Weighty Wednesday -- Food Police

If you are on a weight-loss journey, I will bet you money that you have at least one person who is the Food Police in your life.

I do.

And God love her, she's only trying to help. But the problem with Food Police is that their plans to help backfire almost 99% of the time.

--they make you mad, which makes you want to eat
--they treat you like a child, which depresses you and makes you want to eat

I am just 1.2 pounds shy of losing a total of 40 pounds. So close, I can almost taste it! And did I lose that weight with the food police watching every single bite I took?

NO.

Who is the one taking this journey? 

You are. You are accountable only to yourself. If you have a bad day(s), so be it. You know what you did. AND you probably know what you have to do to fix the problem.

I know. I'm right there next to you. I'll come over there to beat some sense into you . . . provided you'll do the same for me. We're in this together. I understand.

For example:  I had a large jar of dry roasted peanuts in my pantry.

Notice the key word?

HAD.

Yep, ate them up over a one week period. So much for making another batch of peanut brittle. *sheesh*

This journey is all about making choices--BTW: I HATE the term 'lifestyle change', it's too vague and it puts my hackles up. Every time we sit down to eat, we make a choice. Sometimes we make good choices. Sometimes we make poor choices. Sometimes we make deliberately evil choices (yep, as I'm writing this, I plan to meet my hubby at Ron's for lunch--for one of the best grease burgers around! I haven't had one in months.)

I am making a choice.

BUT I also have a plan. I will drink 8 oz of water before I walk out of the house. I will eat slowly. I will stop when my stomach is happy. NOT FULL, but instead happy and satisfied. There is a difference. I will eat salad for dinner. I'm good. I will have satisfied my need for something unhealthy, but I will also get my five fruits and vegetables into my diet with another meal.

Sorry, got off-track, so how do you handle the food police in your life?

When they ask you what you are allowed to eat?

Answer--anything you want.

When they tell you they made a special ______ (fill in the blank) just for you?

Answer--Thank them, and tell them they shouldn't have gone to the trouble since you can eat anything you want.
--Besides, have they EVER tried the NO FAT cheese, cream cheese, etc.--Blech! talk about eating plastic! Give me the full fat products, please. I'm a big girl and I can enjoy a bite or two.

There are tons of parties this time of year. People who know you are on a weight-loss journey will try to be helpful or sabotage you. The results are the same. You let your emotions get the best of you. Approach it logically. If there is a food offered that you can only get this time of year, then by all means eat a portion, while calculating the amount of exercise it will take you to burn off that portion. But if it's just some generic pie they picked up at the grocery store, then don't waste your calories on it.

I'm enjoying eggnog. Do I pour up a glass? No. I pour about 1/4 cup into a glass and sip it, enjoying its smooth, creamy richness.

Denying yourself will backfire. Enjoy food, but limit yourself by being satisfied with less and enjoying the moment more.

This is YOUR journey, only YOU can figure out what works or what doesn't work for YOU.
It's all about choices. YOUR choices. Stop the Food Police in their tracks. Don't let them dictate your journey.

Last week, I went up 1.8 pounds, while this week I went down 1.2 pounds for a total weight loss of 38.8 pounds!!

Later, Peeps!