Why oh why do we have to eat food every day? Why does the yummy evil entity known as FOOD have to be necessary for us to live? Honestly, I wish more than anything I could quit food cold turkey and still live. Because I could do that! I'm great at cold turkey, I quit smoking cold turkey, I quit drinking cold turkey, I quit soda cold turkey, etc. And I could quit food. But obviously that's not the way to go about losing weight and actually living to tell the story. Sorry for the mini-rant, I'm just very angry at food today and wish I never had to see it again.
I've been thinking lately that making peace with food is the ultimate
challenge. We can lose weight, but if we are still at war with food, being skinny is not gonna be enough because we will still have all the negative chatter in our heads about eating. I try to look at food as fuel for my body and pay less attention to the zillion ways that the average American is seduced by food on a daily basis. In other words, I'm trying to take some of the drama out of the eating issue.
You are a strong person. You can do this.
I have said that many times too. I also quit smoking cold turkey.
Now if you had asked me to smoke cigs that were not as "yummy" as others, while i watched other people enjoy "my brand" of cigs...it would have been way harder. Also, when i smoked, i smoked a pack a day. If you had said, you can only smoke 7 a day and they have to be a brand that you dont prefer, that would have REALLY thrown me for a loop. That is basically what they ask with losing weight. Sure i would rather have a steak with loaded baked potato, but to lose weight i have to eat a small grilled chicken breast with "un" loaded veggies. BLAH! I would rather just quick cold turkey.
I've been thinking lately that making peace with food is the ultimate challenge. We can lose weight, but if we are still at war with food, being skinny is not gonna be enough because we will still have all the negative chatter in our heads about eating.
Well said! I think that is really the key right there. I used to get really down when I thought about how I would be fighting with my weight for the rest of my life. I thought about how I will always have to think about what I eat. That there would never be an end. But that isn't the way to think about it. I don't have to FIGHT with my weight forever. I just need to eat healthy 90% of the time. I can still enjoy holidays. I can still enjoy my weekends (in moderation).
It's all about finding what works. They say you crave what you eat. Meaning - the more healhty food you eat, then you will begin to crave it. The more junk you eat - the more you crave junk.
I have found that eating my fruits and veggies makes me feel good on the inside and so I try to REALLY FOCUS on that. I focus on how good I feel eating healthy.
You need to find something good to focus on. Something that makes you happy. Focus on that. Not on making war with food.
You can quit food cold turkey...JUNK food, FAST food, CANDY food, etc. There's a lot of foods that aren't really foods at all, just chemical concoctions. Whole and natural foods that grow in the sun and under the soil aren't the kind that cause addictions.
That being said, I don't think it is wise to give food so much power. I wrote in my blog yesterday how much I wish I could not have to deal with eating, but it was more in the sense that I was tired of having to cook for others and wish I could eat according to my need and not the need of others.
I see all food as okay to eat, as long as I stay fully aware of the consequences of eating it. Some foods leave me wanting more just because of the taste. I leave them alone. I want to take this weight off more than I want the junk food.
Hope you feel better today! Rants are HEALTHY releases!
I know EXACTLY how you feel! If only there was a food pill that gave you all the vitamins, protein, carbohydrates, etc. that you needed that would be amazing! They would keep you full up to 8 hours and you can buy them in certain calories! You'd still have to drink 64 ozs of water of course, but that I can do. Wouldn't life be grand? (I've thought about this only a few times before.....)
Why oh why do we have to eat food every day? Why does the yummy evil entity known as FOOD have to be necessary for us to live? Honestly, I wish more than anything I could quit food cold turkey and still live.
You don't need to eat every day. There are scientific studies out now that say that every other day is sufficient. I am looking into this myself. It is controversial, of course. The only problem is hunger. You can also go to one meal a day. Caloric restriction supposedly extends your life because it slows the oxidation that leads to cellular death. Some people who can't get over the hunger feelings do food on day one, and a liquid diet on day 2, then alternate every other day. That would mean you would eat half as much food each week. The meals on the days you eat are not "bigger" than normal either.
Personally, I like the feeling of not eating. I go quite a while and only eat when I can't stand the hunger pains any more. And then, what I eat is usually low carb.