I am concentrating on keeping my eating simple. I’ve found that if I just eat simple food, without a lot of “stuff” – side dishes or sauces and dips for example – I eat less and feel more full. It’s been hard for me to disconnect from food. Food was the only thing I had in common with my parents, for example. It seemed like no matter what was going on between us personally (and there was usually a lot), if someone just fried up some chicken or grilled some steaks, all was well.
While I still love to eat yummy things, not making as big a deal out of meals has made it easier for me to lose weight. I don’t have a scale here at home, but the last time I stepped on a scale was at my son’s doctor’s office. I weighed…well, it’s embarrassing…I weighed a lot. More than 200 lbs. I was shocked because while I certainly didn’t feel fit, I didn’t feel huge.
I resolved then and there, though, to lose weight. I read a few books and was inspired to do some belly-busting, gut-wrenching workouts and eat only lettuce. That lasted about two days. So, I devised another plan.
I decided I would eat only things that God intended us to eat. Food that’s been here forever. I also resolved to put exercise back into my life more regularly, but not kill myself running an excessive amount of mileage or jumping up and down in the living room.
One thing I discovered, and still have a problem with, is leftover food. I realized that I was probably putting an extra 400 calories or so in my body everyday by simply eating what the kids didn’t eat. Leftover peanut butter sandwiches, a half of a granola bar, the end of a juice box! My kids knew when to quit, why didn’t I? I immediately resolved that as much as it killed my frugal side, if the kids didn’t eat it I wouldn’t either. The compost could have it or the trash…and I would just have to get over it.
My other little habit? Eating a little piece of a brownie or cookie and doing it like seven or eight times. Rather than just sit down and enjoy the small brownie my daughter made, I kept sneaking pieces all day long…thinking that just one bit wouldn’t hurt.
So, now when my daughter makes her divine brownies (and really, they are the best), I eat one. But just one. And then I move along with my day. I believe the key to my weight loss so far has been less about how much I eat, but rather how I eat it. I’m not the kind of person to sit down with a bag of chips on the couch. But I am the kind of person who will snag three out of the pantry. I believe this comes from the huge restrictions I had on food when I was a kid. I was only ever “allowed” two cookies after dinner…or I had to eat the whole sandwich right there and then. I wasn’t allowed to leave the table until every last vegetable was gone, creating a life long hatred of vegetables that I have only recently begun to get over. My parents need to control everything I ate (as well as a bunch of other stuff) led to a “need” on my part to sneak food even when I became a grown up and didn’t have to anymore.
That’s why I stopped controlling every bite that goes into my kids mouths. I bring home good, fresh food – along with some treats (or my daughter and I make them) and I let them eat how they will. This post more clearly explains it.
My kids are healthy, thin and energetic. And I never hear a thing about weight or anything else. I’m glad. I don’t want them to view food as reward or punishment. I want them to eat because they need fuel to do other things. Which is how I’m starting to view it.
Once I let go of “food as entertainment,” I was able to move on. I’m writing a book about my experiences now and will share some of the recipes and other strategies that have helped me so far.
Like I said before – I’m not skinny (probably never will be) – but I feel good and most important, I don’t worry about what I eat anymore.
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