melly37

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I was doing better with my eating this week and really feeling good about my control until I was first faced with tempation.  We had a big party at work, in honor of Customer Service Week.  There were some good choices available to me, and I did eat that, but I also made PLENTY of bad choices!  I was beating myself up over it, and wishing that I was one of those people that didn't have issues with eating too much, or making bad decisions. 

So, I started thinking of people that I know personally.  I know a few people that struggle every bit as much as I do.  Guess what?  They also have weight issues.  I know a few people that have a very hard time resisting their favorite foods, but they work out quite a bit, so they are at a somewhat normal weight.  Then, there are the people that truly have a healthy relationship with food. They eat only when they are hungry and typically have indulgent types of foods on special occasions.

  Hmmmmm.......only have indulgent types of foods on special occasions......

The more I thought about it, the more I decided that those people have the same relationship that I have with alcohol.  I like different wines, enjoy a good coctail, and like to have a beer now and then.  However, I don't allow myself to INDULGE in having an alcoholic drink every single day, or every single time there is an opportunity to drink.  I have a healthy relationship with alcohol.  I appreciate alcohol for it's intoxicating effects.  Even though I like the warm, fuzzy feeling of a slight buzz, I know that it isn't appropriate for ME to indulge everytime the opportunity presents itself.

For example, I go to a lot of restaurants that serve alcohol.  I RARELY, and I mean RARELY order a drink from the bar.  At that same restaurant, they will have healthy food choices and INDULGENT, carb-laden dishes.  Something inside me says,   "Pssst....hey....you are eating at a restaurant!  It's OKAY to eat bad!  Enjoy yourself!! Have fun!"  So, what gives?  Why can't I recognze that eating indulgently should be as rare or saved for special occasions just like alcohol is?

Another example is the bottle of wine I have in the fridge.  That bottle has been sitting in my fridge for several months.  I have some shelves in the kitches that have bottles of hard liquor.  When I walk in to the kitchen and open the fridge, I don't look at the bottle of wine and fixate on it.  You can bet your last dollar if I opened the pantry and saw a bag of Cheetos sitting there, I wouldn't walk away non-plussed.  I wouldn't be saying to myself, "Oh that's nice....next time I have some friends over, or I have a special night planned with Enrique there are some Cheetos we can eat."    What I would be doing normally is grabbing the bag and scarfing them.  If I had enough control to walk away, I would be obsessed with the fact that they are there. 

I am guessing "normal" people treat food the way that I treat alcohol.  They love a a big greasy cheeseburger, or order of nachos as much as the next person....they just know it will be there for special occasions.  Until then, they are happy to eat their chicken, vegetables and salads.  Just as I am  happy to drink my water, coffee and sf-kool-aid, until there is a special occasion, or night planned to uncork the bottle of wine. 

So, I am going to keep exploring this thought and figure out how I can more treat INDULGENT foods the way I treat INDULGENT drinks. 

I traded scales for a more reliable one.....and it put me up a few pounds.  I will take that, over a scale that wouldn't weigh me the same weight no matter how many times I stepped on it in a minutes time-frame.  so, I was at 181.2 this morning.  Not good, but I am not whining, I am plotting!