and a feeling like I'm NOT battling cravings anymore.
But I also have to be careful NOT to FIXATE on food too much. To LIVE MY LIFE and "use" food as FUEL rather than lurch from meal to meal with the space in between simply becoming a 'waiting to eat' period.
Are you like that? Think about it.
HOW IMPORTANT is food to you? On a scale of 1 to 10.
I don't know about you but for me it's always been a 9
or 10!
And when you stop and think about it, that's kind of...wrong, isn't it?
I mean, I wasn't put on this earth to simply CONSUME. I was put on this earth for a specific reason....(for me, I finally figured out, it's helping people getting slim and healthy, but everyone has their OWN, individual purpose for being here, and it's up to us individually to find that purpose)...and NOT to simply be an 'eating machine'.
I can LIKE what I eat...but the focus shouldn't be totally ON food.
So I've had to fly in the face of what a lot of our society says...and what my own upbringing has been....AND what Fat Brain tells me. And this kind of food-centric mindset is so all-pervasive! Even my personal trainer at the gym advocates a 'treat day'. OK, for HER that works...but for ME? NO WAY! One 'treat' day would lead to a 'treat' weekend, whih would lead to weight gain, which would lead to yet another 'restart'...over and over and over again.
WHO NEEDS IT?
Better not to START to begin with! Seriously!
And when you stop and think about it, that's kind of...wrong, isn't it?
I mean, I wasn't put on this earth to simply CONSUME. I was put on this earth for a specific reason....(for me, I finally figured out, it's helping people getting slim and healthy, but everyone has their OWN, individual purpose for being here, and it's up to us individually to find that purpose)...and NOT to simply be an 'eating machine'.
I can LIKE what I eat...but the focus shouldn't be totally ON food.
So I've had to fly in the face of what a lot of our society says...and what my own upbringing has been....AND what Fat Brain tells me. And this kind of food-centric mindset is so all-pervasive! Even my personal trainer at the gym advocates a 'treat day'. OK, for HER that works...but for ME? NO WAY! One 'treat' day would lead to a 'treat' weekend, whih would lead to weight gain, which would lead to yet another 'restart'...over and over and over again.
WHO NEEDS IT?
Better not to START to begin with! Seriously!
I mean, what am I MISSING?
Just a taste in my mouth! That's all!
Versus what am I MISSING in my LIFE if I continue to fixate on "food first, living second".
How many activities have I "put off" because I wanted to sit and EAT instead?
How many fun things have I missed because I was too focused on my next MEAL?
How much of my life have I let get PAST me because of my food addiction or the results thereof?
NO. NO MORE.
This won't be easy....but I'm determined to change my focus.
My MF meals are my 'prescription' for health. That means, I eat 5 of them every day....and you know what? As long as they fit my schedule (i.e, something portable if I'm on the go, etc.) IT DOESN'T MATTER which ones I eat. They are all interchangeable, after all.
So I set up my MF food organizer again, and I'm adhering to it. Check out the picture (attached). It's not hard...buy yourself a cheapie (NEW of course) shoe "over the door" organizer at a discount store and then load it up based on what your schedule is going to be.
Every morning I pull out my 5 MF meals and I tell myself "THIS is what I'm eating today, and ALL I'm eating today" (plus my L&G....which COULD be a Flavors of Home meal....but all my L&Gs are also pre-planned and written down on a "Menu for the Week" sheet of paper I post on my frig).
NO MORE GUESSWORK. NO MORE GAMES WITH MY HEAD.
NO MORE ... CHOICE!
When I remove the element of choice?
It's like magic, VOILA -- staying OP becomes child's play.
It also helps to view my MF as my 'prescription' for good health. Period.
They are 'medicine' that you happen to eat. That's all. So you take your medicine 6x a day, and you don't worry about it. You don't "go there" (into the "Food has to be DELICIOUS and satisfy my exact, specific 'craving' at the time" philosophy) EVER again.
And there are no more arguments with Fat Brain because it's a DONE DEAL.
And my PLEASURES in life are derived from my OTHER activities. (WOW, what a concept, right? But I DO have things I like to do that don’t involve eating and so do you! So make a list! DO ONE of them. Don't sit around moaning because it's a whole 3 hours before you get to eat again and poor little me....!) LOL....
Just a taste in my mouth! That's all!
Versus what am I MISSING in my LIFE if I continue to fixate on "food first, living second".
How many activities have I "put off" because I wanted to sit and EAT instead?
