I've started to notice that I am no longer "living to eat" and have begun to switch over to "eating to live".
Even though I am still "in transition", I can feel my "food focus" shifting.
Let me explain...
Back when I was overweight* (and getting fatter every day), food was one of the most important parts of my life. It was something pleasurable that I looked forward to and counted on as the best part of my day. Looking back, I can see how food had become a higher priority for me than many other parts of my life.
For example, if I had a choice between eating a nice big meal or working out, I would always choose food. Even though I knew that I would feel better after working out, I would eat something tasty and inevitably end up sitting on the couch. Exercise always seemed to get pushed to "tomorrow"... and we all know that "tomorrow" never comes.
Don't get me wrong... I still love good food. I'm just making better decisions on a day-by-day, meal-by-meal basis and focusing on eating good food on a regular basis so that the times when I go out for something special, it will be really special !
More food at home...
I am also finding that I have more [highly nutritious] food in my home than I used to. This may seem like a "no-brainer" for households where there are multiple people in the home. With more people, I assume, a greater volume of food is regularly consumed and, consequently, more is available on a regular basis. For a single person like myself, though, I would eat out at least once a day, sometimes 3-4 times per day since almost all of the "good food" I brought home went bad before I ate it. Or more precisely, I was hooked on eating out and did not find the "good food" attractive. It seemed like I did not have anything worth eating in the house.
Now I'm less worried about throwing out spoiled food since 1) that is the price I sometimes have to pay for eating healthy and 2) it is much less likely since I eat at home more often.
What kind of things do you have?
I have fresh corn (6 ears) that I picked up at a roadside farmer's market this weekend which I will probably have for dinner tonight... probably roasted in the oven. I have a bunch of pre-packaged vegetable dishes from CostCo in my refrigerator now... taboule, red pepper hummus and an Orzo & Artichoke salad with Fresh & Sun-Dried tomatoes... so I can quickly have a healthy meal. I have a tomato and some whole wheat panini bread so I can make a tomato sandwich with a small amount of mayo (one of my weaknesses) along with some hummus or Edamame Hummus (from Whole Foods... it contains soy beans) in place of some of the mayo. For dessert, I have sliced golden pineapple (from Costco again) or a green apple sprinkled with cinnamon & raw sugar.
Half-back Option Left on Three...
I know that I still need to try new healthy foods (i.e. vegetable-based) and recipes so I don't get bored and go back to my old ways of eating. What surprises me is, now that I'm looking for them, how easy it is to pick up some good food options. I highly recommend this approach... change your mind to eat better and the food will follow!
Now, I have more life since food is not the centerpiece of my existence... and I look forward to seeing what the future brings as I shrink to my new size (and increase the size of my wallet to compensate).
What's your food focus doing for you? Have you decided to eat healthy?
d.Mark Wheeler
* Notice the mindshift here? I am starting to think like I'm a thin person (or at least someone who is heading in that direction).
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