What's in my Cupboard?
"Teresa, I'd love to know what's in your cupboard!"
The comment stopped me cold.
"What do you want to know?" I said. And why do you care? - I thought suspiciously.
"I just want to know what kind of cooking spray you use, and what kind of soup you cook with. I want the recipe for success."
"I think you might be disappointed!" I said to her. "I eat very simply most of the time."
I've thought of this conversation several times this week, and I've wondered if what I eat is relevant to others, in relation to their weight loss. If it is, I'm inviting ALL of you over, and you can all paw through my kitchen cupboards!
But if it were that easy, and if there was, in fact, a simple recipe for success, I want you to know it would be yours for the asking. But basically, here's what I've known about losing weight since I first joined Weight Watchers at age 11:
EAT LESS, MOVE MORE!
Her question caught me off guard because losing weight, for me, is not so much about what I eat, but about changing my mind-set. Since the food is just the mechanics of the process, I think that what works for me may not work for others.
In the past, I've had a great time dissecting my journal for clues. I figured out that the week I ate fish several times, I lost more. I realized that when I was late for the class I was taking at AR College, and had to run to get there on time, I also lost more weight - so maybe there is, in fact, something to all this exercise business!
How I got to the point where this sort of self-evaluation was worth my time and effort - now that was the real task! While I don't dismiss the fact that finding foods and different ways to make healthy living work is very important, it is also essential to realize that this piece of the solution will be different for each individual.
I wasn't being my personal best, I was not happy with the woman I was becoming. My life felt out of balance and my food consumption was just a symptom. It felt good to eat and I ate for many reasons: happiness, sadness, anger, loneliness, boredom, and just because I could. I hit a few low points and I am sorry to say it took more than one to motivate me into action. A huge factor was that I would soon be turning 40 and I thought "I'm halfway through my life and this is it!"
I remembered the girl I had once been - the one with the big ideas and lofty goals. Where had she gone? I ate, and thought about it for a few more months, continually gaining weight, but finally deciding that I needed to see if that girl was still there, or if I had suffocated her in a pool of fat - gone forever!
That was when I went back to Weight Watchers.
I wasn't sure I could do it. But if there was a chance, I knew that I would need the support and the structure of the program.
It took me some time to get going, and then somewhere deep inside, gradually, I could feel my old self coming back. I started feeling emotions for what they were, rather than masking them with food. Some people said that my personality changed. It did not, but the old me was coming back, loud and clear. I made the time for my daily exercise and my meetings. Nothing else was more important. I admitted to myself that I ate and drank too much and that if I wanted to lose this weight, these behaviors would have to change. It was about me and no one else. I was willing to do whatever it took, for as long as it took, to get where I wanted to be. I'm not sure it was a particular weight I was aiming for, but rather a state of mind.
I still strive to live the best life I can, each and every day. Occasionally, I fail miserably, but I am a work-in-progress. And if I'm not trying, I know I'm not getting any closer to being the person I want to be.
So come over and see what is in my cupboard if it will help you to get where you want to be. But look inside yourself first to find your own recipe for changing yourself. The answer is there - right inside you, just waiting to be released!
Only the best for you!
See you at our meeting.
Teresa