How many fun things have I missed because I was too focused on my next MEAL?
How much of my life have I let get PAST me because of my food addiction or the results thereof?
NO. NO MORE.
This won't be easy....but I'm determined to change my focus.
My MF meals are my 'prescription' for health. That means, I eat 5 of them every day....and you know what? As long as they fit my schedule (i.e, something portable if I'm on the go, etc.) IT DOESN'T MATTER which ones I eat. They are all interchangeable, after all.
So I set up my MF food organizer again, and I'm adhering to it. Check out the picture (attached). It's not hard...buy yourself a cheapie (NEW of course) shoe "over the door" organizer at a discount store and then load it up based on what your schedule is going to be.
Every morning I pull out my 5 MF meals and I tell myself "THIS is what I'm eating today, and ALL I'm eating today" (plus my L&G....which COULD be a Flavors of Home meal....but all my L&Gs are also pre-planned and written down on a "Menu for the Week" sheet of paper I post on my frig).
NO MORE GUESSWORK. NO MORE GAMES WITH MY HEAD.
NO MORE ... CHOICE!
When I remove the element of choice?
It's like magic, VOILA -- staying OP becomes child's play.
It also helps to view my MF as my 'prescription' for good health. Period.
They are 'medicine' that you happen to eat. That's all. So you take your medicine 6x a day, and you don't worry about it. You don't "go there" (into the "Food has to be DELICIOUS and satisfy my exact, specific 'craving' at the time" philosophy) EVER again.
And there are no more arguments with Fat Brain because it's a DONE DEAL.
And my PLEASURES in life are derived from my OTHER activities. (WOW, what a concept, right? But I DO have things I like to do that don’t involve eating and so do you! So make a list! DO ONE of them. Don't sit around moaning because it's a whole 3 hours before you get to eat again and poor little me....!) LOL....
I mean, WHY do that to yourself? SELF LOVE is a part of this
process, too. And that means loving myself in OTHER WAYS
besides stuffing my face.
Loving myself enough to express myself when I'm angry
or upset or someone has treated me badly. Loving myself enough
to take CARE of myself when I'm tired or sick or...whatever.
NO ONE ELSE is going to do it for you. We do too much
for others and NOT ENOUGH for ourselves.
So GET BUSY taking care of YOU for a change, in a
NON-FOOD way a INSTEAD.
Food has taken entirely too much time in my life. EVEN WHEN I was 'dieting'. I'd plan out every calorie. Calculate and scheme how to get 'more' of my favorites into my food plan. Because it was always about TASTE....certain tastes I "HAD" to have, like chocolate or cheesy or salty or sweet or whatever. But I don't need to do that anymore. I WILL NOT do that anymore. I'll enjoy my meals...that will never change...but that doesn't mean I have to FIXATE on them and fantasize about them and dream about them and PLAN plan plan this or that 'treat' meal. It's not worth it.
Trust me, 'living to eat' doesn't WORK -- it doesn't work on the 5/1, but it ALSO doesn't work in maintenance. Every new food/recipe that came down the pike? I would be thinking, "Hmmm....let's look that up...see how many calories are in it...what's the nutritional breakdown? Does it have protein? Not a lot of fat or carbs? A good balance? Hmmm....yeah I'm THERE!" and then find a way to 'fit it into' my food plan.
I forgot the #1 rule with processed foods...which is to remember WHY they were created in the first place. They weren't created to be healthy. They were created to MAKE MONEY. And in order to make money that means they were ENGINEERED to become addictive. And guess WHO is most susceptible to that addiction?
ME! I AM, as all food addicts are!
And then what? Then I overeat it and I have to 'go back OP' and PURGE again.
OK here we go again....up and down the rollercoaster....feast or famine, feast or famine. When does it end?
NO WAY. Not for me. It's NOT WORTH IT.
My FOCUS in life has to change. Instead of scheduling my life around my meals, maybe I should be scheduling my meals around my LIFE! What a concept, right?
Sounds simple....but isn't if you're a food addict. But it CAN BE DONE.
Take a look at the attached picture and see if you can come up with a similar system if you are struggling with 'too many choices'. Sometimes we need to LIMIT our choices to get ourselves back in hand....and maybe, just maybe, to LIVE LIKE THAT...i.e., not necessarily living on the 5/1 for a lifetime, but living WITHIN THE GUIDELINES of a STRICT food plan that I NEVER deviate from. PERIOD.
