Thursday, 29 December 2011

Overeating makes you normal...

29th December 2011

Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you'll help them to become what they are capable of becoming. – Goethe

So yesterday I finished reading the Jean Nidetch Weight Watchers book and it was very good, reading it reminded me of what being overweight felt like for me, and how much better I feel now.  It made me realise how far I’ve come, there was a time when I was completely, totally, 100% obsessed with food and what I can next.  I used to just shovel it in, after the first bite, I didn't even know what I was eating, anyway.  Now I’m happy to think about what I’m going to eat, plan it, enjoy it, taste it and appreciate it.  Food doesn’t have to be the enemy and it doesn’t have to make you fat.

Think about it, over Christmas how many of you have eaten just for the sake of eating, can you even remember eating half of it?   How many of you are thinking, “I really need to stop now, I really need to get back on track, but there’s still so much food in the house!”

Remember you are not the dustbin, don’t treat your waist as a waste bin!  And remember a lot of it has a very long sell by date, we’ll be looking at that next week in the meeting a little bit more.

Sometimes though you just can’t resist certain foods can you, you’re just not that strong.  I’m a bit like that with peanuts, they’re my Frankenstein.  What’s your "Frankenstein." That's what Jean Nidetch (founder of Weight Watchers) calls the food you can’t leave alone. Is it chocolate, crisps or cakes or biscuits or bread? It’s good to know because this Frankenstein can rear its ugly head at any time. 

Resisting temptation isn’t easy so I find keeping my house “peanut free” works best for me, if I fancy them I’ll treat myself to a small packet, but I find I rarely think about them when they’re not in view.

How many of you have shovelled chocolate after chocolate down, talking why you eat them and not even realising you’ve eaten them.  I’ve had 3 x  46g bars of galaxy which are 7pp each, and they were divine, I made every chunk last as long as possible by letting them melt in my mouth, mmm if you’re gonna indulge in a chunk of chocolate that’s 1pp, then make it last, enjoy it, taste it.

Pizza is another of my Frankensteins, one that I really enjoy and could eat till it comes out of my ears, in the good (bad/fat) old days I could easily eat a 30 inch pizza to myself, I dare say I still could but now I manage to split a thin crust 12 inch pizza in two and share it.  Could I eat it all, hell yeah, do I – sometimes but mostly no.  WHY? Because there isn't a slice of pizza that's worth it.  

Worth what?  Worth going back to where I started!  You’ve got to admit that once you’ve overindulged, once you’ve had that extra slice (or whatever it is) that you weren’t planning on having, the minute it goes down, you're sorry you ate it.

So let’s stop it, if you haven’t already, otherwise you’re in danger of it spiralling out of control, you’ll overeat, and then feel bad, you hate the way you look, so you eat a little more. 

So what’s the answer, well as much as I enjoyed Jean Nidetch book, I didn’t agree with everything she said, I don’t think it’s as cut and dry as ‘giving it all up’, we’re all different and we all know ourselves better than anyone else.  You might need to go cold turkey, you may not be able to handle having certain foods in the house, you might be able to have a little bit of what you fancy – only you know the answer.

Whether it’s there or not you have to cut down dramatically on all the junk and your Frankensteins.   So ask yourself - are you willing to give up a chocolate? Are you willing to give up a packet of crisps? Are you willing to throw away your kid’s leftovers instead of eating it? Are you willing to throw away cold mashed potatoes, pieces of half-eaten bread? If you're willing to do that, you'll make it. 

Most importantly remember to love yourself no matter what, you should be proud of yourself for wanting to look after yourself and lose weight.  So here’s to 2012 and looking and feeling great. xx


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