Snacks are great.
Pre Lifestyle overhaul... snacks would consist of chips, something with a lot of bread, or something from a bag, laden with fat and salt.
NOW!!! When I'm in the snacking way, mostly when my least favorite visitor comes around, snacks consist of fruit, homemade hummus, roasted veggies, or unsulfured, unsweetened dried mangoes.
My boys play a lot of sports... and the habit to have something to nibble while watching is still alive and well in me. I used to bring the requisite bad food, or buy something from the dreaded Snack Bar, covered in melted "cheese" or encased in a white bread bun.
No more! Now... I can be seen eating a lovely bowl of cut up fruit, or dried mangoes, or raisins. It's funny, because all the other Mom's see me eating my stuff, and comment on how guilty they feel eating the stuff they brought. I assure them I'm not trying to make them feel badly (they are all gorgeously thin), it's just that if I don't have my snacks with me at all times, I'll feel deprived and want to eat what's available.
Yes, even now... 9 months later... I have to tell myself not to want to eat the bad food. Bad habits are very hard to break.
I know some of you have been struggling with having bad food around you too. Why does it seem like the second we start or decided to eat well... EVERYONE else is eating junk? Guess what... it's always been that way... we are just more sensitive to it now that we are on the right eating path... it's normal. Remember when you were pregnant? You never saw or noticed pregnant women until you became pregnant... then it seemed like the entire world was was preggers... HUH?
Resisting gets easier and easier the longer you choose to stay away from junk. I promise. If you keep filling, and I mean FILLING yourself up with fruits and veggies (fresh or frozen) your body will begin to crave good food... I PROMISE!
Yesterday, at my oldest son's High School baseball game... my middle son had a cookie my Mom made. I hadn't eaten in 7 hours, and I was starving. He offered me a bite... and I took a small one. It was oatmeal raisin. I LOVED oatmeal raisin cookies... I took a nibble... and my mouth was FLOODED with butter and sugar, and feeling and taste my mouth wasn't used to... I HAD to spit it out. Yes... I really did! My husband was shocked that I took a bite, and when he saw my face, after tasting it... he burst out laughing!
He said "You aren't used to eating sugar and butter... you should see your face!" I didn't realize I was making a face... but my mouth and body were rejecting the foreign food. I knew I couldn't swallow it. I just spent the last 9 months training my mouth and body to eat fresh whole foods... and one nibble of a homemade cookie sent me into a tailspin. Wow... this truly IS a lifestyle change.
Those of you reading this, those of you really needing to make a change for the better... not only to lose weight, but to eat more healthily, to feed your bodies so it rejects cancer, and heart disease, and high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, and diabetes... THE LONGER YOU STAY EATING WELL... THE BETTER YOU WILL BE ABLE TO REJECT TEMPTATION...when it comes around.
Do it for yourself first... for your kids second. We must model good eating habits. We must make food that is fresh, wholesome and not from cans and bags and boxes... for our futures...
Snack well my friends... buy fruit in season, or buy it frozen and take it with you where ever you go, so you always have the right choice with you...
Friday, April 16, 2010
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Here's what I noticed recently, well especially with all the Easter treats around. In the store something would catch my eye on the way by, usually chocolate. Immediately my brain would revert to the old way of thinking: "it's holiday food, a little bite won't hurt just this once" etc. etc.
ReplyDeleteSo I'd tell myself to leave it for a minute, go on with my groceries and if I still wanted it when I was done then come back. Once I walked away I realized it was quickly gone from my mind. But if I had picked it up and bought it it would be a burden . I'd be anticipating how "good" it would be but also feeling all the negative emotions eating it would bring. So the burden would not just be on my hips but also on my mind way more than the pleasure of eating it would be. Once I am not looking at and smelling the object of my desire I can decide about it rationally. rationa
Thanks for commenting Pat... It always makes my day when I see that someone read my post and thought enough to say a little something...
ReplyDeleteSo glad you resisted!!! The more you do it.. .the easier it will become...
I wanna be able to say no to bad stuff but I use food for emotional purposes when I am sad or stressed especcially (which seems ro be a lot) I need to fix that
ReplyDeleteThat's one thing I'm not. And that's a snacker. I pretty much just eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. But, I've NEVER spit out a cookie! You are a stronger woman than I!
ReplyDeleteIt will be 3 weeks Monday for LDL and me. I am not over the night snacking thing or wanting something special at this time of the night.. I do fight it.. but I think I need to flood my system abit more than I have with fruits and leave the popcorn behind. I am sure that will help as it has helped so many others..
ReplyDelete