In other words....finding the right balance of foods...MF -and- non-MF --- that DON'T kick off my carb/sugar/overeating 'monster' inside but instead simply sustain me nutritionally.
It's not 'sexy' and it's not 'fun' eating...(I'm flashing on those commercials for the latest candy or sugary treat product...they always feature gorgeous, thin models 'stuffing their faces' with this product like it's the be-all and end-all...it makes their 'good times' even 'better'....when the truth is? In order to STAY thin like that those models in real life wouldn't TOUCH the stuff LOL!)
REMEMBER that.
REAL LIFE - and living OP even after maintenance! - is not a fantasy or a commercial or being able to eat 'whatever you want, whenever you want'...unless of course you suddenly decide you HATE all processed sugary foods...if you do, BRAVO but believe me, it only takes ONE food to set you off again. I've been there. And sometimes we can't always eat all natural stuff. That's preferable, certainly, but it's not always possible. And in those cases, my MF meals are a GODSEND.
So why struggle with trying to fit a 'treat' in? Why not simply eat what you KNOW is HEALTHY for you?
I'm EATING TO LIVE from now on.
NOT LIVING TO EAT.
I wish for all of you the same!
Keep on keepin’ on!
Food has taken entirely too much time in my life. EVEN WHEN I was 'dieting'. I'd plan out every calorie. Calculate and scheme how to get 'more' of my favorites into my food plan. Because it was always about TASTE....certain tastes I "HAD" to have, like chocolate or cheesy or salty or sweet or whatever. But I don't need to do that anymore. I WILL NOT do that anymore. I'll enjoy my meals...that will never change...but that doesn't mean I have to FIXATE on them and fantasize about them and dream about them and PLAN plan plan this or that 'treat' meal. It's not worth it.
Trust me, 'living to eat' doesn't WORK -- it doesn't work on the 5/1, but it ALSO doesn't work in maintenance. Every new food/recipe that came down the pike? I would be thinking, "Hmmm....let's look that up...see how many calories are in it...what's the nutritional breakdown? Does it have protein? Not a lot of fat or carbs? A good balance? Hmmm....yeah I'm THERE!" and then find a way to 'fit it into' my food plan.
I forgot the #1 rule with processed foods...which is to remember WHY they were created in the first place. They weren't created to be healthy. They were created to MAKE MONEY. And in order to make money that means they were ENGINEERED to become addictive. And guess WHO is most susceptible to that addiction?
ME! I AM, as all food addicts are!
And then what? Then I overeat it and I have to 'go back OP' and PURGE again.
OK here we go again....up and down the rollercoaster....feast or famine, feast or famine. When does it end?
NO WAY. Not for me. It's NOT WORTH IT.
My FOCUS in life has to change. Instead of scheduling my life around my meals, maybe I should be scheduling my meals around my LIFE! What a concept, right?
Sounds simple....but isn't if you're a food addict. But it CAN BE DONE.
Take a look at the attached picture and see if you can come up with a similar system if you are struggling with 'too many choices'. Sometimes we need to LIMIT our choices to get ourselves back in hand....and maybe, just maybe, to LIVE LIKE THAT...i.e., not necessarily living on the 5/1 for a lifetime, but living WITHIN THE GUIDELINES of a STRICT food plan that I NEVER deviate from. PERIOD.
In other words....finding the right balance of foods...MF -and- non-MF --- that DON'T kick off my carb/sugar/overeating 'monster' inside but instead simply sustain me nutritionally.
It's not 'sexy' and it's not 'fun' eating...(I'm flashing on those commercials for the latest candy or sugary treat product...they always feature gorgeous, thin models 'stuffing their faces' with this product like it's the be-all and end-all...it makes their 'good times' even 'better'....when the truth is? In order to STAY thin like that those models in real life wouldn't TOUCH the stuff LOL!)
REMEMBER that.
REAL LIFE - and living OP even after maintenance! - is not a fantasy or a commercial or being able to eat 'whatever you want, whenever you want'...unless of course you suddenly decide you HATE all processed sugary foods...if you do, BRAVO but believe me, it only takes ONE food to set you off again. I've been there. And sometimes we can't always eat all natural stuff. That's preferable, certainly, but it's not always possible. And in those cases, my MF meals are a GODSEND.
So why struggle with trying to fit a 'treat' in? Why not simply eat what you KNOW is HEALTHY for you?
I'm EATING TO LIVE from now on.
NOT LIVING TO EAT.
I wish for all of you the same!
Keep on keepin’ on!
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