Tracking My Journey
Week 1: I declare my slim down strategy of starting a low carb diet. The only problem is I’ve now restricted my food choices and the carbs seem more appealing to me than ever. By week 4 you can see that I’m already struggling to keep it together. And by week 11 I make up for my lack of control over eating by resorting to exercise. I know I sound like a mess... me and millions of other people. The fact that I’m saying it out loud makes it seem even more pathetic, but aren’t you glad it’s me and not you?
Where Am I Now?
As I write this entry, I’m still sticking with the consistent exercise – swimming, biking and walking. And a funny thing is happening; I’m starting to feel better about myself! My thoughts are a little kinder and less judgmental when I eat foods that I’ve always considered to be “bad”. I have to admit, this is a foreign concept to me, but I like it and want it to stay. So now what?
In American culture, we eat food to either lose weight or gain health - not to savor and enjoy. We eat on the run, at our desks, or in front of the T.V.; skip meals and fret over every morsel we put in our mouths. What a relief it would be if food was eaten for pleasure and sustenance and we took our time to enjoy every bite... like Julia Childs. This is not a new concept to Europeans, but to us it’s foreign.
Oh Look, Another Book!
There are many books on the market selling this approach to eating, but why buy one when I have one right here under my bed - in my “diet and exercise library” ( I told you I’ve tried everything!). Let’s revisit my copy of Intuitive Eating, by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. (Move over Dr. Phil and Dr. Agatston). The concept of the book is simple - stop dieting, rid yourself of the “diet mentality” and reach your natural weight (huh?).
So Let’s Mark Week 17 as the Official Week that I Stopped Dieting!
A marked failure for me now would be to GO ON a diet. So just to clarify – I’m eating intuitively but I may have a weak moment and have to go on a diet... this would be considered cheating. Why would anyone do that? Because restricting food, counting carbs and calories is so much fun? Because I hate exercising to feel good and would rather obsess about how many calories I burned? When you say it like that it sounds like dieting is absolutely crazy! Do you know what would be even crazier? When asked “how did you lose all your weight?” replying, “I stopped dieting!”
See you next week....
