Losing weight is one of hardest things to do and maintain! Food addiction is one of the worst things you could have! If you're addicted to crack, you stop using it! If you have a smoking problem, you stop smoking.... but its not like that with food! You can't just stop eating. You need food to live!
But what happens when you're addicted to something you can never get away from... and that something is bad for you? Why can't I be addicted to raw vegetables?!? Don't get me wrong, I like vegetables, but on most days, I'd much rather have a cheeseburger or a piece of cake!
A friend of mine asked me how someone could lose a bunch of weight and look amazing, yet still end up gaining a bunch of the weight back! For a girl who has never been overweight, nor will ever have to worry about what she eats, it was hard for her to fathom how this could happen. Unfortunately, I know all too well how this can occur! For some people, food is just nutrition. For others, food is a comfort and a habit.
You always hear the term "emotional eater"... but what does that really mean? For me, its a comfort. When there's a situation I can't emotionally handle, when I feel rejected and empty, when I'm super stressed out about a decision or just life in general... I turn to food! And its never carrots, its usually terrible food, like pizza, fast food, or any kind of sweet! Food doesn't change. Food doesn't get mad at you or ignore you. Food doesn't judge you. Food is always there.
How does someone lose a ton of weight and then gain some/a lot/all of it back?!? Life gets in the way, you lose focus, you just want to be normal! I wish I was like some of my friends that never have to worry about how many calories they eat or how many hours they spend at the gym. But that's not me... that will never be me!
Its been hard to come to that realization... to say that this has to be my "new normal"! I fully regret the past 8 months! I have done nothing but sabotage my weight loss journey. I let my emotional ups and downs outweigh my goals and dreams. At times, I lost all track of the path I was on. My motivation was at an all time low. I started resenting the one thing that gave me hope and support, the gym. No matter how hard you work, nothing can overcome a poor diet.
Thank God for a new start. 2012 is my year; The year I keep control. No more of that "All or nothing" attitude. No major set backs over small slip ups! No more excuses! Its time for me to make major strides in this journey! I'm not saying it's going to be easy, I'm saying it's going to be worth it!
You go girl. Your dedication and strength has always amazed me. I love you regardless of what you look like... but if your heart isnt happy.. then ill give it big hugs and remind it of the beautiful person and friend i found in IL. Love you Susie! -marissa
ReplyDeleteOk...I think this just might be my new favorite blog post. I can relate to the food addiction...and needing food for comfort. And I have been on both ends of using food as my device. First I used it as a means for control. I was losing control of my life so I controlled what I ate by just not eating. I ended up so sick...needing surgery! Now I tend to use food as my comfort. When I'm happy, sad, mad...etc....I eat. And like you said...it's not carrots I'm grabbing!
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this!! <3 <3 <3
Hey girl! This is Sarah, I met you and Joe in the sauna at the gym. I'm not a diet expert but I think it's sugar and salt in bad food that is so addictive. When we start eating that stuff, our body thinks it needs it.
ReplyDeleteI really like when you said "No major set backs over small slip ups!" That's exactly right! Sweet<3 don't beat yourself up when you "mess up". I know that is sooo easier said than done. I say "mess up" because we should look at those mess ups differently. They shouldn't be something we regret. If you learned something from it, if your "mess up" gave you a new outlook or made you work harder in the future, then it certainly isn't something to regret!
The mistake we make in life is thinking that when we have the perfect circumstances and we make perfect choices, that is when we will be happy and all will be well. For example, people think if only I could lose 10 lbs then I will be happy. But then they get there to find they still have all the same problems they did when they were 10 lbs heavier. So my point is, you can find happiness now exactly where you are! This kind of true happiness will help you on your weight loss journey and will stay with you through it.
We will always have the times we don't make the perfect choices with food. The point is trying to make more good choice than we make bad. It helps to not focus on weight but rather focus on being healthy. When we focus on weight we tend to think about what we can't eat; but when we focus on health we tend to think about things we can eat that are good for us.
Susie, what I wish for you in 2012 is a year of greater self love then ever before! (I wish it for myself too, lol) When you fall down, tell yourself it's part of the journey, it's all good, and get back up :)
Love,
Sarah
“You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”
It is not that hard. You can eat but eat different stuff. Just don't put that crap into your mouth. It is just a matter of self control. I know what I am talking about. Did it, it just takes a little time to get used to and then you don't miss that creesy crappy food at all. You taste will evolve.
ReplyDeleteAND cook your own food. DOn't be lazy and buy those awful crappy tv-meals, burgers, fried chicken. That's your addiction, NOT FOOD itself. It is load of crap that you are so addicted that you can't stop. You can. Cook more at once and freeze it, so you don't need to cook every day and say it is too hard.
ReplyDeleteThe "anonymous" above must not have struggled with weight their whole life. It is tough. Just keep going. You still go to the Plex, and that means you're still in the game, just not fully focused.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about you, but if I told myself I had to burn 3600 calories per day, I'd get really down quickly. That's over 3 hours of sweaty exercise for me which I've done on some Saturdays when I have the whole morning to kill. Maybe try not to shoot for 4.5lbs per week - shoot for 1 instead.
We just have to realize no matter what, this is something we're in for life. You don't just lose the weight and you're done. Frankly, I think maintenance is harder than losing.
Not with weight but other things similar. Just one day said that's enough, and that's that. One can cheat him /her self all they want and make excuses, but only one who loses is him/her self. Either be like you are and stop whining, or just deside that now it is the time that I won't kick myself in the arse. I suggest latter.
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