Re-Learning Social Eating

Yesterday I had an event with my daughter. It tested my resolve a bit. It was a mother daughter lemonade party. We planned ahead and took our own Zevia sodas, since I knew I wouldn't want the lemonade. It is always challenging eating in a social situation. So much of our social lives are centered around eating. Think of this, does a wedding feel complete if there isn't cake? How about a funeral, with no food? Or, even more regular things, like how about going to the movies? Spending family time? Netflix and chill? All of it seems to involve food. For a food addicted person this can be challenging.

Think about it, food addiction isn't like other addictions that can be stopped entirely. (I'm not saying that stopping isn't a challenge.) This is where the problem lies. Couple that with a society that glamorizes overindulging, and it is no wonder we have an obesity epidemic. I could go on and on about the ties between eating, media, body image, weight, and exercise, but what really matters is how am I dealing with those issues today?

Like any addict, it is one day at a time. Yesterday, I was victorious. I avoided the gluten filled foods, which is a challenge for me. I ate the vegetables and fruit, and indulged in a bit of fruit dip. In the end, did I feel deprived? No. It is those little victories, where I change my actions for my pursuit of health, that really are awesome. These are daily reasons to thank God as he transforms my mind, and consequently my body. I'm realizing daily, that I'm no longer a slave to my desire to eat. In fact, I am finding more pleasure in eating well than I was in just eating as my flesh willed me to.

Facing Challenges

Lately it seems like I'm facing challenge after challenge. Food challenges have been easier to overcome. I feel like I've hit an epiphany I've been waiting a lifetime to hit. Suddenly I'm looking at foods as fuel, and calories. I've always understood this concept, but recently it is becoming a thing that helps me change the way I interact with food. I find myself weighing out how much an item will "cost" me if I indulge in it. Most the time finding I would rather go home and eat something else, that will better fuel my body. I'm feeding myself for my health more than I ever have before.

Today, could be a classic day to overindulge, it is my birthday. I'm finding myself more focused on the goal of staying healthy than classic birthday foods. I'm not going to decide that I am not having cake, but if I do have an indulgence it will be very carefully chosen. Any indulgence will have to be something I know I want enough to make it worth it.

Finally, my biggest challenge today is still my knees. I am going to the doctor today about my knees. I'm afraid I won't get immediate answers, but I'm ready to face whatever answers I get.