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When I first started my weight loss journey, I often thought about food as "good" or "bad." It's kind of silly, actually - since food is usually measured in calories. What makes a calorie "good" or "bad?" Well, nothing really. A calorie is just a science term.
And just how many calories of one thing makes something good or bad anyway? My answer used to be: when I start to feel guilty about it.
These days, I've realized that I've shed that mentality. I've had a constant supply of chocolate in our house since I moved in - almost a year ago. Guess how many times I've binged on them? ZERO.
So clearly, I've learned that food isn't inherantly good or bad.
And yet, I'm struggling with letting go of labeling myself on my journey as either doing good or bad.
Gained weight? BAD. Lost weight but not as much as I'd liked? BAD. Clothes getting baggier? GOOD. Worked out today? GOOD.
I'm not talking about healthy pride in doing something that makes your body feel great. I'm talking about making the label of good or bad to be a core of your identity - if only for the day.
The thing is, I need to realize that my path to success has many glitches in it. There may be many times where I ask myself if I'll ever get to my ideal weight. Those times, I get discouraged and downtrodden thinking that I'll never be as successful as the people that do extreme dieting.
But then I come across something that reminds me that as long as I'm on the right path, and I put one foot in front of the other, I WILL get there.
It's not a race.
As long as I have the intestinal fortitude to keep on going, it's all good.
6 Comments:
Well good for you! (No bad pun intended.) I still struggle with labeling food but then, I have not tried eating intuitively. Some foods still seem to set me off. I'm still on the path with you. Wish I had gotten further down the road by now. But, such is life.
I am finally catching up on some blog reading!
When you said "not as successful as extreme dieters", I had to pause - extreme dieters might look successful in the short term, but what you are doing - changing your whole approach to food - if much more difficult in the long run.
You know those chocolates you've had in your house for a year untouched? I'd put a lot of money on a bet that any extreme dieters wouldn't be able to do that!!!
Your uneaten chocolates are a symbol of your huge success - truly changing habits is a long, tough road, and you are moving in the direction you want to go.
You've been through a lot of crap in the past few months - put away the labels!
xo Debbie
I needed to hear this today. I have been pretty consistent for the past week (and pretty consistent for the last 6 months), but the scale is unimpressed.
The Buddhist quote inspires me. Thanks.
Intestines = bad. Fortitude = good. Chocolate also good.
Bingeing on chocolate bad.
Thinking about bingeing bad.
Thinking = good.
Silence is golden.
Excellent (that's better than "good") post. I'm always needing reminders about this. And also - when you get down on yourself about how far you still have to go - it's time to take a good hard look at how far you've come so far. <3
I really enjoyed reading this post. There's lots to think about here. Judgment calls really are hard to shed, aren't they? Good/Bad are really just two sides of the same coin called life. Maybe if we just focus more on living life and not judging it, we might not have to diet at all. Like you said, a calorie isn't good or bad. It's just a measuring device. I need to remember this and start living life with more awareness and less judgment. It sounds like you're already there!
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